Chapter 9 - The Empty Chair at the Donor Table
He didn't let me go back downstairs the way I was.
Upstairs, in the hallway outside his office, Julian knelt again. The safe was locked behind us and Ellis was waiting by the door, but my father put both hands on my shoulders and looked me over like he was checking for something I'd lost. My bow had come half undone in the back and my hair had slipped over one shoulder.
"Hold still, love," he said quietly.
I stood still while he fixed it. His fingers were careful. He smoothed the bow flat, retied it, then brushed my hair back behind my ears. He ran his palms down the front of my dress to straighten the embroidered skirt where it had wrinkled from sitting on the floor.
"You okay to go back down?" he asked.
I nodded. My throat felt tight.
He took my hand. His silver watch was cold against my wrist. "You stay beside me. That chair is still yours. You don't move unless I tell you, understand?"
"Yes," I said.
He didn't pick me up. He walked me. Down the staircase, my small hand in his, step by step, so everyone would see.
The dining room was louder than before. Someone had opened the double doors to the ballroom and the donor crowd had spread between the tables with wine glasses in their hands. The chandelier was brighter now, or it felt that way, and the polished table reflected all of it.
Lorraine was already there.
She stood near the head of the table with a glass of white wine, laughing at something a man in a navy blazer was saying. Her black dress hadn't moved and her diamond bracelet caught the light every time she gestured. She looked composed, like nothing had happened upstairs. Like she hadn't told me to be staff.
She saw us come down and her smile didn't drop. If anything it widened.
"There he is," she said, loud enough for the table to hear. "Julian, we were just telling Mr. and Mrs. Hale about the foundation's new arts wing. I was introducing myself as your host for the evening."
Julian didn't answer her right away. He guided me past the edge of the table to the empty chair he'd pulled out earlier. The one he'd said was mine. He pulled it out again.
"Sit here, Emma," he said.
I climbed up. My feet didn't touch the floor. He pushed the chair in gently so I was tucked against the table, right beside his place at the head. The white plate in front of me was still clean. Someone had refilled the water glass.
Lorraine glanced at me, just a flick of her eyes, then back to the donors.
"Our daughter decided to join us after all," Julian said calmly, his hand resting on the back of my chair. "Emma, this is Mr. Hale and Mrs. Hale. They support the library program."
I folded my hands in my lap the way I'd been taught. Mrs. Hale smiled at me, a polite, surprised smile.
"Well hello there," she said. "What a pretty dress."
"Thank you," I whispered.
A man at the other end of the table, older, with gray hair and a foundation pin on his lapel, leaned forward and checked his watch. He looked at Julian.
"Julian, we hate to rush you," he said, "but we're holding on the pledge signing. We were expecting Margaret Whitmore's donor pass for verification before we countersign the new commitments. Has it come down? Margaret said it would be presented tonight."
I felt Julian's hand tighten just slightly on my chair.
Lorraine laughed, light and easy. "Margaret's pass is being handled," she said. "We've had a little delay with the safe upstairs but it's all in order."
The older donor frowned. "We were told the pass would be on the table for the signing. The Whitmore family is particular about protocol. Without it we can't release the matching funds tonight."
The room got quieter. People looked toward Julian.
Julian didn't look at Lorraine. He looked at the donor and then at me, briefly, before answering.
"It will arrive shortly," he said. His voice was even, not hurried. "The pass is secured. I'm having it brought down properly so we do this correctly. Let's give it a few more minutes. Please, enjoy another glass while we prepare the table."
It wasn't a lie. I knew it wasn't. The envelope was in the safe behind Ellis. The card was in the clutch upstairs. He was buying time the way adults did when they didn't want to make a scene.
Mr. Hale nodded. "Of course. We understand. These things take a moment."
Lorraine stepped closer to the table, her hand resting on the back of the chair opposite mine, claiming space. She smiled at Mrs. Hale.
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"Julian is so thorough," she said. "That's why the foundation trusts him. We'll have everything in order in just a moment."
I sat very still in my chair. My bow felt straight against my back. Julian's hand stayed on my chair, his ring visible against the dark wood, and I could feel his watch against the edge of the table when he shifted. Under the chandelier, with all those adults looking, I knew I was supposed to be invisible again, but I wasn't. I was seated at the head table, right beside my father, while Lorraine performed her host smile and the donors waited for a silver card that wasn't on the table yet.
