Chapter 7: Margaret's Last Move
I had our coats over my arm and was moving toward the exit when Margaret appeared in the corridor.
She had positioned herself between me and the door.
It was not accidental.
"I'd like a word," she said.
"I'm taking Lily home."
"It will only take a moment."
I stopped.
Lily was still drowsy, her head on my shoulder.
I kept my hand on her back and looked at Margaret.
"One moment," I said.
Margaret glanced at the nearest guests, then steered us slightly to the side, into the alcove near the coatroom.
A performance of privacy.
"I want you to understand something," she said, her voice low and controlled.
"Whatever you think you have in that folder — documents can be explained.
Accounts can be restructured.
You are not as prepared as you believe you are."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's information." She folded her hands.
"Daniel is not a bad man.
He made a mistake.
Marriages survive mistakes."
"He bought a woman a house."
"Men do foolish things.
That doesn't mean you burn the family down."
"I didn't build the fire, Margaret."
Her jaw tightened.
"You have a daughter to think about.
A custody arrangement.
A life that is comfortable right now and could become very uncomfortable very quickly." She let that sit for a moment.
"I'm asking you to be reasonable."
"You're asking me to be quiet," I said.
"Those aren't the same thing."
"I'm asking you to think about what a court case does to a child.
The disruption.
The instability." She tilted her head slightly.
"And I'm asking you to think about what it does to a woman who is seen as having caused a scene at a family wedding."
There it was.
"You're going to tell people I caused this," I said.
"I'm going to tell people what I saw," she said.
"A woman who made a very public choice at a very private family event."
I looked at her for a long moment.
"Margaret," I said.
"I recorded our conversation outside."
Her face didn't move.
"I've been recording since I sat down on that bench," I said.
"Renee's conversation.
Daniel's conversation.
And this one." I shifted Lily to my other arm.
"So when you say you'll tell people what you saw — I'd encourage you to make sure your version matches the audio."
The color left her face in a way I had never seen before.
Not a flush.
A draining.
"You're bluffing," she said.
I picked up Lily's coat from my arm and began putting it on her gently, one sleeve at a time.
"Monday morning," I said.
"My lawyer's office.
Everything goes on the table." I looked up.
"Have a good night, Margaret."
I walked past her to the door.
She didn't follow.
Outside, the night air was cold and clean.
Lily woke slightly as I buckled her into the car seat, blinked at me with those gray eyes, and said: "Mommy, are you sad?"
"No, baby," I said.
"I'm okay."
She studied my face with the serious attention of someone very small and very certain.
"You look okay," she decided, and closed her eyes again.
I got into the driver's seat and sat for a moment before starting the engine.
Then I took out my phone and sent Diane one message: *It's done.
Monday still on.*
Her reply came back in under a minute: *I'll have everything ready.
May you like
Get some sleep.*
I started the car.
