When the Colonel Came to the Estate

I wondered if he had ever counted the incidents, or if love had made him lazy in the places where courage should have lived.

Margaret looked around as if expecting support.

A few cousins avoided her eyes.

“This is absurd,” she said. “A joke at a party is not a legal matter.”

Dana opened her portfolio.

“It may not need to become one, Mrs. Pembroke. That depends entirely on what your family chooses now.”

Margaret stared at her.

“And you are?”

“Dana Mercer. I represent Nora’s interests today.”

The room shifted again.

For the first time, Margaret seemed uncertain.

Not frightened, not yet, but surprised that I had arrived with more than hurt feelings.

Charles set his jaw.

“No one wants lawyers involved.”

“Then no one should create records worth preserving,” Dana said.

Her voice was mild enough to make the words land harder.

“Nora has not posted the video. She has not contacted anyone in the press. She has not made accusations beyond what happened in front of sixty guests. She came here because Charles requested a family meeting.”