CHAPTER 12: Vanessa Loses the Center of the Room

Vanessa had entered the dining room believing light belonged to her.
She had chosen the flowers, approved the place cards, instructed the photographer to capture her near Martin's portrait, and told the staff that Mrs. Whitcomb should be kept comfortable away from the main conversation.
Now she remained seated while Eleanor crossed the room with Calder's folder in hand.
No one blocked her. No one corrected the pace of her steps. No one mentioned her age.
'You humiliated yourself,' Vanessa said, but her voice no longer sounded like the room's opinion. It sounded like one woman speaking too late.
Eleanor paused beside her chair.
'No, Vanessa. I let you show everyone what you believed power looked like.'
Vanessa's eyes moved to Adrian, asking him to recover the room.
He could not. He had never owned it.