Marcus came down the grand staircase, wiping his hands on a dishtowel, his open, friendly face breaking into a smile and then a small frown of confusion.

“Nora?

Where’s Chloe?

Did you all manage to catch an early flight after all?” And I waited, standing there in the warm foyer under the great chandelier, my tote bag held tightly against me, until Arthur himself walked out of his study in his reading glasses, smiling warmly at the sight of his pregnant daughter-in-law arrived safely for the holidays.

I waited until all three of them were there, together, in the same room, because what I had to say needed to be said once, to all of them, with the evidence in hand, so that there could be no version of it filtered through Julian’s voice later.