“It keeps my hands busy, Eleanor,” I said, keeping my tone level and quiet. I touched my wedding band, spinning the gold circle once around my knuckle.
Eleanor smoothed the silk of her scarf again. “Joe mentioned he was in New Haven until dawn,” she said, her voice dropping a fraction of an octave. “He is working himself to exhaustion, Bella. A wife should ensure her husband has a peaceful home to return to.”
“I do my best to make sure the house is quiet, Eleanor,” I replied.
“Quiet is not the same as peaceful,” she said, her eyes shifting to the basket of damp linens. “A man in his position requires absolute stability. The board is watching his performance closely this quarter.”
“The guest list has reached one hundred and twelve,” she said, ignoring my remark. “Every legacy family from the shoreline will be in that ballroom. We cannot have a single detail out of place.”
“The seating charts are already finalized,” I said. “I sent the final proofs to the printer yesterday.”
Eleanor shifted her weight, the fabric of her skirt rustling. She looked past me toward the narrow window that faced the lawn.
“Tommy was in the garden earlier,” Eleanor said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “He was struggling to catch his breath after merely walking the perimeter of the rose bushes. He looks far too pale to carry his father’s legacy.”
I pulled another tablecloth from the basket, the linen snapping in the quiet utility room. “He is active enough, Eleanor. His doctor says he is doing well, provided he avoids the damp autumn air.”
“A family like ours cannot afford to look weak, Bella.”
I kept my eyes on the white fabric, folding it precisely into thirds. “Tommy is stronger than you think. He does not need to run marathons to prove it.”
She smoothed her silk scarf again, her fingers tracing the tight hemline of the fabric.
“Strength is not a quiet quality,” she said, standing up. “It is something people must see the moment we enter a room. A child who cannot walk the garden without gasping does not inspire confidence in the future of the firm.”
