Chateau of Secrets: A Novel Read Online Free Page A

manager, was barreling down on me. Olivia was an organizational wizard, but unlike Austin, she had little concern for her appearance. Her glasses had crept an inch or two down her nose, and the hair she’d tied back was falling out in frizzy chunks. It was as if she singlehandedly severed every ounce of stress that might infect Austin before it festered.
    Olivia retrieved the plate from my hands and returned it to the stack. Then she reached for my wrist and tugged me toward the side of the room. “I’ve been looking for you.”
    “I was with Austin,” I said as if I’d been hanging out for an hour.
    “The program starts in twelve minutes,” she rattled on. “Dr. Everett is going to speak about the future of the party for ten minutes, and then he’ll introduce Austin. Austin will introduce you.”
    “I know.” I shook my arm to free it from her grasp. “You emailed me the schedule.”
    “When Austin says your name, I want you to smile and give an elegant wave to the cameras on your left.” Olivia attempted to demonstrate a wave that wasn’t the least bit elegant.
    “Like this.” I showed off my well-rehearsed smile and wave.
    “Exactly.” Olivia glanced down at her tablet. “Austin will speak for a half hour and then the orchestra will start playing. You’ll move up front for a dance with the candidate.”
    “Who is also my fiancé.”
    “Right.” She tapped her tablet.
    Of course I was right. Why did I feel like I had to convince Olivia—and Austin’s family, for that matter—that I was more than a campaign volunteer? Austin was the one who’d pursued me. He was the one who’d proposed.
    Olivia’s phone buzzed and when she twirled on her heel, I leaned back against the column. Perhaps my “pretty package” analogy was all wrong. On nights like tonight, I was simply a prop. The room quieted when Dr. Everett took the stage. He leaned toward the microphone to introduce Austin, but before he spoke, the music from Les Misérables echoed across the room. Swearing under my breath, I dove into my beaded bag, muted my cell.
    The doctor made a joke about the interruption, and my cheeks warmed as the people standing nearby chuckled. Hopefully Austin wouldn’t find out whose phone disrupted his event. He wouldn’t find it nearly as funny as my neighbors.
    The ringing stopped, but the phone continued to vibrate in my hand. I glanced down at a text from my mom.
    CALL ME! ASAP
    The capital letters screamed back at me, and my heart began to race. What if something had happened to my grandmother?
    With apologies to those around me, I ducked my head and carefully backed out of the crowd, grateful my new heels held steady as I exited through the arched doorway behind me. I would be back inside the ballroom in five minutes for my obligatory wave.
    In the hallway, I called my mom back. She answered on the first ring.
    “Is Mémé okay?” I demanded.
    “As far as I know, she’s fine.”
    “And Dad?”
    “Chloe wants to know if you’re okay,” she called out. There was a muffled response in the background before she spoke to me again. “Your dad says everything is fine.”
    I took a deep breath, my heart slowing back to a normal pace.
    “Where are you?” my mom asked.
    “At the fund-raiser downtown. I have to get back inside—Austin’s about to introduce me.” I leaned back against a wall. “I thought it was an emergency.”
    “It is an emergency,” she replied. “Is your passport up-to-date?”
    “My passport?” I replied, agitated. Clearly we had different definitions of emergency . “My passport is not a matter of urgency.”
    “But is it current?”
    “Yes.” Just last summer, right before I met Austin, my best friend, Marissa, and I had kayaked through Costa Rica. But Mom and I would have to discuss my passport situation later. It wouldn’t be long before Austin took the stage. “I have to go—”
    The following sigh would have impressed all twenty-seven of my third graders.