Claire stepped closer.
“Do you know what people are going to say if you cancel this wedding?”
“Yes.”
“They’ll think something is wrong with us!”
“Something is wrong with us.”
Claire recoiled.
Her mother, Vivian, intervened.
“Noah, this is a terribly emotional moment. Surely we can resolve it privately.”
Noah looked at her.
“Did you know Claire had told the staff to keep my mother away?”
Vivian avoided his eyes.
“That was a matter of wedding arrangements.”
Noah felt sick.
“So you knew.”
Leonard cleared his throat.
“Our family has a certain public standing. Claire was trying to avoid an awkward situation.”
“By humiliating a seventy-three-year-old woman?”
Leonard’s jaw tightened.
“I wouldn’t have handled it that way.”
“But you understood why she did it.”
Leonard said nothing.
Claire suddenly turned toward Margaret.
“You’re happy now, aren’t you?”
Margaret looked startled.
“I don’t want anyone to be unhappy.”
“You ruined the most important day of my life!”
Noah stepped between them.
“Stop.”
Claire’s eyes flashed.
“I gave up opportunities for you, Noah. I moved cities. I spent eighteen months planning this wedding. I introduced you to people who helped your business.”
