Danny stepped out into the soft light of the early evening with one of his grandfather’s books tucked under his arm. He was dressed in a button-down shirt and a pair of nice jeans, which was about as fancy as it got with Danny.
“Hey, bud.” Ella forced a smile. “Thanks for your help this afternoon with the books.”
“These books are whoppers,” Danny joked. “Seven hundred and sixty-seven pages?”
“Your grandfather was always very verbose,” Ella tried. “I guess he had to put all those thoughts somewhere while he was in prison.”
Danny’s face was contemplative. “Aunt Alana said the book is all about Grandpa’s innocence. That it’s about an innocent man who feels so much regret about missing his life.”
Ella’s cheek twitched. “Your aunts have some theories about your grandfather’s past.”
“You don’t believe those theories?”
“I just think we should all find a way to move on,” Ella stuttered slightly. “And I don’t know if digging up the past will help any of us. That’s all.”
Just then, Julia’s voice carried from the heart of the library. “All right, everyone! People should be arriving any minute. Emerson, remember that you’re in charge of social media. Post like your life depends on it.”
Ella and Danny locked eyes and giggled quietly. They then entered the library to huddle beside Laura, who’d positioned herself directly next to one of the larger snack tables. Ella reached out to select a pretzel from a large tray. Julia’s eyes widened angrily, which made Ella slowly bring her hand back to her side. She didn’t want to anger the beast. Not tonight.
Julia continued. “Remember, the book goes on sale today across the country, but many people here tonight already received an advanced copy and have taken the time to discuss and review the book. Reviews are coming in— and they’re spectacular. Let’s make sure to be polite, entertaining, and excited about the future of Dad’s career and The Copperfield House itself.
“This party is about more than a novel. It’s about the rebirth of The Copperfield House and our assertion that very soon, we will reopen it as a transformed artist residency. Already, Alana has begun that work with her acting seminars for teenage girls. But this is only the beginning of what will certainly be a remarkable chapter. And within that chapter, I know that my sisters and I will find the proof we need to show that Bernard Copperfield is innocent of the crimes he served time for. This book is only the first step.”
Ella had to admit that she couldn’t quite get up the energy to care about The Copperfield House’s new residency program. Still, at the end of Julia’s speech, she clapped along with her other family members and Julia’s team, grateful for a distraction from her raggedy Brooklyn life.
One after another, guests began to arrive. Julia put Ella and Laura in charge of the front desk nearest the door, where guests checked in and received their goodie bags. Bloggers, book reviewers, and semi-famous literary faces appeared before the table, often peering through very thick glasses as they introduced themselves.
Once, Laura whispered into Ella’s ear to say, “Your music friends are way cooler than these book types.”
To this, Ella snickered and said, “Come on. Just because they don’t wear leather jackets and love Iggy Pop doesn’t mean they’re not cool.”
At this, one of the book reviewers in the growing crowd began to hiccup. Some wine spilled from his lips and stained his striped shirt. Laura placed her hand over her mouth and nearly burst with laughter. Ella rolled her eyes and stifled her own giggles.
“Have you seen your brother?” Ella asked Laura during a small break in the stream of guests.
“Uh. He was back there with Grandma,” Laura replied, waving her pen back behind her shoulder.
Ella’s brain fuzzed with worry. Around them, revelers sipped wine and chatted about Bernard’s book, their own literary accomplishments, and the state of the publishing industry. Ella had a terrible, flashing mental image of Danny mere hours after his alcohol poisoning.Suppose he snuck off with an entire bottle of wine?She would never forgive herself for not paying attention.
“I’m just going to check up on him,” Ella muttered.
“Mom, I think he’s okay,” Laura offered, her eyebrows lowered.
“I have to make sure.” Ella leaped up as another batch of guests approached the desk. She then wove through the haze of perfume and cologne and locked eyes with Julia across the library. Julia was in what looked to be a serious conversation with another woman who owned a publishing house. As the woman spoke, Julia mouthed, “Are you okay?” To this, Ella just nodded.
She didn’t want her family to know about the inherent brokenness of her own family. She didn’t want them to know that she and Will had separated. She didn’t want them to know that Danny had been in the hospital. She didn’t want them to know that she was hardly keeping herself together.
“Hey, Rach.” Ella found her niece in the corner with her brother, Henry. Both ate cupcakes, and their lips were outlined with chocolate. “Have you seen Danny?”
“Oh, um. I think he was somewhere with Anna?”
“Any idea of where they ran off to?”
Rachel’s beautiful face contorted. “They said something about going back to the main area of the house.”
Ella’s heart pounded. “Thank you, Rach.” She then flung herself toward the hallway that led back toward the main house. Anna was twenty-two; Danny was seventeen, but a big-city seventeen, which made him far more “adult” than kids his age in small towns.
Out of view of the party, Ella sprinted down the hallway and erupted through the door that separated the residency from the main house. Back in the old days of The Copperfield House, one half of the house had been the servants’ quarters, while the other had belonged to the family who hired them. When Ella had been a child, she’d been told not to go into the residency half of the house without one of her parents. It had been essential to let the artists have their space, their time, and their quiet.