Chapter 16: Dress Note

Abigail watched calmly, stepping back slightly, as Olivia had her temper tantrum. She spotted Mark, out of the corner of her eye, making his way over to her.

“You stole that dress from me!” Olivia screamed, on the verge of tears as she clung to her own pearl necklace, as though she’d been personally attacked. “And look how you’ve ruined it! That was not like that when I gave it to you!”

Mark knew of the torture she had already endured at the hands of her new family, and she guessed that he had put together, roughly, what was happening, and he looked ready to jump in. But Abigail waved him with a discreet motion of her hand, and Mark stopped in his tracks, watching anxiously.

Abigail briefly wondered why Mark was even here, but she had no time to linger on that thought, given her sister having a full on enraged episode in the middle of what Abigail assumed was the dance floor.

“Are you done?” Abigail asked calmly, as Olivia finished screaming about her stealing the dresses from her.

Abigail noticed Adam, along with the whole bloody ballroom, watching the exchange between his two daughters. Everyone seemed to have given them a slight berth, so now it looked like they had center stage.

“My dearest little sister,” Abigail began, addressing everyone once Olivia had stopped her screaming match. “Is a little confused. She had sent me quite a few dresses earlier this afternoon, around four, as a gift, as she has just announced to everyone. She told me to choose any one I liked to wear for the party but that I could keep them all. Unfortunately,” Abigail said softly. “None of them fit well enough, or were well suited for the party.”

Abigail could practically hear the gears turning in everyone’s mind. She was lucky, these people had known Olivia and Charlotte all their lives, these were the people that knew exactly what they were like.

“And so, with a little skillful sewing and a redesign, given that I worked, in my humble beginnings, as a seamstress for a few months,” Abigail said, spreading her arms wider. “I was then able to create this dress, by combining a few of the dresses my sister had sent me. So,” Abigail paused, allowing everyone and Olivia to take in everything she had just said. “This was in fact, of the dresses that you sent me, little sister, though I understand your confusion.”

Olivia was fuming, but before she could start screaming again, Charlotte quickly appeared by her daughter’s side, and started pulling her away from the center of attention.

“And if anyone doesn’t believe me,” Abigail began, watching Charlotte’s death glare on her from where she was taking Olivia away, “I have a note from Olivia herself, stating that I could have the dresses, as well as where she clearly says that she told me the wrong time for the party.” Abigail paused for a second. “By accident, of course.”

The crowd them murmured among themselves, and turned to watch Charlotte take Olivia out of the ballroom.

Abigail caught her father’s eye, who seemed to be smiling proudly at her. He nodded and raised his glass to her.

At least her father thought that she had handled that situation as best as she possibly could. She then saw Adam turn, with a grim face, to watch Charlotte taking Olivia out of the room. He quickly put his glass down, and followed them out of the room.

Mark quickly appeared at her side, slipping a hand around her waist.

“This is the part where you disappear into the crowd,” Mark whispered against her ear.

Abigail quickly followed him, to the back of the room. The crowd dispersed after that then, talking and mingling with each other.

Mark led Abigail to a quiet corner of the ball room, but they were both in hysterics before they reached there. Mark pulled out a chair for Abigail to sit in, and he collapsed in the seat next to her.

“Did you see her face?” Abigail laughed, collapsing in her chair.

“My God,” Mark said in wonder. “I thought she was going to explode.”

“Me too!” Abigail exclaimed, and they both laughed.

After a moment of trying to catch their breath, they both sobered.

“That dress really is beautiful,” Mark remarked, playing with a few of the beads on her bodice, generally close to her chest.

“Thank you,” Abigail said, “But I really can’t take all the credit. I had lots of help putting it together.”

“Let me guess,” Mark said, “Olivia tried to make you wear something absolutely horrendous for tonight?”

“How’d you guess?” Abigail asked in mock surprise.

“You know,” Mark said. “It was really just a guess.”

They spoke for a few more minutes, and just as Abigail was about to ask him how a gardener ended up in the company party, a voice came over the speakers that she couldn’t see anywhere.

The speaker announced for the guests to please take their seat, and Mark started to rise. Abigail started to push herself out of the chair as well, but Mark gently held her down.

“This is your table,” Mark told her, smiling softly at her. “This is reserved for the Woodtriche family. Though I think it’s safe to say you’re the only one that will be here through your father’s speeches.”

Abigail laughed again, Mark joining her.

“I should get to my seat,” Mark said, kissing her hand. “You really are very beautiful.”

Then Mark dropped her hand and disappeared into the crowd. Abigail tried to follow him, to see where her father had seated some of their servants, but she lost him again. And her father called everyone, and they all turned their attention to the podium.

“I would like to begin by thanking everyone to be here tonight,” Adam began soberly.

And Abigail wondered how he kept a straight face after everything that had just happened, but she supposed he was used to living with Charlotte and Olivia and accompanying them to these things. This was possibly not the first scandal they had ever caused.

“And I want to apologize for Olivia’s outburst,” her father acknowledged. “My second daughter is not in the best of spirits, this evening, so she has been taken home. Thankfully, my eldest, though only being in our home for the past few days, was able to skillfully assist her sister through her outburst with her calm manner and understanding demeanor.”

Abigail glanced around, and sure enough, there was no sign of Olivia or her mother anywhere.

“Though this was an unfortunate outburst,” her father says soberly. “It presented everyone here, everyone associated with the company is its highest capacities, to see why my second daughter has since stepped down from her position in the company, as she had to give her health the highest priority, especially in this difficult time.”

Abigail snorted. So Adam was going to play Olivia’s outburst like it was a declining mental health situation, huh? Well, that would certainly excuse any naysayers from reporting on tonight’s events. No one wanted to be the one to point fingers at a sick girl and accuse her of anything.

It also protected the company, and by Adam publicly distancing Olivia from the company, it also protected their stocks and reassured their investors that the delusional, screaming girl was nowhere near in charge.

Abigail felt it was a bit harsh. But given what Olivia had just done to her with the dresses, and then the public accusation of theft, she found it difficult in herself to be forgiving or understanding of her sister’s plight.

“It also presented a very unique opportunity,” Adam continued, spreading his arms out wide, and then pointing them both towards Abigail. “A chance to see my eldest daughter, in action. Handling a crisis with utmost efficacy, respect and decorum, even though she was the wronged party. One of the highest orders of business in any company.”

Abigail wondered what on earth her father was talking about. Why would everyone here need to have witnessed her skillful and calm manner in dealing with a crazy person? Why would anyone here need to see her capacity?

“It makes my announcement here tonight so much easier and with the greatest pleasure,” Adam announced, his voice having taken a much happier and much more jovial tone. “I am pleased to announce, that Abigail Miller Woodtriche, has been appointed, both by myself and the board of directors, as the next direct successor to our wonderful company and empire.”

Abigail’s mouth dropped open in shock, but she was quickly able to recover herself. As everyone clapped and raised their glasses, she was able to stand up, smile and bow slightly to the crowd. All the while wondering in her mind what exactly was going on.

Abigail caught sight of Mark again, standing against the back wall.

So the servants hadn’t been given a table after all. She caught a glance of his expression before he schooled it though, and she wondered why, for a moment, he had looked so sad.