Chapter Eleven: Hologram

Before dawn, Lark wakes cramped in her window chair after a sleepless night of music and avoidance. Lachlan returns from meeting Leander with clear terms for Lark’s family: four jobs a year, a hefty retainer, and Ethel’s muffins. His quiet concern and instant coffee attempt signal a shift in tone.

They parry over her sleeplessness and past, skirting painful topics like Ashborne while assembling a believable couple’s profile—favorite film, stage nerves, and a dream honeymoon to Indonesia. Lachlan’s admission that he’d go for the diving and his genuine smile crack Lark’s defensive veneer; she recognizes the relief of not maintaining a performance around him.

Lachlan has already walked Bentley—bribed by chicken—further softening the morning. He urges Lark to sit, makes breakfast, and they continue trading details to prepare for dinner with her parents. The exchange reveals tentative trust without erasing resentments; Lark still remembers the trunk and his earlier cruelty.

They drive to Shoreview Assisted Living to collect Aunt Ethel. Ethel warms to Lachlan, peppering him with questions about his Charger, and pointedly declares them ready to “stir some shit up.” Outside Lark’s parents’ home in Providence, nerves surface; Lachlan steadies Lark with humor and a handclasp as they approach the door.

The chapter closes with Lark and Lachlan united in presentation—hands still joined—poised to convince the Montagues that their marriage is real while the stakes of Leander’s demands loom.