When The Rain Falls

Chapter Ten

Luncheon was just as bad as breakfast, and Father made it worse by smiling at me from across the table. He looked far too pleased for a man who had just sent a young boy into the village to fend for himself. I wanted nothing more than to wipe the smug look off his face, but George's words kept me from doing so. That and Alice had given me a sharp kick under the table when she caught me staring at him. The kick shocked me enough to pull my eyes away from Father. It also hurt.

"Did you have to kick me so hard? I'm going to have a bruise now," I said, rubbing my shin as Alice and I stepped into the hallway.

"Yes. You were seconds away from throwing yourself over the table and attacking him. Your whole body was shaking, Nate."

I glanced down at my hands, noting the slight shake in my fingers that I hadn't felt when we were in the dining room. The more I saw Father, the angrier I became, and I knew it would not go away anytime soon. He didn't feel an ounce of remorse over what he did to Joseph and he certainly didn't care that I had been right about Rebecca. That had just made him frustrated since I had proved him wrong. He hated being proved wrong.

Our relationship had reached its most strained point, and I knew it would be difficult to repair now the damage had been done. I did not know if he saw it too.

"Forget about Father for the time being. You being agitated won't help us find out what happened to Miss Rebecca and I would like to find out before Father changes his mind and sends her away."

"Alright, I'll try, but his attitude has set me on edge."

"I know. To be perfectly honest, Nate, that has probably been his plan. He wants you to be on edge and you cannot let him know how much his behaviour has affected you or it will only get worse."

"You know, I hate it when you're right."

"I would say the same, but I'm never wrong and, to the best of my recollection, you've never been right."

Alice grinned at me as we reached the top of the stairs, both of us visibly sweating in the afternoon heat. Even with all the windows open, it was still far too hot. The two of us walked down the hall, trying our hardest to not appear suspicious, but we always managed to, especially as it was unusual for the two of us to be going anywhere together. We reached the room where Rebecca was staying and Alice knocked lightly. She barely waited for a response before she opened the door and the two of us stepped inside.

Rebecca sat in the bed, the blankets pulled up to her chest despite the stifling heat that could not be chased away by the open window. On the bed beside her sat a tray with an empty glass and plate, a sign that she had eaten at the same time as us. She barely moved when Alice and I entered the room, the two of us offering warm smiles, hoping to ease whatever worries she might have had. If it had the desired effect, Rebecca did not show it.

At the sight of her looking so small and fragile in the bed, I pushed my thoughts of Father to the back of my mind and even tried my hardest to forget about Joseph. The last thing I wanted to do was frighten Rebecca any more than she already was. She had started to trust me and after what Doctor Merrick said about her being cautious of men; I did not want that to change.

"Good afternoon, Miss Rebecca," Alice said, closing the door behind us. "How are you feeling?"

Rebecca shrugged.

"Nate and I were wondering if we could talk to you."

I held my hands up, my palms facing Rebecca. "It was all Alice's idea. I had nothing to do with it."

Rebecca smiled slightly, and I took that as a sign that she had at least a small amount of trust in us. I knew it would be awhile before she trusted us completely, but it was a start. At least, I hoped it was.