When The Rain Falls

Chapter Twenty-Three

Alice refused to look at me. She would avoid my eye during meal times, skirt around me in the whole, and requested that I keep my distance from Rebecca until I had sorted myself out. I wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that, and I had no intention of asking. All I wanted was to get through the supper with Marlows unscathed.

The approaching supper had spent the house into a tailspin. The servants were ordered to sweep and mop the floors, dust every surface, and ensure everything was spotless. I had never seen them so busy and I was certain that they did not put as much effort into cleaning when the Seabrooks would visit. Father wanted everything to go smoothly, and that included me.

The afternoon of the supper, he had sent George up to me to act as a valet. Since George's arrival, Father had said that he would act as a valet when the opportunity arrived, and it seemed as though that time had come. He wanted me to look like a respectable gentleman, something I was not capable of doing myself. At least I didn't have to worry about making myself look presentable.

"Will you stop fidgeting, Master Nate? You'll crease your shirt," George said.

"I cannot help it. This collar is choking me."

"You're going to have to tolerate it for a few hours." He tugged on my bowtie, somehow managing to push my collar further into my neck. "If it chokes you to death, at least you won't have to deal with another supper."

"So, there is an upside to this monstrosity?"

George laughed. "Just keep still."

"I'm being genuine. Do you think I can get out of more suppers if my collar strangles me to death?"

"If you don't keep still, I'll be the one strangling you."

With a slight raise of his eyebrows, I knew George to be serious, so I stopped wriggling. The collar still dug into my throat, the jacket made me feel uncomfortably warm and sweaty, and I had so much pomade in my hair that it wasn't going to move for a week. There was so much involved in a simple supper that I wondered if any of it was worth it. Surely no one would be comfortable this evening.

Still, I had promised George and Father that I would sit through the supper and not say anything untoward. I had to get through this supper if we stood any chance of mending our already fractured relationship. George was right about me dealing with too many things I couldn't control. This supper was something I had control over.

"Right," George said, "I think that is as good as we are going to get you."

"That's not a compliment, is it?"

"It can be anything you want it to be, Master Nate."

"Alright, not a compliment."

George laughed, straightening my bowtie. "How are you feeling about this supper?"

"Terrified that it is all going to go wrong and this—" I tugged on my collar "—isn't helping, neither is the heat."

"Try not to drink too much wine if you can help it. It will only make you warmer. There should be some lemonade going up to the table, so stick to that."

"Yes, sir," I mumbled.

"Just keep a cool head and all will be fine."

"It's the cool part I'm going to struggle with."

George chuckled to himself and started to clean the room, leaving me to fuss with my tie and dangle myself out the window. The heat turned stifling at the wrong time. I could feel the sweat running down my back when I was standing still, and the collar wasn't helping matters. It would be a long supper if the heat continued and failed to die down during supper.