When The Rain Falls

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Despite my initial excitement at being able to win another tennis match against Andrew, my mind was no longer in it. Clara's reaction to seeing Rebecca in the upstairs window worried me. If mine and George's theory were correct, and the Marlows were involved in what happened to Rebecca, they now knew where she was. Father may have already told them that we had someone staying in the house, but now Clara had seen her face. Rebecca was now in danger of ending up in the place she had tried to run away from.

I tried to focus on the tennis match, but not even beating Andrew was enough to keep my mind off what might happen next. I had to find George and uncover what he had learnt from Eli Burch. Only then would I be able to take the next step towards helping Rebecca. Any new discovery might also put an end to any potential match with Clara. That, of course, could wait. Helping Rebecca would always come first.

"Whoever gets this point wins the game," Clara called from the canopy.

"That point is mine, Nate. You've been slacking all match and now victory is within my grasp."

"Why are you complaining about me slacking? If I don't play my best, you're more likely to win."

"I want it to be a fair fight." He spun his racket around. "That point is still mine. I'm finally going to claim my rightful throne."

"No chance."

Even if my mind was elsewhere, I refused to relinquish my crown and let Andrew win a tennis match. I had a reputation to uphold and years of victories behind me. I wasn't going to lie down and let him take it away from me. That, and I knew that if he won, he would never stop talking about it. I didn't think I could stand that.

Andrew spun his racket once more and bounced on the balls of his feet, the tennis ball grasped in his hand. He grinned, throwing the ball into the air and hitting it as hard as he possibly could. I darted to the left and caught the ball with the very tip of my racket, sending it back over to him with a little more speed. He copied me, putting more power behind each swing. It wasn't enough. I hit it back, watching the ball fly to the far left corner of the court. Andrew made a run for it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Clara lean over to say something to Mrs Marlow, her attention on the game vanishing. I glanced over, watching Mrs Marlow furrow her eyebrows and look up at the window where Rebecca stood.

"Nate! Look out!"

Mrs Marlow looked up, our eyes locking for a fleeting moment. I turned back to Andrew. The tennis ball flew towards me before I could do anything to stop it or move out of its trajectory.

Pain exploded across my face as the ball made contact with the bridge of my nose. My eyes streamed and I could feel blood pouring from my nose and running down my once pristine shirt. A metallic taste filled my mouth. I dropped my racket in surprise, cupping my hands over my nose and feeling the blood run down my face. My fingers were red almost immediately and my streaming eyes blurred at the sight. I had never been a fan of blood.

Someone placed a hand on my shoulder and I looked to see Andrew standing in front of me, concern etched into his face. "I did try to warn you."

"Not fast enough." My words were garbled by the blood in my mouth.

"Let me have a look, Nathaniel." Father lightly grabbed my hands, moving them away from my nose. "It doesn't look broken, most likely bruised. You are in quite the state, though."

"Should we send for the doctor?" Mother's worried voice came from somewhere behind Father.

"That won't be necessary." He let go of my hands. "Go and find George, Nathaniel. He can help you get cleaned up. Come back to us when you are ready. I know what you're like with blood, even your own."