If Father had noted my absence, he did not mention it. George and I returned to the house not long after handing the horses over to the stable hands and ensuring we gave them the old blanket. We headed up the stairs before going our separate ways outside Father's study. He saw me for a fleeting moment upon opening the door to George, but he said nothing or ask questions about where he had been. The silence he had been giving me for the previous few days had become uncomfortable.

I left them to it and continued down the hall to my bedroom, which had been cleaned by the servants since I had been gone. They had straightened the blankets, my dirty clothes taken to the laundry, and the window had been opened a little wider in my absence. A soft breeze filled the room as I stepped inside and closed the door behind me to keep any prying eyes out. I crossed the room, sat on the edge of my bed, and pulled the pendant from my pocket.

The pendant itself was simple in design. A small over with swirls covering the front and back, some of them weaving together to create a raised pattern. It looked expensive despite the design being so simple. When I had first seen Rebecca, the dress she wore was not one of someone with much money to their name and instead looked similar to one that our servants might have worn. Had Rebecca been a servant, she would not have been able to afford such an item.

Although the pendant was not mine and I had no right to look at what might have been inside, I knew that the pendant might have contained a clue to Rebecca's identity. If she could not afford the pendant, then she had to have taken it for a reason, and I had my suspicions that the clue may have been inside the pendant itself. I knew I would be invading Rebecca's privacy by opening it, but we needed to find out where she came from before Father decided to send her away.

I turned the locket over in my hand before unsnapping the clasp and opening the pendant. Before I could even glance at the contents, a sharp knock at the door caught my attention. I snapped the pendant shut and shoved it under my pillow.

"Come in," I said, expecting to see George or Alice.

The door creaked open, but it was neither George nor Alice standing in the doorway. Father stood in the doorway, blocking the entrance completely and making me feel trapped in my bedroom. He cast an imposing shadow over the room that was suffocating, as though he was sucking all the air from the room. I stared at him, wondering just what he wanted and why he felt the need to simply stand there. Most people would have announced their presence and reason for a visit upon opening the door. Father was not most people.

"Can I help you?" I asked, readjusting my pillow slightly so the pendant was completely hidden from view.

"Watch your tone, Nathaniel. I am just here to talk."

"That's a first," I muttered, rolling my eyes. If Father heard me, he made no show of it.

"I have allowed you the past few days so that you might calm down and we can have an adult conversation about Joseph and Miss Rebecca. You are old enough now that we should be able to discuss these things in a timely and appropriate manner without having to resort to raised voices or violence."

Father stepped into the room, lingering near the doorway. He no doubt expected me to kick him out and refuse to talk to him, which was a tempting option, I had to admit. The past few days of not speaking to him were better than I could have imagined, and I did not see how a simple conversation would help mend our fractured relationship. That and he had been the one who resorted to violence during our last confrontation. There was no telling whether he would do so again. However, if he wanted to have an adult conversation, then I was willing to give him one.

I would keep my anger in check as long as he did the same.

"Very well. If you want to talk, then we shall talk," I said. "You should know that her name is Rebecca Edwards. Alice and I thought it would be more polite if we could address her correctly."

"I am pleased to see that your mother's lessons have not been lost on you, although I'm not sure she would be too pleased about you being in a room with Miss Edwards without supervision."

"Alice was there."

"Your sister does not count."

Father broke into a rare smile, and a small slither of tension melted away. It wasn't enough to make me feel comfortable with him, but it was a start. Perhaps we could have a genuine conversation without it spiralling into a shouting match or a backhand to the cheek. Despite that, the doubt that the conversation would go well stayed at the forefront of my mind. We had had little luck with our previous conversations.

He stepped a little further into the room, motioning me to follow him over to the window seat. I reluctantly followed, the two of us taking a seat on the cushioned alcove as far apart from one another as we could get. Father had never been one for heart-to-heart conversations. Those were usually reserved for Mother. I had the sneaking suspicion that the simple talk Father had planned would turn into a lecture in no time.

"I know you were none too happy with my decision to dismiss Joseph," Father said, "but you must understand that I have to set an example for the rest of the staff. He is a smart enough boy who will no doubt succeed in whatever he does next, especially if George is assisting him."

"I did not ask George to assist Joseph. He offered."

"I know. George told me upon his return this afternoon, and I do not begrudge him for helping Joseph out."

"Yet you backhanded me for standing up for him."

"Your behaviour towards me in front of our staff was unacceptable and I will not be made a fool of, Nathaniel. Joseph knew that he could have informed me about Miss Edwards' presence and refused to do so. He is the one who broke the rules, and he had to be made an example of. I'm sorry, Nate, but it is the way things have to be. One day you will understand the way things work and you must make decisions that may not be of the popular opinion."

"But why must those sorts of decisions be made? Joseph knew he should have mentioned it, but by that point, I had already told you I had seen Miss Edwards and you didn't believe me. You can hardly blame him for not wanting to speak up out of fear that he would not be believed. Besides, why should there be a way that everything must work? Just because they work for us doesn't make them any less than we are. Without them, the household wouldn't function."

"You are a strange boy, make no mistake, but perhaps you shall be the one to change things. I believe I am still too stuck in my ways to make those changes myself. Joseph will be fine on his own and I do not hold any resentment towards him. Maybe you are right. If I had believed you, he may well have had the courage to speak to me himself, but what's done is done and it cannot be changed."

I pressed the palms of my hand into my thigh. "It could be changed if you had the guts to do so."

"We shall have to agree to disagree in this case, Nate. You are free to run your household however you see fit to do so in the future, but for now, you must abide by my rules."

I stared at him, unsure of how to react. It was rare for Father and me to have a conversation such as this one, and he rarely offered an explanation for the actions he had made. Not only that, but it was rare for him to offer me a compliment, albeit a backhanded one. I did not understand just why Father felt the need to have this conversation now. He could have simply moved on without mentioning our disagreement. Why did he appear so keen to discuss it at all?

Father would never usually discuss the way he ran the household and always hated the idea of me merely suggesting different alternatives. He always made it appear as though I had no other choice but to run my future household in the same way that he ran his. It made little sense to me as to why he would suddenly change his mind, especially as he had been so cold towards me since our original confrontation.

Whether Father had noticed how strained our relationship had become, I did not know, but the change in him was unexpected. I couldn't help but wonder if there was another reason for his change in attitude. That worried me the most.

"As for Miss Edwards," Father said, breaking the silence, "she cannot stay here indefinitely, as you know."

"She cannot be sent to an institution, either. You heard Doctor Merrick's verdict on them the other day. He does not view them as a suitable place."

"Doctor Merrick's speciality is the physical injuries. An institution might very well be the best place for Miss Edwards. However, we can view that as a last resort for the time being. She seems to have at least a small degree of trust in you, more so than anyone else, and your mother and I have agreed that you may work with her. Alice must be with you at all times to prevent the servants from talking. We are giving you two weeks."

"Two weeks? That does not feel like much time."

"It shall be enough, and it is more than we can spare. If, within those two weeks, you are no closer to finding out where Miss Edwards came from or what happened to her, then she shall have to be sent to an institution."

"Just two weeks?"

Father nodded. "No more, no less." He stood up and looked at me. "Also, tomorrow we will be attending a supper at the Marlow residence. Please do not mention Miss Edwards or her predicament to Mrs Marlow. She is still dealing with the loss of her stepdaughter."

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. Now, tidy yourself up before supper, Nate. You have mud all over your trousers and you're still wearing your riding boots."

Father gestured to my trouser leg and the mud that caked my knees and shins from where I had been kneeling on the ground in order to retrieve the pendant. He smiled a little as I tried to brush it away before he left the room, closing the door tightly behind him and leaving me wondering what had just happened.

Even though I was relieved that Father would not be sending Rebecca away just yet, I couldn't help but wonder if he had an ulterior motive for allowing her to stay. From the moment she arrived, he seemed dead set on not allowing her to stay and he had been the one to suggest the institution in the first place. Father rarely did anything without having a reason why, but I did not understand what the reason here could be.

Not only that, but I never thought he would allow me to work with Rebecca, almost unaided except for Alice. It had been my belief that he would not allow me anywhere near her and instead leave the situation for Alice to deal with. He had always told me that my focus needed to be on my future to ensure that it did not go to waste and yet he was allowing me time away from my studying and usual obligations to spend time with Rebecca.

None of it made any sense to me, and perhaps that had been the plan. Whatever the case may have been, I knew there had to be more to the situation than Father was willing to let on. Still, one thing stuck out the most to me. He had started calling me Nate again.

~~~

A/N - We are back with Chapter Twelve! I have two more chapters backed up, which isn't a good buffer, but the updates will continue every Tuesday!

Obviously this is the last update until the holidays so I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday! 

Questions! Are you surprised by Mr Thorpe's attitude? Is he genuine? Will Nate succeed in two weeks?

Let me know!

Dedication - There is no dedication this week, but comment or interact with the story for your chance to have a chapter dedicated to you!

First Published - December 20th, 2022