When The Rain Falls

Chapter Eight

"I told Mother I was fine, and she insisted on this anyway," I said to Doctor Merrick as he stuffed his stethoscope into his case.

"It is always better to be safe than sorry, Master Nate. Over thirty years in this profession has taught me as much, although it is safe to say that, on this occasion, you were right." Doctor Merrick snapped his case shut and unrolled his sleeves. He looked between me and Joseph. "You both appear to be fine."

"Try convincing Mother of that. She's no doubt going to be keeping an annoying close eye on me."

"After the stories I have heard, that is hardly surprising. Perhaps it would be for the best if you didn't go running into any more thunderstorms."

"I have no plans to do so."

Doctor Merrick laughed, taking his case from the floor and making sure he had left nothing behind. "Now, Mr Collins says there is another patient I am to see?"

"Alice will take you to her," Father said, appearing in the doorway of the drawing room. Alice stood behind him and did not say a word. She had been given a task, and that task did not include speaking unless she had to. "I must speak with Nathaniel."

With a slight nod of his head, Doctor Merrick left the room with Alice, leaving Joseph and I alone with Father. I thought Father may send Joseph away as he did not find it proper to scold his son in the company of staff, but he did not. Instead, he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, cutting us off from anyone outside and eliminating any means of escape from the confrontation that was sure to follow.

I glanced at Joseph, who kept his gaze firmly on the ground in front of him. He gripped the bottom of his shirt, which he had yet to tuck back in after Doctor Merrick's examination, and his chest moved a little faster than usual. Everyone in our household, including the staff, knew better than to get on Father's bad side, and this meeting did not come across as a nice one. Father had said he wanted to speak to me about Rebecca, but I did not think he would include Joseph in that meeting.

It may have been true that Joseph knew of Rebecca's existence, but Father didn't know that. I was the only one who knew for certain that Joseph had been aware of Rebecca in the woods. For all Father knew, Joseph had been on a different errand in the middle of the storm and the two of us had just happened upon Rebecca. Whatever Father's reasoning for keeping Joseph in the room might have been, I was determined to make him see reason. Joseph had done nothing wrong.

Father crossed the room, his shoes squeaking on the wooden floor. He took a seat on one of the chairs, not saying a word but refusing to take his eyes off us. The clock ticking loudly on the wall and the sound of our breathing was all I could hear whilst the scent of the flowers on the table filled the room. It would have been possible to cut the tension with a wooden spoon.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Father spoke.

"I want to know everything that happened last night, and I mean everything." He turned to Joseph. "What were you doing in the woods last night?"

Joseph's knuckles turned white as he gripped the bottom of his shirt even tighter. "I-I." I could almost hear Joseph's heart beating in his chest.

"One of the horses knocked the water bucket over," I said, "Joseph went to replace it."

"I wasn't asking you, Nathaniel," Father said sharply. "Tell me the truth."

"I went to find Miss Rebecca, Sir" Joseph's voice was soft, a contrast to Father's. "I knew she was out there, Sir, and I went to find her to get her out of the storm."

"You knew she was out there and you told no one?"

Joseph shook his head. "I wanted to tell Master Nathaniel, Sir, but I couldn't. I should have, I know I should have, but when I tried to I just couldn't find the words, Sir."