When The Rain Falls

Chapter Nine

The ice did not have the desired effect and by the next morning, my cheek had turned a dark shade of purple. I had no choice but to face the day head on as there would be no hiding. Our servants knew better than to ask questions and so none of them mentioned the bruise, although a few did cast sideways glances towards me when I left my bedroom that morning.

At breakfast, no one mentioned the bruise, not even Mother. I was more than certain that Father informed her of what had transpired the previous day. Had he not, it would have been mentioned in front of the servants and that was not something Father wanted to do. He had always said that what happened between our family was of little concern to the staff and that they had been prone to gossip. The last thing he wanted was for the story to travel beyond our house and the people within.

When we finished eating, Father failed to give me a task, as he usually did, and simply disappeared to his study, where he would no doubt remain for the rest of the day. As I had been left to my own devices, I decided to go down to the stable to see Lightning, perhaps take him for a ride around the grounds, and to apologise to Joseph for the events of the previous day. I had not had the chance to before.

I left the house and made my way across the grounds; the grass crisp under my shoes and the mud all but vanished in the stifling heat. The gardeners were out, cleaning up the mess from the storm and replanting bulbs in the flowerbeds that lined the entrance. They paid me no mind as I passed them.

The stable door had been left open to allow some air to enter the otherwise stuffy room. I stepped inside, coming to a halt not long after as Sooty the cat shot across the floor in front of me, pursued by one of the older cats, whilst the stable hands worked all around. They were topping up the horse feed, cleaning stalls, and grooming the horses as I entered; they offered me a slight nod and smile as I passed. I walked down the centre aisle, checking the stalls as I went for any sign of Joseph, but I couldn't find him.

I stopped at Lightning's stall, trying to scratch his nose, but he was too interested in the fresh hay that had been put out for him. Father once said that Lightning and I were a perfect match since we were both so similar; food always came first.

"Do I not even get a good morning?" I asked, reaching my hand across his stall. He swerved it and continued eating.

"He tried to take my hand off when I gave him the hay and the oats, sir," Oliver said. He stood beside me with an empty feed bucket in hand. Lightning's ears pricked up at the mention of oats, but he continued to eat.

"That does not surprise me."

"I might give the new stable hand the chore of feeding him for their first task, settle them in the right way."

I turned to look at Oliver, scowling slightly. "New stable hand? I thought Father said we weren't in need of any new staff, especially here."

"Mr Thorpe told us first thing that he'll be looking for a new stable hand. He said that Joseph had decided to look for employment elsewhere."

"Joseph's gone?" I stared at Oliver as though he had two heads.

"Yes. He left with the milk cart, didn't say a word about it to any of us. Mind you, he barely said a word to anyone after Mr Thorpe had spoken to him yesterday evening." He frowned and then shook his head a little. "I should get back to work, Sir."

"Very well, thank you."

Oliver nodded and shuffled away from me to continue with the rest of his chores. I clenched my fists at my side, confusion quickly turning to anger as the pieces of the jigsaw fell into place. Joseph never would have left without saying anything unless he had been instructed otherwise. If Father had visited him the previous evening, after supper and long after I had returned to my bedroom, then he must have had something to do with Joseph's sudden decision to move on from his position.