When The Rain Falls

Chapter Nineteen

The books weighed me down as I headed down the street, hoping to knock on the right house the first time. Since George had offered me a vague direction to search in, I had to knock on every door just to make sure I didn't miss anyone. It made for an uncomfortable few minutes as I tried to find the right house.

I came to the fourth house on the street, my impatience getting the better of me, and knocked on the front door — perhaps a little harder than I had intended. Sweat beaded on my forehead, the summer sun growing stronger with each passing minute as we approached midday. I readjusted my grip on the books just as the door swung open to reveal a young girl in a grey dress covered in a white apron.

"Can I help, sir?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Small tendrils of hair had escaped her white cap and soot marked the front of her apron.

"This might be a little bit of a strange question, but I wanted to inquire as to whether you have a housekeeper here working under the name of Mrs Reed," I said.

"We do."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Excellent. Would I be able to speak with her? It won't take too long."

"I don't see why not." She opened the door a little wider. "My mistress is out at the moment, but make it quick. She don't take too kindly to surprise visitors."

"Thank you, and this shouldn't take too long."

The girl nodded and gestured for me to step inside. I shuffled over the threshold, a burst of warm, humid air hitting me. A smell of lavender filled the hallway as the serving girl closed the door and started to walk down the hallway. The stretch of hallway, marked with a simple staircase and a few doors off to the side, was lit by a small stained-glass window above the door, which covered the entire room in multi-coloured light.

I was led down the hall and to a small door just off to the side, which led down a flight of darkened stairs. On one wall sat a small candle, offering the slightest amount of light in the room. The girl started down the stairs with me following close behind, keeping my right hand on the concrete wall and my eyes trained on the steep, spiralling staircase. My foot caught on the edge of the steps several times, but I made it to the bottom without an injury.

The stairs opened up onto a small, dark hallway with several doors leading to different areas and rooms. Gone was the scent of lavender that had filled the upstairs, and instead the smell of frying chicken and vegetables filled the air. My stomach growled, and I realised just how hungry I had become since breakfast. The girl turned and looked at me, the trace of a smile dancing on her lips.

She entered the door to the left of us. Sunlight streamed in through several open windows, lighting up the room and leaving me momentarily blind. Once my eyes had adjusted to the light, I looked around the brightly lit kitchen. Pots sat on a large wooden table in the centre of the room. By the stove, an older woman stood with her back to us as she stirred the frying meats around in the pan.

"Mrs Reed, we got a visitor."

"Who is it?" the woman asked, not turning around to look at me.

"No idea. He didn't leave his name. Asked for you direct, though."

"Did he now?"

"My name is Nathaniel Thorpe, Mrs Reed. I was a friend of Lily Marlow's."

Mrs Reed dropped the wooden spoon she was holding into the pan and whipped around, her eyes wide. "Master Thorpe, I remember you! You and Miss Marlow were in and out of my kitchen all the time when you were small, trying to thieve whatever you could get your little hands on."

I laughed. "That sounds about right. I distinctly remember running out of the kitchen with several jam tarts in my pockets. They ended up covered in fluff, but we ate them anyway."