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chapter 65
Rinette, who had unexpectedly made Angela cry, felt no guilt at all. She simply kept doing what she had to do. In a little while she would have a week of freedom. Just as she was thinking about sending Kathrine off and enjoying a vacation in the hotel, the door opened.
“Angela? Did you leave something behind?”
Thinking they’d come to pick up something Angela had forgotten during the week she’d been away, Rinette turned her head. Cloud and Rosemary — who hadn’t come here since Sian returned — walked in as if on cue. Rinette greeted them with a smile.
“Hello. How have you been?”
“We’ve been fine, thanks to you, Rinette.”
“You must’ve been very busy.”
“Ahem, there’s always a lot to do, you know.”
Even though the deadline was approaching, Rinette served each of them a warm cup of sepiano.
“We ran out of milk, so it’s just sepiano for now.”
“Nonsense — we like anything Rinette makes.”
Rosemary sipped the sepiano and savored it. Maybe because it had been a while since she’d had coffee, she treated it like something precious. For a moment they considered having Cordelia deliver coffee, but they’d stopped by for Rinette’s freshly made brew and didn’t want that taste to disappear — so they stayed for their son.
“It says you’ll be on vacation for a week…?”
“Yes. It’s summer and hot, so I planned to rest a bit and work later. But I’m glad the last customers today are you two. Ah — and you don’t need to pay today.”
When Cloud offered money, Rinette hastily shook her head and waved him off. She’d already taken enough over time; she could offer coffee as a courtesy.
“Is something the matter? You both look gloomy today.”
The two, who usually chatted cheerfully, were uncharacteristically quiet as if glued-lipped. When they only drank their coffee in silence, Rinette felt something odd and asked carefully.
Cloud let out a low sigh and spoke cautiously.
“It’s nothing, but my mother’s very unwell.”
“Oh…”
“Lately she hasn’t even been eating. If she’d eat something she might regain some strength, but she refuses medicine and eats even less…”
Cloud said, sounding despondent. His shoulders seemed unusually drooped today. Rosemary nodded softly.
“I want her to eat something, but she refuses persistently. I thought maybe food she’s never had before might tempt her…”
Hearing Rosemary trail off, Rinette recalled a memory. They had asked her to make dumplings for his mother, but earlier she had refused. So now, after the mother fell ill and they’d stopped visiting, Cloud and Rosemary were awkwardly asking again because of the dumplings.
“It’s really sad. My grandmother died when I was young… I hope both your mothers recover quickly.”
“Thank you for saying that, Rinette.”
Cloud, who seemed drained, picked at his coffee and then stood. He took Rinette’s hand firmly. Cloud’s build made Rinette almost hidden beside him, and Rosemary watched silently without a word.
“Rinette, I’m really sorry, but could you make just a few of those dumplings?”
“But—”
“My mother’s been failing day by day. I want her to eat at least one bite. She hasn’t eaten anything for two days because she has no appetite and I’m afraid something bad might happen…”
Cloud looked at Rinette with pleading, filial eyes. She couldn’t refuse coldly after hearing him.
“Please, if you make just that, I’ll do anything you want. Ask for money and I’ll give it. Ask for the house and I’ll give it. No — I’d even happily give you our son.”
This family kept trying to hand over their son for a bargain.
“We don’t need your son.”
“No, no — having a son would be wonderful. Then all our money and the house would be yours, Rinette.”
Rinette wondered if there was something wrong with their son, but that wasn’t the issue now. Hearing Cloud’s desperate wish for his mother to eat even one bite, she exhaled lightly.
“Really… I can’t refuse. If it’s something she’s never had, she might eat a little. My own grandmothers… I remember them. I’ll make them for her — just this once.”
Rosemary dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief as she spoke. Under the pressure, Rinette found herself nodding without fully realizing it.
“Hearing about your grandmothers reminded me… I was too young to do much for them when they were alive. So I’ll make them this once.”
“Oh! Rinette, thank you so much. We’re so grateful. I’ll repay you through our son… ugh!”
“Darling, stop waving the son around all the time. If you keep thrusting him forward like that, he loses his value. Use him sparingly, maybe once in a while.”
They’d been speaking in broken, dying voices a moment ago, but suddenly brightened up as if on cue. Rosemary pinched Cloud’s side lightly and smiled at Rinette.
“I’ll send a carriage to your house.”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
“No, it is. How could we ask a guest to walk to our place? Don’t worry — tell us your address. We’ll pick you up at nine tomorrow.”
Rinette, taken aback, wrote her address down. Having received it, the two finished their coffee as if they hadn’t been dawdling at all, thanked Rinette, and left.
“Your acting’s improved, dear.”
“Ahem, well, what can I do. If I had such a daughter-in-law I’d want to take her by force.”
They felt the need to protect a daughter-in-law while their son was away on business. With troublemakers buzzing around lately and a fear they might take Rinette during her vacation, Sian’s shout had made them take matters into their own hands.
“Well, looks like we’ll have more work ahead.”
“Can’t be helped. We’ve got to find a match for our son, after all.”
They boarded the carriage parked a short distance away and headed to the mansion. Once there, they gathered all the household staff.
“A distinguished guest will come tomorrow. Make sure there are no mistakes in how we greet them.”
“Yes! Understood.”
Alex, the butler and representative of the staff, answered.
“And remove anything that might reveal we’re from the Theodor family. Take down all the family crests.”
“What? But—”
At Cloud’s request to take down the Theodor family crest, Alex hesitated. Cloud elaborated for those who didn’t understand.
“We don’t want our guest to know we’re the Theodor family. So don’t blabber about it! If they get frightened and run away, I’ll skewer them and roast them in hellfire. Or Lucy might hunt them down to the ends of hell and pummel them. Hohoho.”
❅
Starting tomorrow — properly speaking, after the deadline — Rinette would be on vacation. Thinking about spending her holiday without Sian, she found herself needing to make those dumplings.
“Where are they going tomorrow?”
“They’re loyal customers who’ve been coming to Eelgrim for two years. But both mothers stopped eating, so they asked me to make this. Oh! You might have seen Kathrine too.”
When Rinette described Cloud and Rosemary, Kathrine nodded.
“Oh! I remember. They’re the quiet couple who come for coffee and leave. Sometimes their daughter and son-in-law come too.”
“Yes, that’s them. They asked me for this. I didn’t want to at first, but when I heard about them, I thought of my grandmothers and agreed without meaning to.”
“You really are soft-hearted, miss.”
As she shaped dumplings, Kathrine smiled gently. Rinette, seeing the dumplings Kathrine made, grinned.
“Kathrine, you’ll have a pretty baby. Look, you made the dumplings so nicely.”
“Oh, miss, don’t be silly. How could I have a pretty baby at my age?”
“Huh? Right here — here!”
When Rinette pointed at herself with a finger, Kathrine nearly burst into tears. She hadn’t literally grown in Rinette’s womb, but Rinette had raised her to be shaped like that. Kathrine wiped at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.
“Oh my, Kathrine cries at anything. It’s silly to cry over nothing.”
“No — I’m not crying. Something got in my eye.”
Kathrine shook her head and Rinette pretended to believe her. After finishing the dumplings, dusting them with flour, Rinette stored them in an icebox. While tidying up, she told Kathrine about the earlier scene.
“When they asked me to make dumplings, they tried slipping in their son like a bargaining chip.”
“Oh my, what about our poor weakling then?”
“What can you do — he’s away on business. Besides, I don’t want to meet their son. No matter how much I believe in free love, I’m dating Sian; I don’t want to see other men.”
“You don’t have to rule it out entirely… these days, double-dating is common. Date a few people and pick one to marry.”
“That’s for people who actually think about marriage.”
Because of that damned Fernando, Rinette still had a negative view of marriage. She wasn’t even thinking about it. Kathrine swore that the next time she ran into Fernando, now that Edgar had half-killed him, she’d finish the job.
“Kathrine, quit the useless daydreams and get to bed. After I visit those people tomorrow, I’ll immediately enjoy the rest of my vacation, so you must rest too.”
“I want to be with you, miss.”
“No. If you’re with me you’ll be tending to me and doing little chores, and you won’t rest properly. Do nothing. Buy all your meals. I’ll earn enough to salt them myself, you know.”
Hearing Rinette thump her chest and say it, Kathrine smiled and nodded.
“All right. May I even buy bottled water to drink?”
“Of course. Buy everything.”
When Rinette gave permission, Kathrine hugged her tightly.
“You’re the best in the world.”
“No, you’re the best, Kathrine. Now sleep. I’m sleepy.”
Rinette had to get up earlier tomorrow than she’d expected.
“No, I won’t wear clothes like this.”
Kathrine had pulled out a variety of dresses she’d brought from Count Florence’s mansion and made Rinette try them on.
“But you’re going as a guest — you should wear something like this. Clothes need to see daylight to be worth their cost. It’d be a waste to keep them in the room.”
Kathrine woke Rinette at dawn and did her makeup and hair, then helped her into a dress. It felt strange, since it wasn’t what she usually wore, but Rinette sat without complaint as she watched Kathrine.
A knock sounded a little later and Kathrine checked before opening the door. Butler Alex stood at the threshold with a gentle smile and a slight bow.
“I am Alex, the butler. I carry the orders of the master and mistress of the house.”
“I see. I’m Rinette. Which family are you from?”
“We are—”
As Alex began to answer naturally, he suddenly recalled Rosemary’s last comment relayed by Cloud yesterday.
“If we casually say our family name and frighten the little bird away, we might skewer th
