"I am much better now, we can go back inside.," I said to Raymond,he nodded and shrugged.
I think I heard him say okay under his breath.
"Let's have a tour now." I said to him, he looked at me and then asked,
"Are you sure about this?" He asked me, concerned.
"yea.," I replied to him and nodded at the same time.
"Okay, if you say so. So, which one are we having?" He asked me, while still looking at me.
"Which what?" I asked him, before understanding what he meant.
"I mean, which of the tours are we having now?" He asked again.
"The semi house tour, of course," I said to him.
He raised his brows and said,
"no" and shook his head at the same time.
I laughed softly and asked,
"So which one do you want?"
"The full house tour." He replied to me.
"I thought you said some few minutes ago that you do not want it today," I reminded him.
"Yeah, I can still clearly recall that I said that, but I just changed my mind." he said to me.
" What about the people you talked about earlier?" I asked him.
"oh that? There are fewer people now and I am less shy now." he said to me,but looked shocked and I know why.
"Yes! I said it, you were shy earlier. Why did you lie before?" I asked and grinned at him.
"I am sorry I lied, but I did not lie about being able to look you in the eyes without fear." he said to me and smiled at me.
"Okay, your request has been accepted. Since you are asking for the full house tour, you will get it." I said to him,
"Thank you for accepting my request. Let's go, my Lady. After you." he said to me as we both stood up and started walking towards the building.
When we got inside the living room, we saw the last guests leaving and going home.
"Good day, Lady Catherine, thanks for coming.Have a safe trip back home." I said to one of the guests, as we exchanged pleasantries, while Raymond was standing and waiting behind me.
"Who is that Lad behind you? Is he a gentry too?" Curious Lady Catherine asked me.
To be honest, I do not know.
I do not remember, his family seems to be in the average class, who knows?
It's not right to judge a book by its cover, right?
I will find out with time.
"I do not know yet, we just met at the party for the first time." I lied to her to prevent more unnecessary questions.
"Are you sure?" She asked me and slightly hit my arm.
"Yes, I am." I said to her and pouted.
"Come forward young man." she said to Raymond and gestured for him to come closer and he did.
"Good day, my Lady." he greeted her, gently grabbed her arm and kissed the back of her palm and bowed, before standing straight again.
"Hello, you are Mr. ?" She asked him and expected him to complete the sentence.
"Raymond Rutherford," Raymond replied.
"That means that you are a gentry too..."
She was not done talking when someone called her, she seemed confused at first, but later she waved us bye and then walked away.
As I was about to start the tour, Genevieve came up to me and said,
"Eun." She was about to call me by just my name when she saw Raymond and smiled.
"Lady Eunice, your mother demands an audience with you and the gentleman beside you. Please follow me," Genevieve said and walked away and we had no choice, other than to follow her.
"Where are you taking me this time?" I asked her to confirm.
"To your mother, your parents rather and your grandmother." she said to me,as she was looking over her shoulder.
"Why?" I asked, I really wanted to know why.
'Is it because she wants to know if Lizzy and Hale have settled?'
'Did someone see when Hale was carrying me?
Fuck!
Genevieve reached the stairs and started climbing and we did the same.
"Genevieve,wait." I said to her,
I wanted to ask her if she knows the reason why my whole family demands my presence, now of all time.
ugh!
"Yes, my Lady." she said, as she stopped walking, turned and faced me.
"Why does my mom want to see me?" I curiously asked her.
"I do not know, my Lady," she replied.
I sighed and said,
"do you know if anyone told her anything about me?" I asked her.
"no my Lady." she replied and shook her head at the same time.
I sighed,
"Let's go." I said to her.
"Yes my Lady." she replied to me, turned and started walking again, while Hale and I followed her.
We got to the room where my mom, Mike and my grandma were waiting.
It was the room we used as a large dining room earlier this morning.
There were very few people in the room compared to the people in the room earlier today, which includes my mom, my stepdad, grandma, some of my aunts, mom's crazy friends and some of my stepdad's workers, family members and friends, they were around twenty in total.
When we reached where they were, Genevieve walked a bit faster, close to my mom, bent a bit and whispered something to my mom, my mom nodded at her, she curtsey to them and to me and then left.
I then walked closer to them with Hale behind me.
I curtsey, while Hale bowed with his right hand on his chest.
Then I Said,
"Hello mother, hello father, hello grandma, hello aunts....." I was not done greeting them,
"You may both rise." mother and grandmother said in unison.
Hale then walked closer to my mom, she stretched out her left arm towards it, he gently grabbed it and lifted it to his lips and kissed the back of her palm, he then walked towards grandma, she stretched out her left arm and he kissed it too.
He walked round the room and did the same for all the ladies in the room.
It is not compulsory that a male should do it to every female he sees, it's only for the noble Ladies.
When he was done he walked back towards me again and stood beside me.
"Young Lady, where have you been?" My mom asked and that question made my heart beat to start racing, as if it was going to burst out of my chest.
"In.....in.....in... my room..." I replied to her with a stammer, as my voice began to break.
"Have you been alone?" She asked me another disturbing question again, but this one is more tricky, I might get into trouble and maybe punished.
It is forbidden for a noble lady like myself to be alone inside a room with a male whether he is a gentry or not, that is not romantically or blood related to me.
"No mother, I have been with my friends." I replied to her with a shaky voice this time but, I made sure not to stammer this time or would have sounded suspicious.
"Are you sure?" She asked me, and that question made me unknowingly raise my head to look her in the face for about three to five seconds,but I looked down again when I realized that I had been looking her in the face.
"Yes mother," I replied to her and hoped she would not ask any further questions.
"Okay," she said to me and looked at her husband and they both nodded to each other at the same time.
"What is your name, gentleman?" My stepfather asked Raymond.
"Raymond Rutherford," Raymond replied.
"Raymond Rutherford?" My mom asked him, shocked.
"Yes, my Lady," Raymond replied.
"Have you met him before?" Jealous Mike, my stepfather asked my mom.
"I am not sure, but I think I do, but I cannot remember. The name sounds familiar." Mom replied to her husband and he just nodded in response.
"Your name sounds familiar, have we met before?" My mother asked Raymond.
"Yes my Lady, but it has been years, my Lady," Raymond replied to my mother.
"Like how long are we talking about here?" Mom asked Raymond, but he seemed a bit confused.
"Ummm," he said, trying to calculate.
"Twelve years ago," I said under my breath, but I made sure Raymond heard me.
I did not whisper to him, I cannot.
I would not, even if I could, because that will automatically indicate and mean that I have feelings for him.
"Twelve years ago, my Lady," Raymond said to mom.
"Twelve years?" She asked him, shocked.
"Yes my Lady," he replied.
"That was a really long time ago." my mom said, but I was not sure who she was referring to this time.
"Yes my Lady." Raymond said again, but I found it awkward.
"Wow! So do you still remember how we met?" She asked him, curiously.
"I do, my Lady." Raymond replied to my mother.
"please do remind me, I am curious," she said to him, with a voice that sounded like,
QUIT THE FORMALITY AND TELL ME ALREADY.
"Yes my Lady. We used to be neighbors when I was a kid, but we later relocated to Daniel's Island about eleven or twelve years ago, I am not sure.... My Lady," he almost forgot to say 'My Lady.'
That made me chuckle a bit loudly, but I was quick to control myself.
"Wow! It is quite a long time indeed, no wonder I find it hard to remember you. I am so sorry about that," mom apologized.
"No, it's fine, my Lady. I should be the one apologizing for not coming to greet you first earlier today." Raymond apologized back, this time he forgot to say 'My Lady' and that made everyone present in the room burst out laughing.
When everyone cooled down, mom asked him,
"How are your parents?"
"My dad is fine, but my mom passed away Twelve years ago. I remember now, my Lady. That was when we relocated to Daniel's Island." he said sadly to my mom with teary eyes.
"Oh dear, am sorry, it must have been hard for you?" My mom said to him and he just nodded, I guess she just regretted asking too many questions.
"Do you have any siblings?" Mom asked him.
"Yes, I do, my Lady. A sister. My mom passed away a few minutes after her birth." he replied.
"My condolences Raymond. That means that your younger sister is twelve years old now, right?" My mom asked him.
"Yes, my Lady," Raymond replied.
"How did you learn about this party?" My stepdad asked him,
"a friend of mine invited me,sir" Raymond replied my stepdad,
"and who is that friend of yours?" My stepdad asked him,
"Hale, sir," Raymond replied to my stepdad.
"Are you friends with him, he has never mentioned you," he said to Raymond,
"We have not been on good terms until lately, sir."
"Oh, I see. Hope you both have settled and resolved the issue?" Mike, my stepdad asked Raymond.
"Yes sir, it was only a mere misunderstanding between us. We have already accepted our differences, sir," he said Mike.
"Okay, if you say so. Hope you enjoyed yourself at the party," he asked him.
"Yes, sir. I did," Raymond replied to Mike.
"You are both dismissed," Mom and Mike said in unison.
I curtsey, while Raymond bowed and then we both walked out, the moment we just walked out of the door, Genevieve came running after us,when she caught up with us, she said,
"Lady Eunice, wait please," she said as she was winded from the run.
"What is it this time? Who wants to see me now?" I asked her as I was a bit annoyed.
I know that it is not her fault, that she is doing her job, but still.
"Your grandma," Genevieve said to me.
"My grandma?" I asked her.
"Yes, your grandma,my La....." I did not let her complete her sentence before interrupting her.
"Do not worry, he is a friend. He will not tell my mom. Call me Eunice, Okay?" I asked her and she just nodded without saying anything.