Two people, a man and a woman, walked side by side within a corridor of Hedge Manor. Their shoes clacked against the hardwood on different beats and tempos. Mr. Ibre glanced down at Violet, his housekeeper. He noticed that his tall, broad frame was blocking her from the sun and that her steps had quickened to keep up with his speed. He returned his gaze forward and gradually lessened his pace. Warmth filled the halls as the sun poured its rays through the picture windows. The invisible cloak that hides the white particles who live in the air had disappeared, causing the little ones to dance, run, and sway in disbelief of being discovered.
"I must say, Violet, when you first came to my office, I wasn't expecting to be told I had a visitor." Mr. Ibre spoke.
"Hm, what were you expecting, Sir?"
"The call to breakfast."
Violet laughed and Mr. Ibre soon joined in, throwing his head back in mirth. As a result, the sun's rays were finally able to fall on the housekeeper. It illuminated her mature beauty and reflected against the scattered strands of silver that were hidden amongst her lush black hair, which was firmly secured in a bun. It is within moments such as this, that one can begin to comprehend the true attraction Hegde Manor brings to those who enter. The pure connection of those who reside in its walls is what gives the manor life.
Violet cleared her throat to suppress her laughter. "I'm sorry to disappoint you so early in the day, Mr. Ibre."
"As long as you give me breakfast after meeting this young man, I won't hold it against you." He smiled.
The woman returned her employer's smile with a reassuring nod.
"Mr. Ibre, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"Why are you so eager to meet this... Mr. Barnett?"
"What made you believe I was eager?"
"I think we both know the answer to that, sir. It's Sunday; your day off. And instead of you having me send the lad away, you instructed me to have him wait inside. In the living room, no less. Was it because of that letter the boy had with him? What was it about it anyway?"
"I've always liked that curious side of you, Violet."
"Yes, it is because of the letter. If he didn't have it with him, I would have indeed told you to send him away."
"So what's in the letter?"
Violet's eyes widened as she looked up at him expectingly, but all the gentleman did was give her a gentle smile, before looking forward again. Violet sighed loudly and looked away disappointed, knowing that was all she would be told.
Silence once again fell between the two; with nothing but the heat of the sun, the echo of their shoes, the dancing dust, and chirping birds filling the void of their surroundings. But as they ventured further down the corridor to where their mysterious guest resided, the noise of a loud commotion grew.
"I told you, I'm not trespassing! I'M A GUEST!"
"If you're a guest, then why were you acting that way!?"
Mr. Ibre and Violet stood in silence, upon exiting the hall, witnessing the crazy fiasco of their guest, Johnathan Barnett, running around in the living room, desperately trying to get away from Ebony, who was wielding a large baseball bat over her head. Though there were four adults in the room, it felt as if there were only two. The expression on Violet's face was one of horror, while Mr. Ibre was one of shock and confusion.
"I was just tryna have a little fun with you!" Johnathan yelled, dodging a quick swing and running behind the couch to create some distance.
"YOU CALL THAT FUN!?" Ebony screamed, running after him. "More like inappropriate!"
Both young adults were on either side of the couch, breathing heavily, and waiting for either opponent to make a move.
"You haven't even introduced yourself, you creep!" Ebony ready her bat to launch like a missile at Johnathan, which caused him to bob and weave frantically.
"CREEP!? What the hell did I do!?"
"Like. You. Don't. Know! Now, stop moving, and let me hit you!"
"Never!"
With a worried tone, Violet spoke to Mr. Ibre. "What do you think caused this to-"
"Violet."
Upon hearing her name, the woman looked up at Mr. Ibre. His face had turned stern. His hands were positioned behind his back, and his gaze never left the scene before them.
"Is that young man our guest?"
"Y-yes sir; he is."
"Hm..."
Abruptly, Mr. Ibre turns to Violet with a smile. "Can you please check on how breakfast is coming along, Violet? Your daughters may need your help to speed it along."
"Yes, sir."
Violet quickly veered off to another hallway, while Mr. Ibre walked towards the commotion.
"Don't you think your actions are excessive!? You'll get in trouble if Mr. Ibre finds out that you're treating a guest this way."
"And you'll be in trouble once Mr. Ibre finds out that you've been flirting with his daughter."
"...What?"
"You heard me!"
"That's enough, Ebony."
Upon the entrance of a new voice, both Ebony and Johnathan paused in their arguing and turned to the newcomer. Surprise was evident on their faces to see Mr. Ibre walking towards them.
"Father?"
"Mr. Ibre! Wait, father!?"
"My, my, my. How lively you two are this morning. I heard you all the way from the hall. Mind telling me what's going on? And why you both are running around in my living room?"
Mr. Ibre paused and raised a brow noticing the bat still in Ebony's grip.
"My what an interesting daughter I have." He thought.
"With a baseball bat?"
This being Johnathan's first time meeting Mr. Ibre, he was surprised to see how large the man was and hesitated to speak as a result. His reaction, though, wasn't an uncommon one, for many, upon seeing Mr. Ibre, would assume he worked in the railroad or was a boxer. But he was an apothecary, a doctor of herbal medicine.
"Did he choose the wrong profession?" Johnathan wondered, and due to his slow reaction, Ebony was able to speak first.
"Papa!"
With a loud thwack!, Ebony dropped the bat and ran to her father. Johnathan scrunched up his face in disbelief at the sudden change in the lady. Her voice when calling out to Mr. Ibre was sweet and light. Her face had lit up and her whole demeanor was overflowing with pure innocence. For Johnathan, it was a complete one-eighty!
"This is Miss Ebony?" He questioned, and suddenly his face dropped as reality sunk deeper into his brain. "She's Miss Ebony!"
Poor Johnathan. I wonder how much fear entered his heart as he watched Ebony run with open arms to Mr. Ibre. The moment Ebony saw her father, relief had washed over her. All her fears and worries gathered themselves up, as a result, to form a neat package, ready to be delivered to the wonderful man, who stood before them, the instant he accepted her embrace. But alas, Ebony would not receive that embrace so soon, for the second she reached out to her father, Mr. Ibre stepped back and held up his hand to stop her.
"Ebony, this is no time for a hug." Mr. Ibre spoke. His face was plain and disinterested.
"I asked for an explanation, so provide it. And for all that is good, don't drop a bat like that! You could have easily damaged something!"
As if a dog getting scolded by his master, Ebony dropped her arms and sheepishly cast her gaze to the floor. Johnathan was again thrown off guard by what was before him. He certainly didn't expect the man to be so frigid towards his daughter trying to give affection. But if he could be this reserve to his own child, Johnathan wondered how he would be treated. Regrettably, for him, that question was about to be answered.
"And you." Mr. Ibre's focus shifted to Johnathan, which made the lad straighten.
Though no aggression was laced in his voice, Mr. Ibre's tone was still firm, reaffirming the gravity of the situation.
"You're name is Johnathan Barnett, correct?"
"Yes, sir. It is."
"Come here." The older man commanded.
Johnathan looked at where Mr. Ibre's finger was pointing, which was right next to Ebony. He swallowed and slowly made his way up to the two of them. When he finally stood next to the young lady, he noticed that her gaze was still positioned on the floor. He returned his attention to Mr. Ibre and witnessed an expression that could only be described as "A Father's Disapproval".
"Now, you two, mind telling me what happened?"
The next following minutes consisted of the two taking turns retelling the events that led to the fight. Mr. Ibre kept quiet for most of it, listening intently while covering his mouth. To Ebony and Johnathan, he appeared solemn, but truthfully, the only reason Mr. Ibre was displaying such a stern face was to keep himself from laughing.
"Well!" Mr. Ibre coughed after the two finished telling their stories. "In the end, this was all just a misunderstanding."
The middle-aged man crossed his arms and looked down at the two warmly. "And I'm glad of it too! I would've hated to inform Timothy that I couldn't accept admission to his best student because he was inappropriate with my daughter."
A look of realization washed over Johnathan's face, as he realized what Mr. Ibre was indirectly saying.
"Wait.., Does this mean, you're going to grant my admission?"
"Of course! I'd be more than happy to train any student of Timothy's, provide you pass the entrance exam."
"Thank you, sir! Thank you! I won't disappoint you!"
"Mr. Timothy? Papa, isn't that the name of one of your closest colleagues?"
"Mm." Mr. Ibre nodded. "That's why Violet let him inside. She had first told the boy to come back tomorrow, but he gave her this letter." Mr. Ibre reached inside his suit to retrieve an opened tan envelope. "After receiving this letter, she immediately gave it to me, and upon seeing who the sender was, I told Violet to let the boy wait in the living room."
"So you mean..?" Ebony turns to look at Johnathan, who was deliberately avoiding her gaze. "Why didn't you tell me that you were a student of one of Father's colleagues!? It would have taken away a lot of suspicion!"
"Well.." Johnathan laughed nervously. He knew he couldn't say that he had enjoyed their little back-and-forth squabble, but seeing her earnest face was making it hard for him to think up a good lie also.
"Uh.. Would you have really believed me if I'd told you?"
Ebony's earnestness changed to annoyance. "What kind of an answer is that!? Just admit you liked messing with me!"
"How can I admit to that!"
Mr. Ibre laughed and rested his hand on Johnathan's shoulder. Johnathan looked behind him and wondered how the man got behind him without him noticing.
"Johnathan, I'd like to officially welcome you to Hedge Manor! And I look forward to seeing how good Timothy's best student is."
Johnathan smiled.
"So, tell me!" Mr. Ibre went on, not allowing the two to bicker any further. "How is that old oddball doing?"
"Mr. Timothy? He's well, but uh... he actually refers to you as the odd one."
Mr. Ibre laughed. "Why am I not surprised!"
Amidst all the chatter, Violet had emerged from a corridor. She was grateful that everything had dialed down now and the only thing on everyone's faces were smiles.
"Excuse me, everyone." Violet finally interjected, causing the trio to notice her presence. "Breakfast is ready."
"EXCELLENT!" Mr. Ibre exclaimed with the clap of his hands. "Perfect timing, Violet!"
The gentleman eagerly looks to Johnathan and asks with a grin, "Would you like to join us for breakfast?"
"Huh?" The question and Mr. Ibre's eagerness had surprised the young man, and he was beginning to understand that this family was far from normal.
"I know us Westerners aren't known for our hospitality, like you all in the South, but I hope you could accept a meal with us as a final way to mend this morning's situation."
"There's no need for mending, Mr. Ibre." Johnathan's words caught Ebony by surprise and he could feel that her eyes were locked on him. "In a way, I contributed to this mess... But I would be happy to join you for breakfast."
"Then it's settled!" Mr. Ibre beamed.
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
END OF ACT 4
THE LORD OF HEDGE MANOR & HIS MAID