When the Rain Comes (Love Journeys South, Book 2)

Chapter 22. Susan's Problems

Every solution to every problem is simple. It's the distance between the two where the mystery lies." ~ Derek Landy

Chapter 22.

Susan's Problems.

The wind finally got to Susan and she returned into the house and back to the same drawing room she had sat in with Jenna.

Jenna had done her part, she had given all the information to Susan. Now it was up to Susan to decide how best to part with the knowledge she had been given. It certainly was very difficult, with Jackson involved.

"To think he would sit here, listenin' to Uncle Gabriel and Washington discussing the constant theft and how it was affected profits and all the time being the reason behind it all!"

Susan suddenly drew a deep breath. Jackson was after her father's estate, the one Uncle Gabriel had only recently purchased from her brother Matthew.

"He's got no right to that," Susan thought bitterly. "It's bad enough that Matthew neglected the land, but to have it pass on to a thief!"

Voices downstairs caught her attention. She wondered if perhaps the men had returned from business and rushed downstairs to see. As it turned out it was only Catherine Fisher. Susan sighed. She knew she ought to at least try and like Miss Fisher. They would be family very soon. The wedding with Jackson was set for this May.

And yet it was so hard to like Catherine, especially since she really didn't go out of her way to be likeable.

"Ah, Susan," Catherine smiled a very pretty smile that showed her pearly white teeth. She had just handed her coat to Ludwig. Her gown was made of expensive wool, a dark blue color and Susan thought it made her face look rather pale.

"Sickly almost," Susan tried to convince herself. Though of course even her desparation to have Catherine look unattractive couldn't hide the fact that in reality she was a lovely young girl. Her head was crowned with luscious, chesnut colored hair, and her figure was petite and delicate.

"Jackson is not in," Susan stated politely. "He's out on business."

"He should have been back by now," Catherine's smile turned into a frown and disappointment flashed in her almond colored eyes. "He did say he expected to be back afternoon. Oh well, I shall just wait for him. What awful weather we've got today. Pourin' rain. And to think yesterday it was so frosty and cold. How it managed to change like this in a matter of hours is beyond me."

"Much like your mood swings," Susan thought, though her smile did not betray her less than kind thoughts. She guided Catherine to the parlor and offer her a seat. "Would you like something hot to drink?"

"That would be just the thing," Catherine nodded. "Have Ludwig bring something. And make sure he hurries, he really is so slow that butler of yours. You'd think he was eighty by the way he takes forever."

The annoyance that Susan was trying to hard to suppress began to leak out. "You will keep yer criticism of our butler to yerself, Catherine." Her smile was still fixed on her face, but her voice had strained just a bit. "You are one to talk, seein' back at yer home you can't afford a butler at all. I'd think you'd be glad there is someone to bring you tea and refreshment, savin' you the task of doing it yourself."

"Someone was criticizing out butler?" A new voice sounded out to their left. The girls turned and saw Juliana entering the parlor.

Catherine and Susan exchanged glances.

"I was only saying that he is so very slow," Catherine replied with a shrug. "And Susan here took it very personally for some reason."

If she had been expecting encouragement from Juliana Goodwill, poor Catherine was rather disappointed. "Ludwig is one of the most efficient butler's I've yet to know," Juliana replied in a crisp voice. "And I see no need of you to be rude, it only exposes the jealousy that you haven't got one at home, Catherine."