Flamethroat (12 page)

‘
Jack,
’
I said, placing my hand upon his arm.

‘
Quiet,
’
he snapped before turning to his father.
‘
Thought you would start over? Leave your son, remarry and start a new family, right?
’

‘
Please, son. You don
’
t understand.
’
Mr. Greenwood said pleadingly. I could see tears glistening in his eyes. I didn
’
t think I could handle watching a fully-grown man cry.

‘
How dare you,
’
Jack growled. I had never heard him talk like this before.
‘
How dare you look at me and call me your son.
’

‘
I can explain everything, if only you would let me.
’
Mr. Greenwood took a step closer.

‘
What is there to explain?
’
said Jack.
‘
You left me to be raised by servants
–
to fend for myself at ten years old. How long before you abandon this family too? Does your child know that his father is a deserter?
’

‘
Jamie knows of you,
’
Mr. Greenwood said.
‘
He knows he has a brother.
’

‘
That child of yours is not my brother,
’
said Jack, pointing down the hall.
‘
I will not have any more to do with you after today.
’

‘
You don
’
t understand the whole story,
’
Mr. Greenwood said desperately.

‘
I understand well enough,
’
said Jack through gritted teeth.

Jack turned on his heel and stormed from the room. When he reached the staircase he turned to find that I was not following him.

‘
Come on Avalon, this was a mistake.
’

I stood my ground between the two men and remained silent.

‘
Aren
’
t you coming?
’
said Jack.

‘
I think-
’
I said in a small voice.
‘
I think that you should hear when he has to say, Jack.
’

‘
You
’
re joking, right?
’
said Jack.
‘
This man
abandoned
me when I was a child, Avalon.
’

‘
I know, I know,
’
I said.
‘
But I think … I think-
’
I wasn
’
t sure what I thought.

‘
What?
’
said Jack impatiently,
‘
You think
what
?
’

‘
I think family shouldn
’
t be taken for granted,
’
I said.
‘
Before you know it … they can be gone.
’

This caught Jack off guard.

Finally, after several tense moments, he sat himself upon the sofa, his head in his hands. For a moment I feared that Jack was crying, though I knew he was made of much tougher stuff than me. I wanted to burst into tears.

This moment between Jack and his father was so private that I felt out of place.

‘
I
’
ll … I
’
ll wait downstairs,
’
I told Jack, squeezing his shoulder gently.

Jack looked up and I saw that his eyes were red.
‘
Don
’
t go,
’
he said.

I took a deep breath.
‘
You need some time alone with your Dad.
’

Jack searched my eyes for a moment, before nodding.

‘
Thank you,
’
Mr. Greenwood said, giving me a small nod.

As I descended the spiral staircase into the apothecary I heard Mr. Greenwood starting to talk, but his voice soon became muffled and indistinguishable as I neared the bottom step.

I had no timepiece, so I was unable to say how long Jack spent upstairs. I could hear pacing on the floorboards above and every so often a raised voice, but nothing too serious. I did not try to make out what was being said, for this was a private matter and I did not wish to eavesdrop on Jack. I knew he would tell me what had transpired in his own time.

In the time I had known Jack he had only ever spoken of his father once. The memory of his abandonment was still painful after so many years, so he did not bring the topic up often.

Whilst I waited, I rubbed the bruises I had recently acquired dolefully. I had never been in a scuffle with Jack before and I did not wish to do it again, I knew he would forgive me for it.

After what seemed like hours, I heard footsteps on the staircase and Mrs Greenwood
’
s shoes came into view. She descended the stairs and walked up to me, a sad smile upon her face.

‘
I don
’
t think we have been properly introduced,
’
she said extending a hand to me.
‘
I am Caroline Greenwood.
’

‘
You
’
re married to Mr. Greenwood?
’
I asked.

She nodded.
‘
Yes, Jack and I have been married for seven years. Pardon me, Jack
Senior
.
’
She smiled.

‘
I
’
m Avalon,
’
I said, taking her hand and shaking it. Caroline Greenwood jumped a little at the heat that radiated from my hand.

‘
My dear, you
’
re burning up.
’

‘
It
’
s all right. I have a naturally high body temperature.
’

Caroline paused,
‘
Are you sure?
’

I nodded and after a small hesitation, I admitted,
‘
I am a Fire-Mage.
’

‘
Oh my, well that does explain it,
’
she said with a smile.

I smiled too.
‘
Are you a Healer as well?
’

Caroline nodded,
‘
Yes
–
though not as good as my husband.
’

‘
So your son Jamie
–
is he a healer?
’
I asked.

The colour seemed to drain from Caroline
’
s face.
‘
Yes,
’
she said with a forced smile.
‘
Naturally.
’

The sound of my stomach rumbling broke the awkward silence.

‘
You
’
re hungry,
’
Caroline said with wide eyes.
‘
Where are my manners? You must join us for supper.
’

‘
Oh, no, it
’
s okay,
’
I said.
‘
I don
’
t want to be any trouble.
’

‘
No trouble at all,
’
she smiled.
‘
I expect the boys will be hungry soon, too. We can all have dinner together as a family.
’

‘
I
’
m not really family,
’
I said.
‘
I don
’
t want to impose.
’

‘
Don
’
t be silly. You are with Jack
–
you are absolutely welcome.
’

It didn
’
t occur to me to correct her. Instead, Caroline Greenwood took my hand and led me up the staircase once again.

As I stepped onto the landing my eyes found Jack immediately. He seemed in a much better mood from when I had left him. He was nodding and talking with his father, though I noticed his eyes were extremely puffy. I made my way towards the men and they ceased talking. Jack stood as I crossed the threshold and put a hand upon the small of my back. My skin tingled at his touch.

‘
Um, Ava, I would like you to meet my father … Jack Greenwood Senior. Dad, this is Avalon.
’

‘
I am very pleased to meet you, Avalon,
’
Mr. Greenwood took my hand and kissed it.
‘
Junior has been telling me about you.
’

‘
Junior?
’
I repeated.

Jack looked at me with an expression that quite clearly said;
never call me Junior.

‘
Old habit,
’
Mr. Greenwood said with a smile.
‘
He liked it when he was a kid.
’

‘
I am very different now,
’
said Jack.

‘
That you are,
’
Mr. Greenwood nodded.
‘
Won
’
t you both join us for supper? Caroline makes an excellent roast.
’

Jack glanced down at me.
‘
Oh, I
’
m not sure,
’
he began.

‘
Nonsense,
’
Mr. Greenwood waved a hand.
‘
I want to get to know your lady friend better.
’

I looked at Jack with raised eyebrows as Mr. Greenwood turned away to ask his wife to prepare supper.

‘
Now then,
’
said Mr. Greenwood clapping his hands together.
‘
Won
’
t you come and meet Jamie? He knows all about you of course.
’

Jack gulped.
‘
I, well … yes, all right.
’

‘
I
’
ll … I
’
ll help with dinner,
’
I told Jack.

I watched Jack and his father walk down the hallway while Mr. Greenwood said,
‘
you have gotten tall. I
’
m not sure where you got those genes from I
’
m afraid.
’

As I entered the kitchen I wondered what Mr. Greenwood had said to Jack that had earned his forgiveness so quickly. I hoped that Jack would confide this in me.

Mrs. Greenwood was bustling around the kitchen, preparing supper.

‘
Do you need any help?
’
I asked as she tried to light a fire in the grate.

‘
Oh no dear, it
’
s fine. You sit yourself down and I
’
ll fix you something to drink.
’

I watched as she struggled to bring the flames to life.

‘
Here,
’
I said, kneeling beside her.

I rearranged the
smouldering
embers with my bare hands, causing Mrs. Greenwood to gasp. It took only a moment for me to coax the kindling flames into a roaring fire with little effort.

‘
Oh goodness,
’
Mrs. Greenwood smiled.
‘
That has saved me a lot of time.
’

I stood back to admire my handiwork.
‘
It
’
s the only thing I
’
m good at, really,
’
I said.

‘
Well I think it
’
s just wonderful,
’
Mrs. Greenwood said.
‘
Now, you look absolutely exhausted. Let me fetch you a bath
–
we have running water you know. I
’
ll wash your clothes too. I have some clothes you can borrow. I think they will fit, the bust might be a little loose-
’