The Time To Dine (3)

Abhorrent. 

Abhorrent, it was. 

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

As if it were the only way to repress her violent hatred, she continued loudly tapping the table with her free hand.

"I should give a little more context before we continue," Ezra said. "You see, Lord Eckert, as I said before, was wonderful and generous on most days. But after he fought in the flash war during his youth, he had suffered an injury that was a 'bit' personality altering."

"What type of injury?" Lord Sutherton asked.

"Ah, it was a horrid one, really," Ezra winced. "Hilt of an enemy sword made a deep dent on the entire back of his head." He tapped the back of his skull with a pained squint.

"Yikes!" Lady Sutherton cringed.

"Yes. It was quite the indentation. Sort of like a bulbous soft spot in a baby's head."

"Soft spot on a baby?" Lady Sutherton lightly laughed.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Yes, and ever since then, he had this dent that sort of pushed out his skull and made him look like he had two heads. His doctors said because of that, he was going to be prone to abnormal behaviors and bipolar moods. As in—." He stopped, and suddenly exploded in a fit of thundering laughter. "---And." He pressed his hands against his face, mimicking sorrowful weeping.

His actions were so emphatically sudden and raw, they were all shaken by his actions. 

"Mister Ezra!" Lady Sutherton giddily laughed. "Do not surprise us like that! You had me nearly fooled that you had become bipolar yourself!"

While his wife almost bounced in her chair with giddy excitement, Lord Sutherton, remained silent with maintained interest.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

He chuckled. "Well, when I worked at Duke Eckert's, every second I had to learn to expect the unexpected like that." 

"Oh, but you surprised us! That really took me for a loop there!" Lady Sutherton chortled. She was laughing so hard and so truly like a high-pitched chirping bird. 

How long had it had been since her daughter heard the pitch of such girlish giggles? Sebastian, Erin recalled, was the only one who could get her mother chirping like that, and that was limited to when they were drunken fools speaking gibberish. 

"I apologize, but you may have to learn to expect the unexpected. There's still more of a story to be told." Ezra coined a sparkling coquettish grin as he emphasized his words. "And who knows what other twists and turns you will hear tonight?"

Lady Sutherton was rolling with laughter. "Do you hear this, man?" She glanced at her husband, smiling and whispering with him as if they were watching a theatre play together. 

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Erin looked around the table, watching her parent's faces bloat with intrigue and glee every time the man opened his mouth. They were listening to him with an unbroken focus, and it became apparent that it was more than just listening. They actually enjoyed conversing with him---a butler.

He was some man that they had just met, and yet they were acting as if he were their own.

She had never received such smiles and laughter from her parents and yet; a butler was managing to get all of their attention merely by breathing. 

A deep-set scowl carved into her face. The more she thought about it, the more she was set off. 

Annoyed, she tossed her glass cup to the floor. 

Clink!

It didn't shatter, but splatters of leftover wine splashed on Ezra. 

She felt her parent's eyes but she focused on Ezra. "Oops! Miss Clumsy over here," she sang, placing her elbow on the table to arrogantly posture herself.

"That's alright, I know." Ezra wiped wine splatters from his cheek. 

She heard the challenge in his voice and her glare sharpened. "I'll be needing a new wine glass. That one is dirty since it came into contact with the floors."

"Right." He smiled, turning to the service cart, searching around for extra glasses.

The moment he turned from her; Erin's eyes slowly drew to her food. Everything on the plate was expertly cooked and elegantly presented. The steak was perfectly roasted. The chopped potatoes were golden and wet with butter. And the soup? The vegetable soup was simply oozing and exuding a powerful aroma of freshly harvested cilantro, parsley, and pepper in a thick appetizing broth. It looked so wonderful that her body was craving for just a lick. 

"Would you also like more wine with---." Ezra neared her to offer the glass but as he moved, she moved. 

She turned in her chair to face his chest. Then, she clutched her steaming soup and rammed it right against him.