章 19: The Prime Minister's scolding
Morning in house Thorne was especially silent, that Sunday. After the Governor's gala, no one was in the mood to chat. Especially Leonard Thorne.
His mood was the worst, that day.
And, for a change, May was the most relaxed. She had slept for six hours straight, and she had refilled with energy during the night. She couldn't remember the last time when she had done so: slept for so long. Maybe it was a belated side effect of the electric shocks, but her insomnia was giving her a break.
Even that family reunion didn't bother her thoughts. She didn't fear what her grandfather would say, even though she still didn't know a thing about what happened during the press conference. And she was enjoying the silence. Contrarily to her uncle, sitting in front of her and on the right of her grandfather, she didn't feel any heavy weight on her shoulder. She couldn't remember such a pleasant family breakfast.
She was sitting on the left of the Prime Minister, like every time her brother wasn't dining with them. Leonard Thorne was at the head of the table, and next to May was his first assistant. In front of the assistant, Lorelei.
Lorelei's mother wasn't eating with them, just as usual. May's brother was on a mission abroad. The end of the table opposite Leonard Thorne was so empty.
«I am really disappointed,» said the latter when he deemed it was the right moment to talk. Who could eat had eaten, and they were just finishing what was on their plates.
May was sipping her morning coffee, enjoying the aroma, while the others had tea. She was the only one in the family preferring coffee, which made them feel like she was an outsider. But the Prime Minister's house had always a stock of the finest coffee available on the market.
Leonard Thorne turned to May, and she knew he was going to scold her. However, she didn't mind it. Being clumsy and ruining her image in such a stupid way like falling in a pool was a grave sin for Leonard Thorne, but she couldn't care less about his words and punishment.
Even the thought that she risked being locked in the residence for weeks didn't ruin her mood, that morning.
«You have to learn how to behave, Mayrose. Public occasions bring many eyes on us, on each one of us. You can't get distracted even for a moment, because someone will catch that moment. Our family name is at risk every time you lower your guard, understood?»
She nodded as if she was actually listening. And she was, in part. Just, she didn't let those words get to her. She was long past the time when she cared about what her grandfather thought of her.
«Next time you embarrass us, I'll hire an etiquette teacher for you. Understood?»
«Yes, grandfather,» she hummed, knowing that staying silent would bring more trouble. She just wanted to finish her cup of coffee and leave. There was no need to be stubborn.
Leonard Thorne moved his attention away from May, which made her realise that something else must have happened. There was no way her grandfather would stop with a few words of warning after an incident like her falling in the pool.
«You shouldn't get angry, dad. It's bad for your health,» Alistair said. He was the only one done with his tea, and he was still sweating like the evening before. However, he also knew that the damage was done.
It was late to prevent it, even though he didn't know why his father was so angry. It hadn't been much of a scandal, after all. Everyone would forget about it soon enough. When the next scandal took every first page.
«I shouldn't get angry?» Leonard repeated. «I shouldn't? And how am I supposed not to? Whose fault is it if I'm in this state now? Mine?»
«I wasn't trying to say that,» Alistair said.
«Does anyone at this table actually care about my health? If you did, you wouldn't be bringing me so many headaches!»
«Everything will be fine.»
«How can you be so sure?» Leo scoffed. «Do you even know what has to be done to solve it?»
«People will forget, sooner or later.»
«If it's not soon enough, it will impact my position as well. Lorelei, you won't leave this very residence for the next month. You're allowed to the university for your lessons, and you'll be coming back soon as they finish. No outings until this settles, not even during the day.»
«But... Grandpa!» Lorelei whined, wincing on the chair. She was surprised by such strictness. Had her dear grandpa turned so stern during the night?
«Dad, Lorelei is just a child. It's normal that she wants to have some fun,» Alistair said, ready to defend his daughter.
«You are no better,» Leonard replied. «She's a child, true. A little too spoiled. This will teach her to think before acting. And as for you...»
«One month is too much,» Alistair said, trying to renegotiate the grounding.
Leonard ignored him.
«You are no better,» he said, in fact. «You froze on the stage. That shouldn't happen, even! Not for a politician with your experience. You're the Governor of White Capital, for God's sake. You can't panic in front of the press, or they'll feed on you.»
He placed the empty cup on the table, a vein on his forehead pulsing because of the trouble his family made him go through.
«What should I have done?» Alistair asked. «I didn't even know what they were talking about.»
«You're nearly fifty but you have so much to learn,» Leonard sighed. «If only Johnatan was still here.»
Leonard's eyes became dim at the memory of his first son. He had been his pride and hope, but he had disappeared before all of his dreams could become reality. His son, Mayrose's brother, was following his steps, but he was still young and had a long way ahead.
May also felt a surge of sadness at the mention of her father. If he was there, maybe he would defend her like Alistair was defending his daughter - even though he knew she was in the wrong. Maybe May's father wouldn't have allowed Lorelei to push May, in the first place.
«I won't do it again, grandpa,» Lorelei said, taking advantage of the sudden silence. «Please, grandpa, forgive me just this once!»
Her eyes were full of tears, her lips trembling. She did look sorry, even though May knew she wasn't sorry about the scandal but about the grounding.
Leonard ignored both of them, his son and his granddaughter, and turned back to May. She lifted her brows, surprised. Did he have a second set of scoldings for her? Was he feeling guilty for being so stern with Lorelei, so he wanted to make things even by grounding May as well?
«In a few months,» he started, «we will submit a law proposal to the Senate. We will need his help to approve it.»
He didn't need to say who that 'him' was. May could already guess. Suddenly, she felt sorry for not being grounded.
At the same time, both Alistair and Lorelei were silent but listening. Why was Leonard talking politics with May? She understood nothing of it; what a waste of time!
Was it just to make it weigh on them how much they disappointed him? Was he trying to make them jealous of the attention reserved for May?
«I need you to convince Senator Lindt to side with us. Just this once.»
May blinked but said no word, still waiting for the rest.
«Thanks to your cousin, we can't attempt to win more consent with early elections. We have to wait until the law is passed.»
«You're overestimating me, Prime Minister,» May said.
The father and daughter pair in front of her was staring wide-eyed. Lorelei's sorry face transformed into an expression of contempt. She didn't know anything about politics either, but it sounded like Leonard Thorne was using his granddaughter to tame his underlings. She did remember an old Senator Lindt in Leo Thorne's party, but she would have never thought he would rebel. That oldie didn't seem like he had the guts to do anything on his own, to be sincere.
Lorelei dispelled the troublesome thoughts about another Senator Lindt, one way more problematic. How could May reach such a person? She wouldn't ever attract his attention with her plain clothes and shy personality.
As the Prime Minister explained some more to May, Lorelei used all her brain not to laugh out loud. She was grounded, but May's punishment was going to be way, way worse.
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