Mabel looked at Henry in disbelief. Mrs. Lawson had just injured her finger, and not only did he not say a single kind word, he was actually urging her to hurry up.
As a housekeeper, Mabel didn't dare voice her frustration. She simply lowered her head, applied some antiseptic, and carefully wrapped Jessica's wound with a bandage.
While Mabel was putting away the first aid kit, Henry started pestering Jessica again.
"Mom, can you book the plane tickets now?"
Jessica finally responded in sign language, her gestures a bit slower than usual. "I'm not feeling well. I don't want to travel that far. If you want to see your father, I'll call his assistant and have her arrange for you to go."
That seemed acceptable to Henry. He knew his mother didn't care much for Miss Sheila, and honestly, if an argument broke out between them, he wouldn't even know which side to take.
"Fine," he said, a little sullen.
Jessica gestured for Mabel to come closer. She typed something quickly on her phone and showed it to Mabel. "I'll call Mr. Lawson's assistant. Please tell her to come to the house."
"Of course, ma'am."
Jessica dialed the number and put the phone on speaker. It was answered almost immediately.
"Hello, Mrs. Lawson."
"Hi, Secretary Allen, this is Mabel. Mrs. Lawson would like you to come to The Gilded Whisper Estates."
"I'll be right over."
Jessica ended the call and signed to Henry to go have dinner.
Henry had hoped his mother would cook for him, and her refusal left him a bit disappointed. But then he thought, the sooner he finished eating, the sooner he could pack for his trip abroad to see Sheila. That cheered him up, and he ran off to the dining room.
Normally, Mrs. Lawson would have kept him company during dinner. But today, she remained seated, unmoving, so Mabel quietly stood nearby, waiting to be needed.
About half an hour later, Secretary Allen arrived.
"Mrs. Lawson, you wanted to see me?"
Jessica had already typed out a message on her phone. She held it up for Secretary Allen to read: "Henry wants to go to Aetherion Marisbright. Please take him there."
Secretary Allen hesitated for a moment. "Has Mr. Lawson approved this?" he asked carefully. Escorting the Lawson family's young heir overseas was no trivial matter; if anything went wrong, the responsibility would fall squarely on him.
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The readers' comments on the novel: Goodbye, Mr. Regret