The hour came.
Every Lutman blood present in the household assembled in the South Wing Hall and every eye that fell on Harry initiated a conversation or two almost immediately.
As soon as the crowd settled, Ruby walked up to the front.
"Today, an unfamiliar yet familiar presence has graced the warmth of this household" she began, "This being clear, his presence appears to harbor a cause" she paused and turned to him "Lets welcome him as he makes this known to us".
A few, short lived claps drowned in hushed whispers, enveloped the room as Landon Lutman walked up to the front with his cane.
Clearing his throat, he began,
"Unfortunately for all of you, I know why you're all here and not in your respective houses"
The crowd went silent. Attentive & Cautious.
"In no way do I care or concern myself with your activities but I am here with a hint to hasten your search", "Why? ...- I enjoy the look on your faces as of this moment"
"The story told about I and my twin has been remodeled for a purpose to engulf us both as 'The Bleating Black Goats' and while I care less, I do pity the manner at which no one desired to know the truth. The real truth"
The room grew cold in the silence of his speech. The words that left his wrinkled lips stung in hearts of every Lutman present, nevertheless, a greater concern grew in their minds…
'What does Reece Lutman think and feel about this situation?'
"Prior to the catastrophe of events, a proposal regarding relations to the ledger was made to me"
An uncertain restlessness developed in the hall.
"As soon as I thought it through, I came back with my answer" he paused "In a little over a span of 3 weeks, the news reached me but fortunately, I wasn't a Lutman in the family registry"
Landon watched the heightened expressions among faces in the room, both familiar and unfamiliar.
"Did this proposal have something to do with the disappearance of the ledger?" Ruby asked.
"I'm unaware" he paused "I have done my path, stated my cause… now, I will take my leave"
The room watched him leave, the door shutting behind his exit. It suddenly felt strange, the people, the actions known and unknown. The room grew an underlying and uncertain suspicion against each other.
Noone was entirely entitled to give account of their day to day but suddenly, each looked at themselves as liable to be the culprit or was it collective effort? Noone could tell what was and wasn't in that second.
The walls of the Lutman bond began to grow weak. Ruby saw this, she despised this. The efforts of her father and mother were suddenly turning stale over the words of a distant relative. How feeble they all were.
As every person began to exit the hall, Meredith held unto Reece
"We all need to talk"
He nodded and signaled to Marilyn and Paul "To my office"
Quietly but hastily, they headed to the green house, then into Reece's office.
'BAM'
Reece's fist slammed against his sleek desk, throwing over some files.
"WHO" he began "Tell me, WHO… who made that fucking proposal behind my back?"
"Me"
The three turned to Marilyn. Reece's face grew mellow with mixed emotions.
"Before you speak" she began "You are angry", "Anger will cloud your judgement", "Breathe"
"-I don't think you understand the situation Marilyn" Meredith cut through, "You are in no position to tell Reece what to do, he has every right to be angry. You made a move without his knowledge and contradicted his decision to alienate the Black Goats and yet now, you fail to see that YOU have given him a chance to waltz in here with a right to judge us, WHAT DID YOU FUCKING THINK WOULD HAPPEN?"
Paul held firmly unto Meredith as she raged over Marilyn. Marilyn and Reece only stared at each other.
"Reece" she called out, frustrating Meredith while her eyes remained steady.
"Reece" she called again as she watched his face change.
"Reece" he knelt on one knee and looked up at her, "You trust me?"
"I do" he said softly yet sharply "And you have a lot of explaining to do"
Jeremy strode along the halls over to the west wing of the manor where his room, among other rooms stood. Slowly, as he approached the next turn, he witnessed two faint shadows and paused on his feet, taking a moment to lean against the wall.
"You always do this, always say this" the voice paused, a voice very much William's voice "I'm tired, can't you see"
Another voice spoke "Oh, I can, I see alright and I don't care" he paused "You will always be a coward -today, tomorrow and that's why I will always be here to sink it down into your skull" he paused again "You never learn, even in the past you never learnt"
This voice, Logan's?
"You're right" William said "I'm a coward and you?" he paused "I see the way you look at me, think I'm daft, think I can't tell that you want me to fuck you?"
Logan laughed snarkily "Yes I did, isn't that better than the eyes you use to look at Jeremy?"
A loud smack echoed through and in a short while, a loud laugh.
"Your guilt and shame are what raised that hand to me" he paused "I don't mind", "We know what we know and I don't care if this is how you want to play this game"
"So, what do you want from me?" William spoke, his voice lowered in defeat "What should I do so you can leave me alone?"
"Nothing" he paused "You can do nothing like you've always been doing"
Suddenly, a pair of feet began on its tracks only for Logan's eyes to meet with Jeremy and walk past.
Slowly, with a sigh Jeremy walked out and witnessed a shocked William.
William stood from where he leaned, "Jeremy" he called.
"Yes?"
"Are you alright?"
Jeremy nodded and watched him swallow hard, his eyes unsteady with fear before walking past him and into his room.
At dusk, every Lutman assembles at the dining table.
The atmosphere sits with a little ease than before but the guarded eyes remain. How could a few words bring a whole house to disarray?
Harry, now at the table in a wheel chair, clanked his knife against a brittle wine cup with a cocky smile
"I'd like to toast to tomorrow"
"Oh, what's happening then son?" Marilyn asked
He smiled, "More signatures will be taken"
William shook his head, impressed. A few chuckled and somehow, a new wave of ease fell on the room. Ruby was pleased and utterly grateful.