Whatever It Takes: Day 14

 Word Count: 84,069

Summary of Events:

Although Josiah was told while in Glasgow that Mr. Dunbar had been able to speak with Radcliff, he himself had been unable to do so, thus he was grateful when he received a letter from Evangelina the following weekend in which was a short apology letter from Radcliff, which gave him assurance Radcliff no longer believed he would harm Evangelina. Over the ensuing weekends, however, Josiah found himself being approached time and again by Mr. Allaway, who asked him when exactly he was going to tell his mother he wasn't going to China, which he didn't exactly want to do, if he was honest . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Once the service was over Josiah headed for his coat, hopeful that he would be able to escape the church this week without Mr. Allaway catching him and asking him about whether he’d told Mother or not.

“Good morning,” Josiah sighed, his shoulders sagging as his hands slid off the shoulders of his coat, leaving it where it hung.

He turned slowly to see Mr. Allaway looking at him expectantly.

“Good morning,” he replied, even if he questioned whether the morning really was any good.

“Have you told your mother yet?” Mr. Allaway asked.

“No,” Josiah replied.

Mr. Allaway sighed and looked at Josiah with a disappointed expression.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Josiah asked.

“Because you haven’t given me the right answer to my question,” Mr. Allaway replied.

“And what is the right answer?” Josiah asked.

“That, yes, you have told your mother,” Mr. Allaway replied.

“You’re going to ask me every week, until I’ve told her?” Josiah asked, already feeling wearied at the thought.

“I am,” Mr. Allaway replied. “You said you would tell her, and I’m holding you accountable to your word. Certainly you would want to be a man of it, after all.”

Josiah sighed and took up his coat, the weight of the wool feeling in the moment rather more than he could bear.

“Doesn’t she deserve to know Josiah?” Mr. Allaway asked. “She is your mother, and even if she has been unfairly planning your adulthood for your entire life, she deserves to know.”

“Then why don’t you tell her?” Josiah challenged.

“It’s not my task, Josiah,” Mr. Allaway replied. “And you know it.”

Josiah heaved his coat on and fumblingly fastened the buttons.

“Surely it should’ve been more dangerous for you to have gotten upset at me as you did than for you to get upset at your mother,” Mr. Allaway said. “You know her, and she knows you.”

“No she doesn’t,” Josiah replied.

“Some of her fault though that may be, lad,” Mr. Allaway said. “It’s probably not all her fault, is it?”
“How can it be my fault I can’t be heard through a brick wall?” Josiah asked.

“Because you’re a MacEachern,” Mr. Allaway replied. “And MacEacherns don’t let brick walls stop them.”

“Maybe I’m not a MacEachern,” Josiah said.

“You know full well you are,” Mr. Allaway replied. “And if you want to do even your father proud, you’ll let her know who has the MacEachern blood in his veins, and who just married into the name.”

Josiah sighed, hardly looking after Mr. Allaway as he left. He really didn’t think there was any way that he would be able to deal with Mother as effectively as Uncle Roderick did, even if Mr. Allaway seemed to think he would be able to, but if he didn’t want to lose his mind he was going to have to try.