She finally looked up into his eyes with immense shame. What she saw was not anger, exactly as she was afraid of. She bit down on her lip, and her nails dug into her palm as she tried not to break down.
“Look at me, Arabella!”
She truly wished the earth would split in half and engulf her in eternal peace rather than face this moment. But she had to take responsibility for what she had done. So, she looked up.
“Listen to me, Arabella, and listen to me well,” Gerald said in a serious tone. “You will not ask these people for forgiveness, because you owe them none.”
Arabella was quite confused by what she was hearing, so she just stood absolutely still.
“You will not claim responsibility for what happened because it was not your fault.”
Arabella gaped at him.
“Joseph got exactly what he deserved. In fact, I have to congratulate you on showing restraint and not hurling the whole bowl with its contents in his face.”
“That was exactly what my first impulse was to do.”
“And we shall both live to regret that you didn’t, though I’m sure Joseph may present more opportunities to have things thrown in his face in the future.”
Arabella kept looking at Gerald while her mind tried to fully process what he had just said. To say that it was not what she expected would be quite the understatement.
“Excuse me, what?” Arabella felt the need to demand clarification.
“Well, Joseph has one of those faces that you really want to punch even before they open their mouth. And when they do, the only thing that happens is it confirms that desire.”
Arabella really didn’t understand exactly what was going on. Gerald saw the confusion on her face and smiled.
“There is one thing that really disappoints me.”
Arabella frowned because she knew what was coming. He would now accuse her of failing him, of showing utter inability to follow a simple plan: appear at the wedding, go through lunch, and then make a clean exit.
“You could have waited for the main course,” Gerald said thoughtfully. “There were some options that would have made a more impactful statement.”
“Wait for what?”
“I mean, not hot dishes, of course, we’re not savages, but some sauces showed great potential as throwing material,” Gerald said with a smirk.
Arabella searched his face to see if what she was hearing and what she was seeing matched, while she was testing reality at the same time. Gerald gazed upon her with an amused look. Not the slightest hint of anger or accusation, just pure mirth.
The weight in her soul slowly lifted. Gerald was genuinely not angry at her. He didn’t mind that she had caused the scene; in fact, he seemed rather amused by it.
She felt a small crack in the heavy mask of responsibility that she was wearing, and then a hesitant smile bloomed on her face. Upon seeing that smile, Gerald just nodded, inviting her to join him.
“Well, I suppose,” she said, her voice still fragile, “that I could have waited for the fish to be served. It would have had a more audible effect on his face and perhaps stuck for a few seconds. And then there is, of course, the issue of smell.”
“I do believe,” Gerald said, smiling, “but the fish would be an excellent option. Please make note: the next time you want to throw food at people, wait for the main course.”
“There are, of course, some good options in the dessert part of the menu, but I always find that sweets are wasted on bitter people.”
“Very wise, Your Grace.”
They looked at each other for a few moments, understanding passing between them. Her body relaxed, his shoulders lost their tension, and she could finally unfurl her fingers that had been ruining her gloves.
“Nonetheless,” Arabella said, “I am sorry for what happened.”
“Honestly, don’t be. It was rather radical, but it played some part.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
