Page 19 of Ethan & Grace

“How many times do I have to tell you? We didn’t cancel the contract.”

He motioned for me to sit. I dropped into one of the two armchairs facing his desk and picked up a twisted Rubik’s cube lying among the piles of files and folders.

“Who’s the letter from?” Henry asked into the receiver.

He listened to the reply with a frown.

“I most certainly did not authorise any cancellation.”

I strained to make out the voice on the other end, without success.

Henry massaged his temples with his free hand. “Listen, Donald. I apologise for the confusion, but The Darlington has no intention of terminating its contract with your laundry service. I have no idea how this misunderstanding came about. These past few months have been extremely trying, as you can perhaps imagine. Please, tear up the cancellation notice and arrange for the earliest possible collection. With an express surcharge if need be.”

Henry listened as Donald spoke.

“Thank you for your understanding. I hope you have a nice weekend.” He ended the call and then gave a heavy sigh, shaking his head in defeat.

“Is everything OK?” I asked, twisting the sides of the Rubik’s cube in my hands.

Henry put down his phone and looked at me. Even though I’d visited him a couple of times over the past few weeks, he still seemed a little incredulous to see me in his office. Once we’d even gone for lunch together, and I’d finally met Kate properly—as his girlfriend, not as a chambermaid.

“Yes, I’m fine,” he replied. “This withdrawal is killing me, that’s all. I thought my brain was finally starting to function properly again, but it looks like I accidentally terminated our contract with the laundry company that handles the hotel linen. Nothing has been collected for three days. But Donald’s taking care of it. I’m all over the place.”

I scrutinised Henry. He was wearing his tailored suit but had taken off his tie and left the top buttons of his shirt open, as if they would otherwise suffocate him. He had dark circles under his eyes, although they were less pronounced than they had been a couple of weeks ago. I admired him for his dedication and unrelenting determination. It had been about six months since I’d told him we were all screwed, but instead of giving up, he had kept fighting, even at the expense of his own health. I wasn’t sure if the struggle was worth it—things were still looking bad for The Darlington—but the fact that Henry still hadn’t given up trying to save it showed what he was made of.

“It sounds like you need a break,” I suggested.

“I’m already taking as many breaks as I can,” Henry said. He reached for his coffee mug only to find it empty, and put it back down, disappointed. “What are you doing here? Is everything OK?”

“Yes, I just came by to check on you.”

“Oh, thanks. But I have everything under control.”

“Sure?”

“Sure,” Henry assured.

I nodded. “OK. But if there’s any way I can help you out with the hotel . . .”

Henry’s eyebrows shot up so fast they would have flown off his face had he been a cartoon character. “Wait. Wait. Wait! Did you really just offer to help me with the hotel? Voluntarily?”

I could hardly believe it myself. This wasn’t the first time I had offered to support Henry, but it was the first time I had said I would help him out with the hotel. Unlike Henry, I didn’t care about The Darlington. I didn’t even particularly like the place. It wasn’t a safe space for me, or a home. If it were to burn down, I wouldn’t shed a tear. Still, I nodded, because I was trying to be a better brother to Henry. Last year, I had relied entirely on him to sort things out instead of getting involved myself.

Henry pursed his lips thoughtfully, then shook his head. “I don’t think there’s anything you can do right now, but thanks for the offer. Maybe I’ll take you up on it when we start planning the next Pearl Gala. If you helped organise it, maybe it would be less ‘boring.’”

It had been my word, not his. I laughed. “Sure, just say the word. You know where to find me.” I’d become fairly predictable recently. If I wasn’t in my penthouse, I was either at the gym or in the library. “Has Mum talked to you?”

“No, she’s still avoiding me.”

“She asked about you at afternoon tea a few days ago. I told her to ask you herself, but it looks like she still needs time to swallow her pride.”

“Maybe,” Henry murmured. He didn’t seem angry, just a little disappointed. Our mum was only making her own life difficult by not accepting Kate. I didn’t know if she couldn’t see it or just didn’t want to, but Kate and Henry were serious, and I’d bet money that Kate would have a ring on her finger within two years. At least if Henry had anything to do with it. “But enough about me. What’s going on with you?”

“Not much, mainly uni,” I said, twisting the last sides of the Rubik’s cube into place. “And James is in town this week. We went for dinner on Tuesday, and I had to listen to him go on for half an hour about how hot his new lecturer is. Do you want to see a photo?”

“Of the food or the lecturer?”

“The lecturer, obviously.”