Page 5 of Tainted Reasoning

Chapter Three

William

“Dinner is served,” my brother’s new butler, Alfred, announces, and I take Tamara’s arm to escort her into the dining hall. We don’t always eat like this. I normally sit in the kitchen with the chef and talk to him. He’s lived an interesting life and cooked for a variety of people all over the world. Nicholas and Victoria usually eat at a smaller table in the cozy dining room, but Victoria wants to show her friend that she’s truly happy, and so we’re going all out with the grand gesture for our guest. Victoria is dressed in a flowing gown, and Nicholas is dressed in full evening attire. I’ve even dressed up, a bit, for the occasion. Instead of my usual green t-shirt, I’ve put on a formal shirt with a green tie and a black suit. It feels strange to wear something so restrictive. When my father was alive, I’d had to dress up for special occasions, but they were few and far between and never in polite society. I was too much of an embarrassment to him with my silly movements and inability to filter what I said. I swipe at my ear and then continue with my tapping routine. Tamara looks up at me.

“Are you alright?” she asks as a loose tendril of her long, jet-black hair falls out from the elaborate hairstyle she has pulled her locks into. I know Tamara’s mother is of mixed heritage with African and Saxon ancestry, and these origins have combined in Tamara to give her an exotic beauty she shares with many a famous movie star or even a royal wife. She’s dressed in a bright teal dress, stopping just above the knee, and black heels that make her legs seem like they go on forever.

“It feels a bit strange, wearing a formal outfit. I’m not used to it.”

“I thought you would’ve been dressed like this for most of your life?”

“No. I didn’t really eat dinner with my father and brother.” I can feel my need to tic getting more urgent, and I swipe over my face and tap a few times. Tamara looks up at me, and then holds her hand out for me to take her arm. I do so and lead her into the dining room behind Nicholas and Victoria.

“I had a friend at university who struggled with formal occasions and preferred his own company. My university was a prestigious one, and we frequently had to dine in formal attire. He hated it, so I told him to imagine he was at home in his PJs and having a microwave meal. Those around him were doing just the same, and he didn’t need to worry about the formality.”

I can’t stop the ‘hmm’ that escapes my mouth. It’s the beginning of a thought I probably shouldn’t voice, but one I know is going to spill from my lips anyway.

“I don’t wear PJs.”

Tamara laughs.

“Is this one of those pretend pair of PJs occasions?” I ask. My brain is wired differently to everyone else, and sometimes it takes throwaway comments far too literally.

“It is, but don’t worry, I don’t wear anything to bed either.”

My thoughts go down a whole different route at that comment. Quickly pulling out her seat, I help Tamara to sit at the table before my dick manages to find its way out of my pants. I take my own place next to my brother who’s at the head of the table with Victoria seated on his other side, and Tamara’s next to her. The dining table is of carved, vintage oak and can seat many more people than just the four of us. We probably look a bit silly eating at this massive table when there are so few of us, but I can sense the anxiety emanating from Victoria with the need to please her friend and to reassure Tamara she has a happy life with Nicholas.

The butler and a maid appear and start to serve us the first course. It’s a fiddly dish involving scallops and cauliflower purée. I’m aware of this because I was in the kitchen earlier when the chef was preparing everything, following Victoria’s request for something fancy. I would’ve preferred baked beans on toast with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese, but that isn’t considered the height of gastronomy, apparently.

Picking up my fork, I dig into the scallop and pop it in my mouth. It actually tastes good– I’m getting a little hint of curry flavor from it, but it doesn’t overpower the taste of the mollusk. It’s really tasty. I look over to Tamara and see her pushing it to the side of the plate.

“Don’t you like it?” I ask, and Victoria looks over from her conversation with Nicholas to her friend.

“Tamara?” She frowns.

“I’m not the biggest scallop fan. We had some once, and they left me sick for a few days afterward. I’ve been put off eating them ever since.”

Victoria lets out a heavy sigh.

“I knew it would go wrong”–tears pool in her eyes– “I told you.” She turns back to my brother who’s already getting out of his chair and coming to wrap his arms around his emotional wife.

“It’s only the first course. It doesn’t matter,” Nicholas reassures Victoria and at the same time waves the butler over. “Can you ask chef for something different for Miss Bennett, please?”

“At once, sir.” He picks up Tamara’s plate, but she tries to stop him.

“Please, don’t worry. Everyone has nearly finished. I’ll just wait for the next course.”

The butler hovers with the plate, waiting for Nicholas to instruct him on how to proceed.

“It’s alright, Alfred. Take all the plates and bring the main course. It’s lamb. Is that alright?” Nicholas smiles reassuringly at Tamara.

“My favorite,” she responds, and the butler clears the table. “Victoria, please don’t worry. I’m over my temper tantrum with Nicholas. I can see you love him, and he loves you. You don’t have to impress me or get yourself stressed. I would’ve been just as happy with our childhood dinner of pizza and cupcakes in front of the TV.”

“I’m sorry.” Victoria leans over and brings her friend into an embrace. “I do love Nicholas… I promise you. He’s doing so much to correct the past wrongs of his family. Only today, he prevented a really nasty man from ever hurting anyone again.”

Nicholas clears his throat with a deep cough. “Possibly not a conversation we should have at the dinner table.”

I can’t help but laugh. “I don’t know…in some countries, the organs we played around with today are considered to be delicacies.”

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