Part Two: No Deal Several hours later, Nathaniel buried his head in his hands to hide the tears trying to well up in his eyes as he hunched his shoulders in a chair in Uncle Alexander's office. He ran his hands through his hair, then over it to smooth it as he straightened up, angry at himself for slumping. It was poor discipline.
"I'm sorry, Uncle," he said. "I forgot."
"Forgot what?" asked Uncle Alexander, his tone softer than usual with concern. The cold sarcasm of the night before might never have existed; he was all support now.
"My posture. It's...it's been a long day."
"I think you can be forgiven this once," said Uncle Alexander, but Nathaniel couldn't find it in him to smile.
"That's the only thing I can be forgiven for so far today," he said. "I've been arguing with Mama - " he would not mention that man; for one thing, it offended him to do so, and for another thing, he couldn't see how doing so would help the matter at all, when he wanted his uncle to forget that part of the story as much as possible - "all day, she won't listen to me. You have to help me."
Uncle Alexander reached out to offer a comforting pat on the back. "In any way I can," he said. "You can't help Cynthia's behavior, Nathaniel. You've nothing to apologize for."
Nathaniel did find a smile then - a sort of convulsive grimace as relief washed over him in waves. "Thank you," he said, nearly choking up again. He cleared his through roughly so he could continue. "Mama - I don't think she can see reason," he said. "I think something's been done to her. I don't think I can - make her do anything, at least not until I'm seventeen - but you can."
Uncle Alexander frowned. "I'm not sure I understand what you're asking of me," he said.
"She's out of her mind, Uncle. We have to protect her. Get her away from - from our house, and get her somewhere safe - somewhere where we can have her taken care of until she gets better, until she can see how things really are," he said, beginning to speak faster and faster as he went along. There was something in his uncle's expression - he could not put his finger on exactly what - which he didn't like, which made it feel imperative to make his case as quickly as possible.
Uncle Alexander paused, then sighed, standing up and walking over to the window, arms folded behind his back. "I'm sorry to have to say this," he said, "but I can't do that."
Nathaniel froze in his chair. "Why not?" he asked.
"Your mother is an adult of independent means," said Uncle Alexander. "As your brother said last night - she is within her rights to ruin her own life. I cannot help her unless she chooses to allow me to do so, and from the sounds of it, she is determined to stay on this path. You and your brother are the only ones it's in my power to help now."
Nathaniel felt sick. The world was spinning again. "But you have to," he said desperately. "Uncle, you know - you know she must - she must be under an enchantment. We can't just leave her to that, let - let - we can't let that man just - do this to her. We have to help her."
"That's not possible now," said Uncle Alexander. "The only person who can help Cynthia now is Cynthia."
"You promised!" protested Nathaniel, and Uncle Alexander turned half of the way back toward him, looking like he wanted to rebuke him for raising his voice. Nathaniel, however, wasn't having that. "The day we found out what my father did. You promised you'd take care of us. You said Mama was your sister. When I went to school, you promised you'd help me take care of her. You promised!"
"We all have choices, Nathaniel. Your mother's made hers, it seems. I'm afraid we must leave her to suffer the consequences of them."
Nathaniel stared at his uncle in anguish. "I can't do that, Uncle," he said.
Uncle Alexander sighed, and Nathaniel felt as though an ocean opened between them, his uncle withdrawing without moving a muscle. "Then unless you change your mind before the happy event," he said, "I'm afraid we have nothing more to say to each other."
For a while, Nathaniel thought he was out of options. Before he could give into despair, though, he remembered there was one more person he could talk to, one person he could always count on to give him help and helpful advice. He remembered Sylvia.