Jenny stayed in the kitchen, watching Nat as she moved to the other room, until the door was shut. Mr. Appleton was poking up the fire. When Nat entered, he put the poker in the holder and rose, putting his hands behind his back. He looked at Nat, features hard, frowning. "I'm sorry for the events of last night. It won't have eluded you that there is a lot of stress in this house at the moment..."