Sebastian shared a knowing look with his brother. It was Maxwell who spoke over the rim of his coffee cup. “I imagine you’ll survive without a physician about for one morning.”
If their father caught an undercurrent of sarcasm, he did not let on, focusing instead on the biscuit on his plate with a scowl.
Step up, Sebastian.
He leaned against the seat across from his father’s as Sally’s parting words from the night before struck him anew. Don’t just talk about being responsible. Be responsible.
Truth be told, he hadn’t stopped thinking about those chastening words since she’d run off the night before. Where she’d gone, he did not know. He’d seen her sister but either Sally had lost herself in the crush or she’d retired early.
Likely the latter since she was ready to leave at the crack of dawn.
He eased himself into the chair, watching his father eat and his brother drink as he tried to figure out what Sally would do right about now. He winced and squeezed the bridge of his nose as he thought about all she’d said about his father, about this family. What would Sally do?
She certainly wouldn’t sit here like a coward not saying what needed to be said.
“We never talk about Mother,” he said abruptly.
The sudden silence after his outburst felt deafening.
Then his father’s silverware clattered against porcelain and his brother’s cup rattled in its saucer as they quite literally dropped what they were doing to stare at him in clear shock.
“Pardon?” His father’s voice was wary. Almost...vulnerable?
Gah! It was horrific indeed to think of one’s parent as fallible and perhaps even...weak. But it would be more horrible by far to take the coward’s way out and continue to avoid this conversation.
With Sally’s words echoing in his ears, he sat up straighter, his spine stiff and his jaw set. “It occurs to me that the three of us have been avoiding this topic.” He glanced over at his brother whose typical look of boredom was replaced by a rather comical wide-eyed stare. “We’ve ignored several topics, to be honest,” he said. “As if we’ve all agreed by some unspoken truce that we would be better off living in solitude—”
“I hardly live in solitude,” his father blustered.
“You do.” Sebastian drew in a deep breath. It might have been the first time in his life that he’d stood up to his father about anything. It had always been far easier to go behind his back and have his own way. He supposed after all his youthful antics it wasn’t difficult to understand how his father might not trust him. But he could. He should. “Father, you surround yourself with this houseful of sniveling bootlickers—”
“Is this necessary?” his brother tried to interrupt.
“It is.” He glanced around. “It’s just the three of us now. It’s as good a time as any to speak the truth.” With another deep breath he tried to order his wayward thoughts. “Mother’s death hit us all hard,” he said. “We all miss her. But we’ve done her a disservice by ignoring her death, by avoiding the topic of her absence and what it has meant for this family.” He forced himself to meet his father’s fierce scowl. “What it has meant for your health.”
His father jerked back as if he’d been slapped. “Your mother has nothing to do with my ill health.”
“No, Father. With all due respect, there is no such thing as your ill health.”
He started to protest and he glanced over to see his brother’s expression morphing ever so slightly from shock to awe. He wasn’t trying to stop him, so Sebastian took that to be a sign of approval. Not much of one, but enough that it encouraged him to continue.
“I truly do not mean to disrespect you, Father, but you have heard it from Dr. Roberts and countless other physicians—”
“Miss Sally, you mean. I don’t know what that girl has told you but she’s certainly no physician.”
“No, she’s not a trained physician.” Oddly enough, the more his father overreacted, the calmer Sebastian began to feel. For the first time in his entire life, he felt like the one who had his act together. Almost as though he were the adult here, rather than the child.
You are an adult, you dolt. He could practically hear Sally’s teasing tone and it made his chest feel lighter and the words came a little more easily. “Sally might not be a trained physician, but you would be the first to admit she knows what she’s about.”
He waited just long enough for his father to give a grudging muttered agreement. “...s’pose she’s got a good head on her shoulders, that one. The captain always did know what he was doing raising those girls.”
“And besides that, every other physician and surgeon you’ve seen has concurred—”
“How would you know?” his father burst out.
“Am I wrong?” He waited patiently until his father looked away in defeat. “Your health issues arose shortly after Mother passed and I think it’s about time we address it.”
Voices drifted down the hallway and Sebastian’s heart fell. The guests were beginning to come down. He’d finally worked up the courage to confront his father and now it was bound to end before a conversation even truly began.
But to his surprise, his brother called out to a footman. “Have my father’s breakfast brought to him in his study. Bring the coffee, as well.” He was already standing. “And most of all, be sure that we are not interrupted.”
“Very good, my lord.”
Neither Sebastian nor his father thought to question Maxwell’s commands. That was why his brother would make an excellent earl one day. It was in his blood. But to Sebastian’s surprise, his brother turned to him when they were all once more
