Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Reuben slept in late the next morning. Amelia thought about staying with him in the bedchamber until he woke up but thought it might be rude to their guest if she didn't go to the drawing room. For all she knew, Corin had woken up early and was waiting for them.

She thought about kissing Reuben on the cheek but decided against it in case she woke him up. The poor thing had been up late in the middle of the night. She had pretended to be asleep, but she'd seen him sitting in the rocking chair by the window. He'd had his eyes closed and seemed intent on breathing in and out in slow, methodical motions. If he had opened his eyes, he might have noticed her. But he hadn't, and that was probably for the best.

She descended the steps to the main floor and made her way to the drawing room. Corin was there. He was reading a paper he'd brought with him from London. It was a good thing she'd come down.

With a smile, she stepped into the room. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

He lowered the paper and returned her smile. "I did. How did you and Reuben fare?"

Deciding not to tell him the truth in case it would embarrass Reuben, she said, "Everything went fine. Reuben is still asleep. I'm not sure how long he'll be up there. If you're hungry, I can ask the butler to bring something in for us to eat while we wait for him." She was tempted to add that Reuben may not want to eat at all, given his lack of appetite, but she held her tongue.

"Actually, there is something I wish to speak with you about." He glanced at the doorway to make sure they were truly alone.

Her smile faltered. What could he want to say that required Reuben to be out of the room? "Is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid so." He glanced at the doorway again. "Will you have a seat?" He gestured to the chair next to him.

For a moment, she hesitated. It didn't seem right to talk to Corin without Reuben there. Reuben was his brother. He should be able to hear whatever was on Corin's mind. "Are you sure Reuben shouldn't be here?" she asked.

"It'd be best if he wasn't. The matter is a serious one."

She took a deep breath. She loved Reuben. If there was something Reuben was afraid to tell her that she should know, then she ought to hear Corin out. She went to the chair and sat down.

Corin placed the paper on the table then directed his attention to her. "You love my brother, don't you?"

"Of course, I do. It's why I married him."

"I'm glad to hear it because he needs someone who loves him enough to do what's necessary to make sure he has a long life."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not sure what you mean."

In a low voice, he asked, "Hasn't Reuben told you that he's not in the greatest of health?"

"Well, yes, but that's why he came back here after his time in London. He said he fares better here."

"He does. He was a sickly child. He almost died a couple of times. My mother and I weren't sure he was going to live to be an adult. I thought he would do fine in London if he was careful not to extend himself too much, but even there, he had one bout of illness after another."

Yes, Reuben had mentioned that, but was that something Reuben would want her to tell Corin?

"I worry about him," Corin continued. "Our father died before he was old enough to remember him, and over the years, I've had to assume the role of a father. I worked hard to make sure he had the best doctors we could find. I hired staff who knew exactly what to do to take care of him. I've spent most of my life making sure he has everything he needs to be as healthy as possible."

She gathered as much from what Reuben had told her. "I think it's wonderful you did that. Not everyone would take such care of their younger brothers."

"I'm glad you appreciate the work I did. It's nice to know you understand that my intention is always to help him."

"Reuben speaks so fondly of you that I already knew that."

Corin smiled in pleasure. "That's a relief to hear. While you acknowledge that my intentions are good, sometimes I wonder if he realizes it."

"Well, you don't need to wonder. He does know."

"Good because I require your help with something. It's not something he knows he needs, but since you want the best for him, then you'll want to do it."

Something in the way he spoke made her stiffen. She couldn't be sure what was coming next, but she suspected she wasn't going to like it.

"The reason Reuben left London was for his health," Corin continued. "He was getting sick all the time. There were days when he couldn't even get out of bed. The doctor I hired recommended he return to the country. That's why I brought him back out here."

Corin paused, and she figured he was expecting her to respond. After a moment, she said, "He explained why he left London. That's why we agreed to live here. Do you prefer we live somewhere else? I realize he's not the one with the title. Do you prefer to have us leave? We can live at my brother's estate. I know Grant won't mind. He hates being in the country. We wouldn't inconvenience him."

"Reuben is free to stay here," Corin stopped her before she could keep going. "I made it clear to him long ago that this place will always be his home."

It took her a few seconds to realize that Corin hadn't included her in the sentiment. She studied him. He was trying to put on the appearance of being relaxed, but he was definitely tense. This was how her brother looked when he had to give her bad news. Her stomach tightened in dread.

"You don't want me here?" Though she phrased it as a question, it sounded more like a statement.

Corin winced. "It's not something I want, but it'd be best if you left. Reuben's never done well around other people. Any little thing makes him sick. If you were to come down with something, he would get it, and he might not recover like you can. I don't want him to die. Do you?"

What kind of question was that? "Of course, I don't want him to die. He means everything to me."

"Then you agree that living elsewhere is for the best."

"What makes you think that? In case you haven't noticed, I'm not the only one here with Reuben. This place is fully staffed. Any of the servants could get sick."

"They know to stay away from him when they get sick. No one who has even the hint of a cough or sneezes more than twice in a day is allowed near him until they are sure they're in full health. That's something the doctor suggested, and it's served us well over the years."

She was ready to argue a hint of a cough and a couple of sneezes didn't mean someone was sick, but she chose, instead, to pick another argument. "I can do the same thing if I get sick. There are plenty of rooms for me to stay in so I don't expose him to anything."

He gave her a pointed look. "You and I both know that being married to someone means you are in closer proximity to that person than a servant is. You could pass on an illness to him before you realize you're sick. We don't always feel ill right away."

Seeing as that argument didn't work, she ventured, "I can tend to him when he gets sick. I'm not squeamish. I can handle it."

"I'm sure you can, but do you really want to be responsible for getting him sick all the time?"

"I haven't gotten him sick. Why, he's been in good health the entire time I've been…" She stopped talking when she remembered how he wasn't feeling well yesterday or even last night.

Corin frowned. "You were about to say ‘the entire time you've been here', but that's not true, is it?" When she didn't respond, he offered a satisfied nod. "He has been sick. When did it happen? Right after you came here?"

She resisted the urge to shift in the chair lest she make him think she had something to be ashamed of. She had nothing—absolutely nothing!—to be ashamed of. She wasn't sick. She felt fine. She hadn't passed an illness on to Reuben. Why, even Reuben told her that he wasn't feeling well because of his nightmare. That had nothing to do with her.

Corin glanced at the empty doorway. "How can you do this to him?" he hissed. "Don't you have a conscience?"

"I didn't make him sick," she protested. "I've been fine this entire time. Being around him hasn't made me sick, either."

"He doesn't make others sick because they're healthier than he is. He's the one that needs to be protected. I've had a trying time making sure my wife and unborn child don't die. I don't need you to make me worry about Reuben, too."

"There's nothing to worry about."

He gestured for her to lower her voice and glanced at the doorway again.

"Reuben's not there," Amelia said. "You don't need to worry he'll overhear you trying to separate him from his wife." Face hot, she folded her arms.

"I realize that's how you see it, but it's not entirely accurate. I just want him to have a long and happy life."

"And you think I don't?"

"If you did, you would be more understanding about this situation."

"I already told you I'd be willing to keep myself holed up away from him in this manor if I'm sick. That's more of a concession than I am obligated to give you. I will not live in another home. If you don't like that, he and I will move somewhere else."

"You can't take him to London. I won't permit it."

"I'm not talking about London. I'm talking about my brother's country estate."

"I won't let you take Reuben from me," Corin argued, this time not watching how loud he was talking.

"I don't need to listen to this." She stood up. "I won't live apart from him. He's my husband. Despite what you think, I do care about his health."

"He's been my brother longer than he's been your husband. He stays here."

"Then I'll stay here, too."

"I'm willing to send you a handsome allowance so you'll be comfortable."

"What good is money if I can't be with him?"

"He'll be dead if you stay here." He jumped to his feet and peered down at her. "This is my estate. Who lives here and who doesn't live here is my decision. Either you leave by choice, or I force you out of here."

She struggled to find a suitable response, but nothing came to mind. He was so scared that she was going to kill Reuben that he was going to see to it that Reuben was going to live here all alone.

He cleared his throat and straightened his suit jacket. Then he took a deep breath and released it. "I'll give you a day to make your decision. If you'll excuse me, I need to calm my nerves."

She stared at him as he left the room. She thought about running upstairs to talk to Reuben, but she was too shaken up to do so. Part of her was terrified Corin was going to follow through with his threat to throw her out, but another part of her was so angry that she wanted to strike something. She crossed her arms and clasped her trembling hands under them. Just what was she supposed to do about this?