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She lowered her rosewood eyes. “You are making me shy now.” She glimpsed him. “I am just as usual as anyone else.”
“No, you’re wrong. I remembered your adorableness every day in India.” He confessed much to his surprise.
“So you maintain you were chaste all this time?”
He lifted his body to her level, his hands held her cheeks; he eyed her serious. “Yes.” He nodded.
They stayed looking at each other for long instants. At last, he fell on his pillow, one arm on his brow.
“I needed to change my nefarious habits.”
She turned her head towards him, but said nothing.
“I began to dislike the man I had become.” This unexpected confession relieved him. “I came to an acute compulsion for getting my act together. I was going nowhere, doing nothing with my life. That’s why I travelled to India.” His attention sought her. She listened intent on him. “I reckoned a different environment would do me good.”
“Did it?” She coaxed him.
He nodded curt. “Absolutely. Tough life, tough weather. Disease and unrest everywhere.” His features acquired a perturbed expression; it softened in a blink. “Also a colourful culture, impressive temples, fascinating sounds, tastes, smell. The whole of it sobered me.” He drew in a heavy breath. “Many things started hitting me. Things I would never have contemplated were I not oceans away.”
When he turned to her again, her expression had a quizzical quality to it. He could not read her thoughts. She seemed to have really listened to him though.
Silence stretched comfortable. He wished she said something, expected her to do it. But she abstained for reasons of her own.
“I’ll go ring for a cup of tea.” She said at last, putting on her camisole.
“I’ll tell Drury and Abigail not to disturb if we do not call.” He told her before she walked through the connecting door.
Chapter Twelve
“Conrad!” Bennett Warndale, his brother, came to greet him, as he entered the study.
“Bennett. That’s a surprise.” Conrad greeted back, enthusiastically.
Bennett and his wife, Ethel lived in London. Even though both he and his brother had attended Eton, his brother embraced law at Oxford, while he, Conrad, dropped out of the institution for indiscipline. His brother had built a solid career as an attorney at The Royal Court of Justice.
“I heard you’re back only recently.” He patted his brother’s shoulders cheerfully.
“Did E
thel come with you?” He patted his brother back.
This visit, unexpected as it was, did not displease him. He and Bennett had been close for all their childhood years. They grew apart as Conrad started going around with the wrong crowd. Since the death of their parents and Conrad’s marriage, they did not see much of each other. Bennett had established himself in London and Conrad remained mostly in the country, where his debauching ways did not attract much attention.
Their parents passed away within one year of each other. First his mother and, just after Conrad had gotten engaged, his father. This constituted another source of regret for him as he learned his parents fretted about him and his erratic behaviour.
“Unfortunately not. She stayed in town to look after our little Harriet.” Conrad had received news of the birth of his niece about a year ago.
“How are they?” He asked, regretting having not even visited his new niece.
“As well as they can be.” Conrad gestured to the sofa and they sat, facing each other. “And you, older brother, what news do you bring from the faraway lands?”
“Not much more than you already read in the papers.” He smiled faintly. “Although they cannot convey the blasting heat of the weather.”
“Not for the likes of me, I should admit.” In his slow, peaceful personality, his brother did not have it in him to adventure overseas.
“A lesson in adaptation, no doubt.”
Bennett and he exchanged a glance full of meaning. Together now, the years apart faded away. An intense sense of rekindling assailed him. He wished they were still children, so he would hold his brother spontaneously.
