Page 63 of The Vanished

Geneva didn’t want to talk about Aunt Clarissa or her plans for her and Jesse. She was glad to see Rory and enjoyed the feeling of being away from prying eyes and unfair judgments, even for a short while. Dinner would be a drawn-out, tense affair, especially if her father wasn’t up to joining them. She briefly wondered where Jesse had gone. She hadn’t seen him yet today, but perhaps he had decided to stay out of the way while they caught up with Clarissa and Rose, figuring they’d have much to discuss. Contrary to what Clarissa had said, Geneva thought Jesse was a fine judge of character and respectful to the feelings of others without intentionally drawing attention to his own awareness of the situation. He simply melted away and reappeared when he thought it was time, the exact opposite of the brashness Aunt Clarissa had accused him of.

“My aunt likes to order people about,” Geneva said vaguely. “Why were you coming to find me?”

Rory’s jaw tightened, as if he were about to deliver bad news. “I applied for several jobs as soon as ye told me about the situation.”

Geneva gaped at him. “You were going to leave, after we…?” She couldn’t finish the sentence and felt her cheeks grow warm despite the chill wind. But she could hardly blame him. She had intentionally shut him out and tried to avoid him as much as possible despite his declaration of love and the promise of a future. Rory was just hedging his bets, as any sane person would.

“Genny, it takes time to secure a new position. I couldn’t afford to wait around until I was informed of my fate. If I were to be dismissed, I had to have something lined up.”

“You might not be dismissed. Jesse will need an estate manager.”

Rory sighed heavily. “Yer cousin is not going to keep me on.”

“How do you know?” Geneva asked.

“He came to see me yesterday. He asked to look at the books, and he had lots of questions about the running of the estate, the value of the land, and the various sellable assets. I don’t think he was overly impressed with what he heard.”

“Does he intend to sell the estate?” Geneva asked, her voice cracking with the strain.

“He didn’t say, but it’s only natural that he should consider the options. He suggested I should explore mine.”

“Did he give you a timeframe?”

“No, but he made it clear that I should look to my future. And I need to work, Genny. I don’t have family money to fall back on,” Rory said, and Geneva thought he was embarrassed to admit it, even though his lack of funds didn’t come as a surprise to her.

“Where did you apply?”

“I applied for a half dozen positions, everywhere from Suffolk to County Clare.”

“County Clare?” Geneva cried.

Rory nodded. “There’s also an opportunity in Pennsylvania.”

“As in America?”

He nodded, and his gaze slid towards the tips of his boots and eventually back to her. Geneva got the distinct feeling that this was something Rory had been considering long before she’d told him of the entailment and that he was only now telling her about his plans.

“I have a cousin in Pittsburgh,” he said. “Fion and a mate are opening a brewery. They need a manager, but Fion said there will be an opportunity for me to buy into the business if the brewery does well. I told him I was interested.”

“When was this?” Geneva asked. The wave of emotion had passed, leaving her feeling strangely indifferent towards Rory’s scheme.

“October.” Rory looked apologetic. “I received a letter from Fion today. He and Connor have found suitable premises and signed the lease. They have already installed the equipment and will brew their first batch at the start of the year. Fion invited me to come over. He has a room where I can stay until I find a place of my own.”

“And what about me? Only a few days ago, you said you would wait for me,” Geneva reproached him.

“And I meant it, Genny, but I have to make plans for our future. I can’t afford to sit on my hands, not if I want to get in at the start and become a partner in the business. I want ye to come with me.”

“I can’t leave Honor,” Geneva said.

“Except that maybe ye should,” Rory snapped.

“What on earth do you mean?”

“Only that relationships between siblings can be complicated.” Rory’s expression was pained. “Honor looks up to ye. She worships ye, but, because she admires ye so, she wants everything ye have.”

“Are you suggesting that Honor wants you?” Geneva asked. A sudden chill stole over her, and it had nothing to do with the wind. Something in Rory’s eyes unsettled her, and she knew he was about to shatter the fragile balance she’d been fighting to maintain.

“Honor came to see me last night.”