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Which, from the expression on his face, seemed to be a terrifying concept. But he sat, glancing between her and the fire, and dropped his elbows to rest on his thighs.
‘So your dad getting sick and leaving this place must have happened pretty close together. Were they connected?’
He nodded. ‘When Dad was taken into hospital I offered to look after some admin stuff. Finances. Turned out—we didn’t really have any finances. Dad hadn’t let on how bad things were—thought he could fix it all himself. Which nearly killed him.’
‘And you had to try and piece it all together while he was sick. Sounds like it must have been tough. And things were bad enough that they had to move out?’
‘I just couldn’t see any other way. There was one small cottage that they hadn’t sold off yet. The tenant had just moved out and it made sense to move them over there and rent this place out instead.’
She nodded. ‘Seems
sensible.’
‘It was the only solution that I could think of. I called the bank, explained that we had a plan and negotiated some grace on the mortgage. Same with all the other bills that we owed. I was lucky that people were generous when they heard what had happened to Dad. And then when he was well enough, we told him what I’d done.’
‘And he wasn’t happy?’
‘He was devastated. He’d practically put himself into an early grave trying to avoid leaving the house, and then I’d come along and done it anyway.’
‘Sounds like you didn’t have much of a choice,’ Jess countered.
‘That’s not the way he saw it,’ Rufus said, shaking his head. ‘He didn’t tell me he was angry, but I knew anyway.’
‘How do the others feel about it?’
‘The same, I think. Gutted.’
Jess frowned, her forehead creasing. ‘It wasn’t your fault that you all had to move out, though. Not if there weren’t any other options. You just did what you could in a difficult situation.’
Rufus shrugged. ‘Dad says that he always managed to find another way. Something always came up at the last minute. He was still convinced that if he hadn’t been ill then he would have worked something out.’
‘Except the something that came up at the last minute this time was him getting ill from the stress. I’m sure you did the right thing,’ Jess said with certainty.
‘Well, I’m glad you are, because no one else is.’ He shrugged. ‘Apparently leaving the house has been almost inevitable for about three hundred years. And then I was the one to blink and give in.’
Jess scoffed. ‘Doesn’t sound much like giving in to me. Sounds like you were pretty bold.’
‘Yes, well. I’ll let you argue that one out with my dad.’
‘So your dad’s...okay?’ she asked.
‘Well, he’s alive. I’m not sure that he’s okay, to be honest.’
‘I imagine he must feel pretty guilty.’
He frowned, causing parallel lines to appear between his eyebrows.
‘What would he have to feel guilty about?’
‘Well, it sounds like he worked himself into a hospital bed trying to keep you all in your home, and it wasn’t enough.’
‘That was my fault.’
‘I don’t imagine it was anyone’s fault,’ Jess said. ‘This house is...ridiculous. I mean, it’s beautiful. And amazing, and everything. But it’s enormous. I can’t imagine what it must cost to keep a place like this just watertight and warm. There’s a reason the National Trust exists, and it’s the fact that it’s all but impossible for a private family to maintain something like this.’
Rufus shook his head, still not ready to be convinced. ‘Other people manage.’
She shrugged. ‘And where’s the sense in comparing? Every situation is different, and from what I’ve heard you did well to prevent this place being sold. At least it still belongs to your family, right?’
