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Chapter 16
The next morning, Robert was all packed up and ready to go to another property that his brother owned. It was not a prospect that he was at all excited by; in fact, he was quite dreading it. But he knew that it was what he had to do if he wanted to keep away from his sister and his father. He just wished that he could fully explain to Anne why he was leaving so suddenly.
He knew that he had to speak with her before he left but did not know what he would say.
Do I trust that she will tell no one of my true self and reveal the truth to her? Will she not be angry that I have lied to her all these many months? Will she be disappointed that the man who she fell in love with is not the man he said he was?
In thinking that, however, he had to remind himself that Anne had not yet told him that she returned his feelings of love, and she might not feel as deeply for him as he did for her. He had tried yesterday to tell her about who he really was, but they had been interrupted by George. His mind was swimming with so many thoughts that he didn’t know what to think anymore.
Robert closed his suitcase with a satisfying click, and then brought it over to the door. He decided that he’d better go and talk to Anne now so that he didn’t just have to disappear suddenly on her. It was still early enough that he knew she would not yet be with the children, thankfully. He opened the door to his room and made his way down to the staff dining room.
But when he got to the door, it flung open, and Alfred Buxton stood in front of him, looking very cross.
“Good morning, Mr Buxton,” Robert greeted him warmly.
“She does not wish to see you,” Alfred barked back at him.
Robert’s heart stopped. “I’m sorry, how do you know who I am going down to see?”
Alfred sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Mr Austen, it is very early in the morning, and you and I both know that there are only ever three people in this household who wake at this wee hour. And two of them are standing right here.”
“Right, yes, I suppose that is correct,” Robert stammered, allowing his nerves to get the better of him. “But she ... she does not wish to see me? Why not?”
“Perhaps you should consider what you revealed in front of her yesterday, and the fact that you made mention of running from a young woman who you were once attached to,” Alfred snapped at him.
Robert’s eyes widened and his mind went blank. He couldn’t understand what Alfred was telling him for a moment until everything fell together at once.
Oh no. She thought that when I talked about a woman I was trying to get away from, I meant someone that I used to court or be engaged to instead of my own sister! This is disastrous.
“Alfred, please,” Robert begged, “you must explain to Anne that …”
But Alfred held up his hand to stop Robert from continuing to explain himself. “I do not wish to hear any excuses, young man. She has told me all that has transpired between the two of you, and while I find it difficult to believe that Anne could have acted so foolishly, it is truly you who is at fault. You must leave for Lord George’s other property at once, and she must not hear from you again.”
With that, Alfred slammed the door in Robert’s face, and he suddenly decided that the only way he could tell Anne what was really happening was if he shouted it through the door to Alfred. It was not one of his brightest ideas, but it might be the only one going to work.
“Alfred, listen to me,” he shouted. “I am not running from any woman who I was ever attached to; the person I am running from is my own sister. I ... I wish that I could explain more, but you must tell Anne that I will tell her everything once we are together again in person. For now, just inform her that I shall remain true to her, and I am only leaving to escape my sister’s wrath. If you have any respect left for me, you’ll deliver my message to her. Thank you, Alfred.”
Robert lingered by the door for another moment to see if he could hear if Alfred had remained by the door, and when he finally heard footsteps retreating down the stairs, he breathed a sigh of relief.
At least he heard me, he thought gratefully. Now all I can do is hope that he delivers my message to Anne; otherwise, I am afraid that I might lose her forever.
With that solemn thought in his mind, Robert began walking back to his room to collect his trunk. He now felt even more regret about leaving the house, but he knew this would be for the best in the long run. If he could just wait out the year, he would be able to collect his inheritance from his mother, and then he and Anne could make a clean break and begin their life together anew.
Robert thought about the skills he had acquired thus far working for his brother and was very happy to have discovered that he had a knack for finance. Arithmetic came easily for him, and he found that when he was surrounded by numbers, he felt quite at ease. A fanciful thought that he’d had along the way was that he might use some of his inheritance from his mother to start a private bank.
He also thought he might be able to involve a few investors (including George if he was feeling particularly generous) so that he would have a better chance of making good on his business. As he walked back to his room, he couldn’t help being thrilled by the idea of this plan. Perhaps once he revealed his true self to Anne and showed her that he knew what he wanted to do with his life, she might accept him for who he was, and they could be very happy together.
As he walked past the front entryway, however, Robert’s idle happiness at the prospect of his business and his potential life with Anne was shattered when he heard a shrill scream come from his right. He turned to face whatever creature was making that awful noise, and the sight of it made his blood run cold. He was looking right at his sister, Louisa.
“What in the name of all that is good are you doing here?” Louisa shouted, clutching her breast as if he had just given her the scare of his life.
Robert immediately wanted to run away, but he knew that would do absolutely no good. Louisa had arrived so much earlier than planned for, and now Robert just had to figure out what to say to her.
“I was making an honest wage,” Robert said, his voice filled with anger, “which I know you have never done a day in your life.”
Louisa let go of her chest and laughed. “An honest wage? From our brother? Well, I suppose I should clarify – my brother, your half-brother, you dirty little half-ling. You came here to leech off of George because you knew he was the only person in the family that could stand the sight of you. Pathetic man. He should have perished in his youth like he was supposed to.”
“Wishing me dead is never a good way to start off a visit, Louisa,” George said, suddenly revealing himself from a doorway just a little way down the hall. “I know you are staying here to meet a potential suitor, but if you do not immediately change your behaviour, I shall banish you to the furthest corner of the house and not allow you to see anyone except that poor man who Papa has arranged for you to meet.”
