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Robert then launched into his re-telling of his father’s accusation, rage, and insistence that he remove himself from the household. He then reported how he had confronted Louisa and her glee at her younger half-brother being given no more money from their father. As he re-told the story, he watched George’s face to try and gauge how he would react, but unlike Robert, George was very skilled at hiding his feelings.
When Robert’s account came to a close, George was silent for a few minutes. Robert knew that this wasn’t an indication that he was upset; George simply liked to have time to process what was going on around him.
After a moment, George sat up more stiffly in his chair and turned to face his brother.
“I will start off by saying that I am not surprised by any of this. You know that I mirror your feelings when it comes to our father; he is a very angry, unhappy man who seems to feel that you are the root of all his problems. His cruelty towards you never ceases to amaze me, and I know that it makes very little difference, but I am sorry that he treated you that way,” George empathized.
“Thank you, brother,” Robert said quietly, but no less gratefully. While he absolutely hated that the majority of his family thought the worst of him at all times, he was very grateful that he had George on his side.
“And as for Louisa,” George continued, “I am even less surprised. We have both known ever since you were born that she has harboured a great deal of spite for you merely because you exist. I had hoped that my recovery would at least diffuse some of her anger towards me, as she could now be angry that I hadn’t died like I was supposed to so that her child could receive the family title. One would have also hoped that their sister would be overjoyed that their sickly brother finally overcame his illness, but not our Louisa. Look at us, Robert: the two biggest walls standing between Louisa and her child’s eventual dukedom.”
The two men laughed, and a servant knocked on the door to bring in some refreshment. There was a tray of tea as well as two plates of delicious buns, sweets, and assorted baked goods. Robert was so unaccustomed to eating this well, as he usually got whatever scraps his father and his sister did not want that he couldn’t name a single thing on the plate. But no matter, he went ahead and enjoyed them anyway. When he looked at the tea tray and saw there was actual sugar that he could put in it, his eyes widened. He quickly grabbed the dish and put a heaping lump of the sweetness into his tea.
When he raised his head, George was looking at him as though he had three eyes. “You take your tea with sugar?”
Robert nodded. “Whenever there is some available, yes. I believe that tea without sugar is nothing more than bland vegetable water.”
George guffawed at his brother’s comment and then picked up his own cup of tea. “Well, then. I suppose that you shall just have to sit there and judge me drinking my insufferable vegetable water all the same.”
The older brother took a long sip of his tea, returned it to its place in the saucer, and then sighed deeply.
“I’m afraid, however, that for all of her faults, Louisa is an unfortunately smart young woman, and so I can only assume that in the process of buying the large number of rare books that she did, she covered her tracks quite well. In order to prove to Father what she has done, it shall take some work and expert investigation,” George expressed.
“Oh no,” Robert quickly corrected him, “I have no interest in proving myself innocent. That won’t ever make a difference to Father. He knows quite well that the person who bought all of those books was not me, and I believe that he was just looking for an excuse to have me gone from the house. I also do not wish to start a rift in the family; you still maintain a polite relationship with both Louisa and Father, and so I would never want anything to reflect negatively upon you.”
George shook his head, unable to comprehend what Robert was saying. “I’m sorry if I am missing something, Robert, but allow me to ensure that I understand what you are saying. You came to me for assistance regarding this matter with Louisa and Father, and yet you do not wish to launch any sort of investigation to prove yourself innocent? Then why did you come to see me in the first place?”
Robert turned away from George momentarily to place his teacup on the side table. “George, I have wanted to get out of the house ever since you left, and yet I have never been brave enough to do it. I have always feared what I would do without Father’s money, and now that I have been cut-off, I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I do not wish to return home; I wish to begin trying to make a life for myself.”
George squinted an eye at him and turned his head slightly away. This was the look his brother always gave him when he knew he wasn’t being entirely truthful.
“So you aren’t simply trying to find employment for a year until the trust that Father has settled on you comes into effect, is that what you’re saying?” George asked him.
Robert chuckled. “You know, I had entirely forgotten about that until right this very minute. What are the chances?”
Both the men laughed once more. Lord Graham had indeed settled a large trust on him that he would be eligible to receive when he turned twenty-four. Or, rather, his mother and grandfather had settled that trust, which was filled with her family’s money many, many years before.
She had made it impossible for Lord Graham to withdraw the money himself or somehow make changes to it. After his mother had passed, however, the duke told everyone that it was a trust he had set up out of the goodness of his own heart for his son. He tried to make himself look far more generous to those around him than he did to Robert.
“You are correct,” Robert admitted. “To tell you the truth, I am really looking for employment for a year so that I might be able to survive, and when my trust is made available to me, I shall be financially stable for quite some time. And so that is the real reason why I came to call on you today so unexpectedly; I was wondering if you might assist me in my task of finding employment.”
George’s brow furrowed as he looked at his younger brother. “I would be glad to help you, Robert, but there is nothing that immediately springs to mind. We do not need any extra staff right now; I cannot think of any friends who require assistance for the time being...”
George trailed off and set his tea back on the tray. He rose from his chair without saying a word and walked over to the desk that lay at the other end of the room. He opened a drawer, pulled out a book, and began consulting it.
“Is something the matter, George?” Robert asked him curiously.
George shook his head. “No, no, nothing at all. As I was saying that, I did recall that a few months ago, I mentioned to Eponine that we could use a property manager for our estate, as well as for the homes that we own in London where we collect rent. You could live with us here and manage everything, in addition to collecting rent for me. This would allow you to have a bit of money, as well as allow you some time to consider your plans for the future. Is...is that something that you might be interested in?”
Robert nodded enthusiastically. “That would be perfect. I don’t believe that I know a great deal about property management, but you can rest assured that I will do my reading on it thoroughly and quickly, as well as learning about things as I go. Brother, if you were to give me this job, you would never have to …”
Robert tried to finish his sentence, but George was laughing too hard. “Robert, you do not have to try and convince me that I should let you have this position; my mind is already made up. I know you well enough that I trust you will take it very seriously and that my properties will be well taken care of.”
Relief washed over Robert. He couldn’t believe his good fortune. “Thank you, thank you so much, George. You won’t regret your decision for a moment, and I shall show you how grateful I am for your kindness each day.”
George continued chuckling. “There isn’t a doubt in my mind about how grateful you are, thank you, Robert.”
“The one last favour I have to ask you,” Robert mentioned, already feeling an immense amount of guilt for having to call upon his brother for assistance in the first place, “is something that I hope is not too much of a bother. I did not tell Louisa or Father where I was going, and I was hoping that it might stay that way. To this end, could we pretend that I am not your brother while I am here at the house? I do not wish to risk any of the staff, or even the children, letting something slip if Louisa and Father ever come to visit.”
George looked slightly taken aback, but then he nodded. “I suppose that it has been so long since you’ve seen the children that that might work, but I must say that I do not feel good about lying to them for a year of their lives.”
“I entirely understand that,” Robert empathized, “and if I did not feel that I had to take such extreme measures, I would not. I am just afraid that if Father finds out that I have come here, it will not only create a problem between the two of you, but it might also mean that I get into further trouble with him. I am so sorry to have to put you in this position, George.”
George nodded solemnly but then handed the book that he was holding to Robert. “Then we shall make the best of it then, shan’t we? This is the first book on the estate and the other properties that you will need to read through, and when you are finished with that, we can discuss the details of your employment more thoroughly.
For now, however, I shall call upon my housekeeper to have a room set up for you so that you might retire to it for some relaxation. You have had a long, difficult tenure at Father’s house... I do hope that you’ll find your time here suits you far better.”
George stuck out his hand, and Robert shook it heartily. “The short hour that we have spent together in this room has made up for years of anguish at home. I am forever indebted to you, George.”
George clapped his brother on the back and then disappeared from the room. While he was a very welcoming man, he was absolutely terrible when it came to accepting compliments, which was why Robert believed he had left the room so suddenly. He decided then and there that by the end of the year, he would find a way to properly thank his brother for all that he had done for him.
