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“It is not that simple.”
“It should be.”
“But it is not.”
“Why?” Jane asked.
Oliver turned his gaze towards the fire in the hearth. “Emmeline doesn’t trust me,” he said. “She has told me as much.”
“Then earn her trust,” she encouraged.
“I can’t give Emmeline what she wants,” Oliver said. “She is asking too much of me.”
Jane eyed the empty glass as she inquired, “You would rather continue living as you are and drink yourself into oblivion?”
“It is better this way.”
“Better for whom?”
Oliver shifted his gaze towards the fire. “Leave it, Jane,” he growled.
She considered him for a moment, then asked, “What changed between us? We used to be so close growing up.”
“That we were,” he agreed.
“After father died, Baldwin left, and you disappeared, as well.”
“That isn’t true. I escorted you and Mother to balls, soirées, and even house parties,” he defended.
“Just because someone is standing next to you, doesn’t mean that person is truly present.”
Glancing over at her, Oliver asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“Your eyes were always alert, as if you were watching everyone in the room but us.”
Oliver shifted uncomfortably in his chair, knowing his sister spoke the truth.
Jane continued. “I know that may sound ridiculous, but it was how I felt.”
“I’m sorry that you felt that way. It was never my intention to make you feel any less important than you are to me.”
Jane offered him a sad smile. “Thank you for that.”
“I am not a perfect man, but I am trying to do what’s right.”
“How is that possible when you aren’t fighting for Emmeline?” she asked in a soft voice.
Oliver let out a deep sigh. “You must trust me when I say that Emmeline is better off without me.”
“I don’t believe that to be true,” Jane said, rising, “and I think, deep down, you don’t believe the rubbish you are saying either.”
As he watched his sister walk slowly towards the door, he called after her. “I would like things to change between us,” he remarked. “Truly.”
Jane stopped and turned back around to face him. “As would I, Oliver, but these things take time. There is no easy fix between us.”
“I understand.”
“But I will try to avoid making so many disparaging comments,” she hesitated, “assuming your actions do not infuriate me.”
