Alexander hung his head, not meeting his brother’s eye. “Yes, I know. You rarely are. You’re entirely too good for me, Henry. But I shouldn’t have said what I did, shouldn’t have teased you the way I did. Katherine gave me quite a scolding afterwards, I can tell you. It wasn’t kind, and not at all proper. So, in future, I shall keep my teasing away from the dinner table.”
Henry chuckled, shaking his head. “I shall hold you to that.”
“Well, Katherine will, rather. So, what business has you dressing up so fine?”
Henry hesitated, wondering briefly if he ought to make something up. Alexander wasn’tindiscreet, exactly, but he tended to let his tongue loosen when he’d had a few cups of wine. The partnership with Fairfax would be announced soon enough, but that didn’t mean that Henry wanted it to be the talk of London’s commercial centres. Not yet, at the very least.
“I’m visiting the Fairfax offices and factory today,” Henry admitted, in the spirit of brotherly love. “I’m going into business with Charles Fairfax and his daughter.”
Alexander nodded slowly. To his credit, he didn’t make any mocking comments, which was progress. Henry eyed his brother, not pleased at the waxy pallor of Alexander’s face. Had his eyes always been so sunken? They were red and bleary, like he hadn’t slept. Henry had seen the pile of Notes Acknowledging Debts in William’s study, too, all with Alexander’s signature scrawled on them. He knew that their older brother was worried, as was Katherine, but none of them could seem to keep Alexander away from the card tables. Neither of them could convince him to take more water in his wine, or dispense with wine, whiskey, and port.
It was always you that Alexander listened to,pointing out a snide voice in the back of Henry’s mind.You two were so close. Perhaps he would have listened to you. But it’s too late now, because you went abroad, and left him to manage as best he could. Too late.
Henry blinked, waking up from his reverie. Alexander had gotten to his feet and limped across the room, stiff as an old man.
“Present for you,” Alexander said with a half-smile. “I thought you might like it. It’s not new – it belonged to some great-uncle or another – but I thought of you right away.”
It was a cravat pin. The pin was simple and elegant, styled in the fashions of at least fifty years ago. It was topped with a huge, irregularly shaped ruby. The colour was beautiful, rich and glittering, seeming to change when the light danced over it.
“It’s beautiful,” Henry confessed.
Alexander smiled wryly, and deftly secured the pin in the depths of Henry’s simply arranged cravat.
“I thought of you the moment I saw it. You suit red, you know. I don’t – it drains me.”
I imagine most colours drain you now,Henry thought, with a sickening rush.
“Thank you,” he managed at last. “That’s kind of you, Alex.”
His younger brother nodded, turning towards the door.
“I’ll let you go, then – since you have such an important business meeting to look forward to.”
“Wait,” Henry called impulsively, before Alexander could reach the door. The younger man paused, looking back inquisitively, and Henry flushed.
“I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long, over the past few years, Alex.”
Alexander flinched. “I don’t blame you for any of that.”
“Be that as it may, I don’t intend to abandon my family again. I’m here to stay, Alex. I promise.”
Henry held his brother’s eye for a long moment, then nodded slowly.
“Very well. Thank you, Henry. That means a great deal to me.”
And then he was gone, and Henry was left alone with a new feeling of nerves and foreboding. He turned to inspect himself in the mirror again, lifting a trembling hand to the new ruby cravat pin, glittering like a drop of blood amongst the crisp, white folds of linen.
I mean it, Alexander. I’m going to see all this business through to the end.
***
The Fairfax offices were full. The usual workers were there, of course, the factory proceeding as usual, but the shareholders and their attendants had also arrived, cramming into the large meeting room and talking in a constant stream of muted babble.
It took Henry almost half an hour to get from one side of the meeting room to the other, where the tea things were, on account of everybody wanting to shake his hand and speak to him.
“It’s about time there was some young blood in the Fairfax enterprises,” a stocky man with a bristling white moustache confided. “Mr Fairfax is not getting any younger, and his health is not good, you know. His son-in-law shows no interest in the business, which is a pity. A younger person is exactly what we need. Bring in some fresh ideas.”
Henry smiled tightly. “Younger blood? Why, Miss Eleanor Fairfax has been involved in the day-to-day running of the business for years, as I understand. She has a great deal of responsibility.”
