“Sorry,” Silas murmured. “I tried to be quiet. Did you sleep all right?”
“As well as could be expected,” his brother replied without muchenthusiasm. “I’ll be glad to have my own bed again. How soon can we go to Burton?”
Silas spilled some water when he moved the kettle too suddenly, uttering a curse under his breath. “There’s no rush. Marian said this place was paid up until the end of the month.”
“I’m not sleeping two more weeks on the floor,” James protested.
“Shh. Hannah’s still sleeping.”
James obliged him by whispering when he replied. “Walker wrote Marian that he’d spoken to the owner of a good place near the wharf. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can set up shop.”
“When did this happen?” He’d known the brewmaster that James and Marian had left behind when they came to London had been looking into some premises for them, but his cousin hadn’t mentioned they’d already settled on one.
I thought I had more time.
“A few days ago.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“Marian said she didn’t want you to feel more obliged to get the money than you already did.”
“That’s right,” Marian piped in from the doorway to her bedroom. She was dressed for the day, but her bleary eyes said that she wasn’t quite awake yet. “And I won’t hear any complaints about it. You took care of what you had to, and I’ve been taking care of what I had to. The last thing you needed was something else to worry about the day before your wedding.”
“You should have told me,” Silas muttered.
“What difference does it make?” James screwed up his face in confusion. “We’re telling you now.”
“I’m not ready to leave London yet. I need a little more time to—” He broke off awkwardly, reluctant to confess the truth of his situation. It was no secret that he and Hannah had married for mutualconvenience, but he hadn’t gone into the full extent of it. In all honesty, he hadn’t wanted to think of it more than he had to.
“To what?” James pressed.
He might as well tell them. He had to explain why he couldn’t pack up and leave town at the drop of a hat. “To persuade Hannah to come with us.”
Marian came into the kitchen, her worry plain on her face. “You haven’t told her we’re setting up the brewery in Burton?”
“No, she knows that,” Silas amended. “But she wants to stay in London and work at her sister-in-law’s club while we go on without her.”
“What’s wrong with that?” James frowned. “So long as she keeps to her end and gives you the money she promised, let her stay where she likes. We’ll be too busy for you to have time for a wife, anyway. This way we can focus on the business.”
“I don’t want her to stay behind. I want her to live with me,” Silas confessed. He felt a little childish saying the words out loud. James was right—they would have their hands full in the first few years. It would make sense to leave Hannah behind until they were established, especially if that was what she truly wanted.
But whatSilaswanted was Hannah. By his side each day and in his bed each night. He wanted her gentle way of listening and her determined spirit. He wanted months and years to explore each other the way they had last night. Not memories to look back on when they’d grown apart, too afraid to admit there was a real attachment between them.
He knew Hannah wanted that too. At least on some level. She was just too frightened by what had happened to her parents to admit it.
“You want to stay behind in London? But what about the brewery?” James plainly hadn’t understood anything.
“No. I still want to start a brewery with you.” They were countingon him. And after so many years relying only on himself, Silas couldn’t give up the chance to be near family again. But Hannah was his family too now, as much as Marian and James. He couldn’t leave her behind. If he did, what if she realized she didn’t need him anymore? “I need a little more time, that’s all. If I can win her trust, I know I could persuade her to come with us. Give me a few weeks. The rent’s already paid for that long.”
It was Marian he needed to convince, more than James. She’d always been the guiding mind behind their plans. But she didn’t seem to be listening to him. She was looking past his shoulder, her eyes widening slightly at what she saw.
Silas turned. Hannah had come out into the hallway, dressed in a heavy wrapper and breakfast cap to preserve her modesty. She had clearly heard everything.
She looked at Silas for a long moment, then turned and went back into their bedroom without saying a word.Damn it. What have I done?He hurried after her.
“Hannah, that wasn’t what it sounded like.”
She was sorting through her clothes when he walked in, her back turned to him. She didn’t stop to look when he spoke, but continued to set out her corset and a green silk gown upon the bed. He wished she would say something.
