When tea was brought, Aaron refused to look back at the house. He sat in one of the garden chairs, staring out at the trees instead. Catherine and Meredith had been promenading in the gardens, and they joined the two men.
“All I see in those walls are ghosts,” Aaron said at last. “The shadow of a father who demanded strength until we broke ourselves to please him. I will not live there.”
“I will not send you back to that ramshackle hut in which you had been living,” Gideon said, “I would like to get to know my brother.”
“As would I. But not here,” Aaron shuddered, “I do not know how I ever thought I would be able to assume the Dukedom. I did not appreciate the weight of all those memories.”
Meredith took his hand, and he smiled up at her. Some of the tension slipped from his face in her presence.
Gideon glanced at Catherine, who watched the pair with compassion and empathy in her face. She met his eyes. Her gaze was steady and unflinching. She didn’t look away. A blush rose in her cheeks, yet her chin lifted, proud, unashamed. He felt she could see him entirely, all shadows stripped bare. He welcomed it.
“There is another house which is part of the Dukedom but not on the estate. It is within a half day’s walk or an hour’s ride,” Gideon began.
“You mean the lodge?” Catherine asked.
Gideon nodded, studying her face for a reaction, knowing that the place held difficult memories for her.
“It stands empty,” he continued.
She nodded. “Though it needs some care and attention. If you are up to the challenge,” she offered, directing her question to Aaron and Meredith.
“The Caerleon household will all pitch in,” Gideon nodded, “as will we. It could be a home, and it has no unpleasant associations. I did not even know it existed as a boy.”
“Neither did I,” Aaron murmured, wonderingly. “Yes. I would like to remain close by, but not be forced to see…that.”
He glanced at Caerleon for a moment before looking away, closing his eyes. Gideon also looked. He saw the darkness in the house, kept alive by the darker memories. But he also saw its potential. Saw the light that Catherine would bring. The happiness that would crowd out the bad memories, replacing them. He could bear the weight of those bad memories while that happened.
Meredith’s eyes shone with gratitude. “That would suit us well.”
Aaron cleared his throat. “And Stafford? I bitterly regret allying myself with that man. I was so consumed with the need to…”
Gideon put a hand on his brother’s arm.
“You need not justify yourself, brother. Not to me. I have written to Sir Obadiah. He will learn the truth, that Stafford extorted those papers with a threat to Catherine. If Sir Obadiah chooses to keep him as a partner, I will honor the contract. If he casts him off, I will step in. Either way, I am finished with Stafford.”
“You would let him beat you? Steal your business and the profits you hoped to make?” Aaron asked, disbelieving.
“It is not about winning or losing, Aaron. If Sir Obadiah decides in favor of Stafford, then Sir Obadiah is not a man of honor and I would not want to do business with him. Either my venture goes ahead, or I am rid of a business partner with dishonorable judgment.”
Catherine laid a hand over Gideon’s. “Besides, I have come to know Sir Obadiah. He will not keep a rogue at his side once he hears the truth.”
Gideon turned to Catherine, his eyes softened.
“I have also written to my solicitors. They are investigating the matter of your inheritance.”
Her lips parted. “My inheritance? No, Stafford must have been mistaken… I have none.”
“You have,” Gideon said gently. “Your Aunt and Uncle truly concealed it, but they will not much longer. It is yours by right, Catherine, and soon it shall be in your hands.”
She stared at him, astonishment mingled with something deeper, a tremor of emotion she could not voice.
Later, they walked a woodland path alone. Meredith and Aaron remained in the garden, talking about the beginning of their new adventure, together at last, no longer nurse and patient. Gideon felt that he was seeing everything anew. It was washed clean of the memories of the past, cleansed by sunlight.
And Catherine was the sun.
He glanced back at his brother in the far distance. “Were you… were you tempted by him?”
She looked at him, and he forced himself to meet her eyes, bracing himself for her answer.
