Mrs. Slade’s eyes fluttered, her breath catching as she sat, perched on the edge of the sofa. She focused on Judith, taking in each word with that expression of silent surprise.
“I…” but Mrs. Slade’s voice faltered as she blinked.
“No,” said Judith, lifting a firm finger to silence any further words. “You are equally culpable, Mrs. Slade. As much as it may pain you to accept it, Mrs. Slade, they are Mr. Byrnes’s children. It is completely inappropriate for you to meddle in their upbringing. If the roles were reversed, you wouldn’t stand for it.”
Judith straightened, her chin rising as she narrowed her eyes at the pair of them. “You both have allowed past hurts to fester until it has poisoned this entire family, and it cannot continue.”
*
Silas Byrnes had three and forty years to his credit, yet sitting there as Miss Delmonte chastised him, he couldn’t help but feel as though he was back in the nursery. Miss Delmonte did not rail at them—she did not even raise her voice—but her posture and tone were unyielding. This was no wild burning temper but the icy fury of a blizzard.
Instinct had him raising his hand, and Miss Delmonte stared at it for a moment before turning a dry look at him. Silas lowered his hand.
“Yes, Mr. Byrnes?” she asked in a clipped tone.
Straightening, he cleared his throat, but whatever he’d thought to say fled his mind, and he shook his head. With a brisk nod, Miss Delmonte stood before the pair of them, examining both for another long moment, but Ruth had the good sense to remain silent this time.
“Now, can you both agree that however ill-conceived your actions are, you both wish the best for the children, they are your highest priority, and their happiness is your goal?” asked Miss Delmonte, skewering them both with the same rigid stare that did not welcome further debate.
Silas nodded, and to his surprise, so did Ruth.
“Mrs. Slade, as fine an education as Felix may have at his school, do you not think a young man is better served learning his future profession at his father’s side? Mr. Byrnes will select a fine local school in which Felix will receive a broader education, but as he will inherit Mr. Byrnes’s business one day, would it not be prudent for him to be trained in that endeavor?”
Ruth’s brow puckered, her lips turning down, but she gave another silent nod.
For all that Silas felt like giving a victorious shout, he remained silent and seated on the armchair. And any sense of elation fled beneath the weighty gaze Miss Delmonte leveled on him at that moment.
“And Mr. Byrnes, do you not agree that a child is best served by having close ties with their family, and your children will not only benefit from having their mother’s sister and brother-in-law nearby but that she can help fill the role of mother they desire and need?”
Silas nodded, but he ventured to add, “But surely, a family full of strife will only hurt the children further. If we cannot reconcile, it would be best to maintain distance.”
Miss Delmonte huffed and crossed her arms. “If you find you cannot reconcile then try again.”
“It is not as simple as that.”
“It is, but simple does not mean effortless,” said Miss Delmonte. “Painful and difficult it may be, but that doesn’t mean you should cry defeat. Try harder to forgive, to sympathize, and to control your behavior rather than fixating on hers. No matter how wicked or horrid another behaves, you lose the high ground when you sink to their level. You are an adult, sir, and the temper tantrum I witnessed here was worthy of any two-year-old—not a man of your intelligence and ability.”
Silas couldn’t help but gape at that, and he wished he could direct some of Miss Delmonte’s ire in Ruth’s direction, but that would only affirm her accusations concerning his maturity.
Setting her hands on her hips, Miss Delmonte raised herself even higher and peered down her nose at the pair of them. “Do you two wish to teach those children to be kind and forgiving? Or that they ought to shout and cast aspersions when they dislike someone? That they should surrender when it grows difficult to maintain civility? Or would you rather they look inwards and see how they might improve their own behavior and thus the situation in which they find themselves?”
Head sinking, Silas frowned, slanting a look to Ruth, who remained perched on the edge of her seat. The lady had yet to speak, her posture rigid, and Silas studied her as he considered Miss Delmonte’s words.
Ruth did not meet Silas’s gaze. Her attention was fixed on the tightly clasped hands in her lap. She had so much of her sister in her that Silas doubted friendship was a possibility between them, but surely, an amicable peace was. Forcing himself to ignore the remnant anger simmering in his heart, Silas considered Miss Delmonte’s view of the lady.
In all the years he’d known her, Ruth Slade had never shown any sign of a tender heart. Like her sister, Ruth was a force—one her husband bowed to more often than not. Yet, there was a fragility to her posture. Simply because she did not put her softer sensibilities on display did not mean they were absent.
And regardless of her feelings towards him, Ruth was a good aunt to his children. They adored her as she did them, and Silas had to admit (if only to himself) it was one of the reasons he’d too often thought of her as a pest. Though no one would ever say Ruth Slade had an easy way with children, she fulfilled some need in them, and they loved her for it. Where they’d had plenty of nasty things to say about their papa, they rarely spurned their aunt.
Silas dropped his gaze to the floor and rubbed at his forehead. “I am a fool of the highest order at times, Ruth.”
Her eyes darted to his, and she frowned.
“I haven’t treated you as well as I ought, and for that, I am ashamed and beg your forgiveness,” he murmured. With a sigh, he winced at himself. “I fear we’ve been stuck in this wretched behavior for far too long, and it is time we stopped viewing each other as antagonists—for our sake as much as the children’s.”
Leaning forward, Silas propped his elbows on his knees and gave her a semblance of a smile. “I am grateful for the role you play in their lives, and I will try to show that more. Might we agree to try and forget the past and start anew? To attempt friendship?”
Ruth’s complexion paled, her eyes widening as she stared at him. The silence stretched out as she sat there like a startled statue. Though they had known each other for some fourteen years now, Silas did not know her well enough to decipher the thoughts churning in her head, though he suspected she didn’t know how to handle this shift in their world any better than he did.
