“That I had made such a horrendous blunder?” Silas threw out his hands, and they thumped against the mattress. “How do I overcome my idiocy?”
Giving Silas another shrug, Hatch shook his head. “I cannot think of another person less suited to advise you on wooing a woman. Though I will say you must act quickly. A grand gesture of some sort.”
“Thank you for your sage counsel,” replied Silas in a dry tone. “The problem is what gesture ought I to make?”
But the question was rhetorical, for he knew Hatch had no thoughts on that subject. Something “grand.” But what did that mean? In all his experience with women, Silas had never been called upon to make ardent declarations or prove his affection. How does one give evidence of something as abstract as love?
“Make certain you are in earnest,” said Hatch, drawing Silas’s gaze once more. The young man watched him with the sort of determined intensity he usually reserved for difficult contracts or negotiations. Silas had seen it many a time before, but never had it been turned on him, and it was clear to him why Hatch was so good at getting his way in such matters. Silas felt ready to hand over the keys to Stowell Cottage if the young man would simply blink.
“You are questioning me as well?” Silas managed to say.
“I am simply pointing out that if you wish to pursue Miss Delmonte, you must be certain of your feelings. I will not stand for her to be hurt. She deserves better than that.” Then, drawing closer, Hatch gave him another long, hard look. “And had I known you’d been so callous as to kiss her without an understanding between you two, I would’ve bloodied your nose.”
Silas swallowed the lump and cleared his throat. “As I rightly deserved, but I give you my word I am not toying with her affection.”
Hatch studied him for a long moment, his fingers tightening into a fist. Then with another grunt, he nodded and relaxed into his seat once more. Then Silas was able to breathe again.
“Remind me to remain in your good books,” he muttered.
“Treat Miss Delmonte with the respect she deserves, and you needn’t worry,” muttered Hatch in return.
Silas gave him a sharp nod and forced himself to relax: Miss Delmonte deserved every goodness this world had to offer, and Silas had every intention of giving it to her. If only he could convince her to accept it.
Staring up at the canopy once more, Silas considered the situation, though he knew there was little he could do while sequestered in bed.
“How are the children?” asked Silas.
“Felix has a fine mind for business. He’s learning quickly. The others have been doing well at the Slades. Dr. Parnell has said it’s safe for them to return home, and they should arrive any time now.”
Silas’s brows rose, his lips slanting into a lopsided smile. “It will do me good to see them again.”
And perhaps it was silly to feel surprised at it, but Silas blinked at that statement, considering the entirety of the words and the accompanying flutter of anticipation that settled into his stomach. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t loved his children before this moment or that his years at sea hadn’t found him missing them: he had and he did. However, the casual words were anything but casual for him. Silas truly missed his children and longed to see them again.
Though it had been little more than a sennight since he’d fallen ill, Silas found himself wondering what they’d been up to. What new things had Felix learned? What books had Helen read? What scrapes had Griffith gotten himself into? Leah was growing leaps and bounds, had she expanded her vocabulary? Silas’s smile grew as he considered his children and realized his love for them wasn’t some abstract thing binding father and child together. Silas loved and missed them for their own merit.
Silas’s gaze returned to Hatch, and he found the young man staring with a furrowed brow.
“I am in the midst of a revelation,” said Silas, but before he could expound on it, a knock sounded at the bedchamber door, and he called for the visitor to enter.
Miss Delmonte shifted the tea tray to turn the knob, and Hatch rose from his feet to assist her through, setting the tray where she directed. She then turned to the patient, fixing his bedcovers and testing his forehead; Silas closed his eyes, savoring the brief touch of her fingers.
“Might I entice you to sit with me while I eat my luncheon?” Silas asked, nodding at the spread.
“I fear I haven’t the time, sir,” she said, not meeting his eyes.
Silas shot Hatch a pleading look, though he didn’t know what he expected the young man to do.
“I must get back to my work,” she added. “There is much to do before the children arrive home.”
And with that, Miss Delmonte took her leave. Hatch stared mutely as she walked out the door and then glanced at Silas with another shrug. A moment later, Hatch followed after.
Silas glanced at the spread and thought about taking a few bites. Cook had readied his favorite dishes, but he wrinkled his nose and flopped back on his pillows. The bedchamber was silent except for the tick of the clock. It was too far away for him to read the numbers, though it looked to be midday, which was clear enough when Miss Delmonte delivered his luncheon.
Grabbing the book on his nightstand, Silas attempted to distract himself with a story, but it was like trying to sleep while the drip of water picked away at your sanity. Thoughts of Miss Delmonte poked and prodded him, raising endless questions without answers. The only thing that kept him from leaping from his bed was that his legs were unlikely to hold him up.
But then, Miss Delmonte might reappear to help him back into bed. That was a promising idea.
Silas gave that all due consideration, but it was of little use. He didn’t need a few stolen moments with her, he needed some way to make her see the truth even if she was determined to overlook or ignore it. Silas sighed and acknowledged to himself, if no one else, that Miss Delmonte had reason enough to doubt him. By Jove, he had made a muck of things. If only he could speak to the Silas of a few months ago and warn him not to make such a hasty decision that night. Without the wretched kiss and accompanying proposal, she was far more likely to believe his affection now.
