Usually.
The library door opened, and Sidney swept in, dropping into the seat opposite Malcolm with a huff. “Curse Miss Leigh.”
Malcolm’s gaze narrowed. “What the blazes do you mean by that?”
Crossing his arms, Sidney frowned. “Ever since the Chorleys’ picnic, that wretched lady has kept my wife so occupied that I’ve hardly seen her in the past two days. At this very moment, Molly is sitting in some society matron’s home, leaving me all alone. Yet again.”
“Because I am terrible company. Hardly worth speaking to,” replied Malcolm with a smirk.
But Sidney matched his expression. “Not when you’re sulking constantly for days on end.”
“I am not sulking.”
The gentleman’s brows rose, and he nodded at Malcolm’s slumped position in the armchair, his arms crossed as he stared at the empty fireplace. “Ah, yes. I know how much you enjoy spending your days sitting in solitude. You are the picture of quiet reflection at present, Malcolm.”
He longed to scowl, but that only proved Sidney’s point. Malcolm’s gaze swung from the empty fireplace to his friend, but seeing Sidney’s mocking smile was hardly helping his mood. His eyes drifted a few inches over, catching the view from the window.
The grounds around Boxwood Manor were quite lovely, and all the more so for the changing greenery that ushered in the shift from autumn to winter. But the sight of the distant forest brought forth memories of a chance meeting with a certain young lady, and Malcolm’s gaze darted away from it.
“The whole thing is ridiculous,” he grumbled. “Miss Leigh is determined to hold onto the anger no matter what I do or say.”
“I—”
“At the Chorleys’ picnic, she fairly accused me of being spoiled and dictatorial,” he continued, straightening and facing Sidney with a scowl. “As though I’m some petulant child, unwilling to acknowledge that I may have misstepped.”
“And—”
“I have been quite understanding and kind. Generous as well. That was no small gift that I gave her, and it was entirely unnecessary. Yes, the circumstances with the whole Mr. Malcolm situation were underhanded, but how can she think it a bad thing when it allowed us to meet? She is keen on me—I know it—but she’s determined to make me grovel, as though I’ve committed some major sin.”
With a sharp sigh and a shake of his head, Malcolm fell back into the seat, his gaze fixing on the blasted fireplace once more.
“I am a good master. Generous and forgiving. Far better than most. Does she wish me to prostrate myself before them? What would that accomplish? They would see it as weakness, and no master can survive with servants who shirk their duties. I cannot tell you how many times Father lectured me on that point. ‘Do not go soft, my boy, or they will take advantage of you every time.’ Even doing something like giving them new furniture in their quarters was tantamount to signing over the house to them.”
“My own father—”
“It is ridiculous!”
Silence followed that, and Malcolm’s jaw set in a hard line as his eyes bored into the logs sitting inside the grate, awaiting the strike of a match.
“Haven’t you anything to say, Sidney?” he asked, turning a hard look at his friend.
The gentleman’s brows rose. “Oh, I think you’re doing quite splendidly speaking to yourself, Malcolm.”
He didn’t think it was possible to scowl more, but his mood had grown ever darker since the interlude, and his frown deepened.
“I fear I need to apologize,” said Sidney.
Malcolm huffed, his lips pulling into a faint smirk. “Your father would suffer an apoplexy if he heard you admit such a thing.”
“And that just proves Miss Leigh’s point.”
Only when Malcolm’s attention turned entirely onto Sidney did he continue. The gentleman shifted in his seat and straightened his jacket before settling back into the seat once more. All the while, he didn’t meet Malcolm’s gaze.
“After the picnic, my wife gave me quite the lecture about what I said during the carriage ride there.” Sidney gave his friend a chagrined smile. “She is far more patient than I deserve, and though I wish to be good—for her sake, if nothing else—I fear she will always be a far better person than I am. Thankfully, she adores me beyond all reason, or she would quickly realize she could’ve done much better.”
“I will never cease to be amazed that any lady was willing to marry you.”
“Indeed,” replied Sidney in a dry tone. But as the silence lingered for a moment, the gentleman’s gaze grew pensive as he turned and stared at the china cabinet on the far wall. The shelves were quite empty at present, for the owners of Boxwood Manor had taken their porcelain keepsakes with them and Malcolm had none with which to fill them.
