“You wish to help me?” she asked with a frown.
“Of course.”
Her brows drew closer together. “Without question or explanation?”
Drawing in a deep breath, Benjamin tucked his hands behind him. “Someone, who shall remain nameless, has been chastising me of late about my treatment of you, and after what has happened and our conversation, I believe I am finally realizing the extent of my sins. If you require anything, you need only command, and I will do it—without question or explanation.”
Katherine’s fingers twisted together. “That is generous of you, but I assure you I am quite capable—”
“Your capability is not in question, dear sister,” he said, though the endearment he tagged on was spoken with far more affection than the words usually held. With a wry smile, he added, “You are able to do anything you set your mind to, but that doesn’t mean you need to do so alone. How can I be of assistance?”
Chapter 35
Shrugging out of his jacket, Benjamin dropped it on the chair at the far side of the room and then crouched down next to a trunk.
Nodding at the mess, he asked, “Are you removing everything or looking for specific items?”
Katherine stared at him, and he simply stared back, his hand on the edge of the opening, waiting for her orders. “You truly wish to help me?”
Benjamin’s head lowered a touch, and he drew in a deep breath, but when he met her gaze once more, there was none of the irritation or impatience she expected to see.
“I have already said so, Katherine, and I mean it. Now, unless you wish me to simply start unpacking everything, you’d best give me my marching orders. What do you require?”
Drifting backward, she dropped onto her bed whilst staring at him. “You truly mean it.”
Benjamin huffed, leaning heavily against the trunk, and with more than a hint of amusement, he said, “Good gracious, woman. Need I say it again? You are my sister, and though I have not shown it properly before, I do care about you and wish to do what I can to make you happy. Is it truly so difficult to believe?”
But before she could answer, he held up a staying hand. “No, don’t answer that, as you’ve already done so. Can we move beyond all the disbelief and allow me to prove myself to you?”
Wasn’t this precisely what she’d desired for so long? The moment Benjamin had arrived from school, Katherine had wished for blunt conversation and genuine interest, yet now that it had arrived, unease settled in her stomach. Again and again, a question sprang to her thoughts, and she couldn’t ignore it.
Could he be trusted? He surely hadn’t shown himself worthy of it.
Yet a thought wormed its way past that, planting itself deep in her heart. If she wished to resurrect her relationship with her brother, trust was required. And though her pulse quickened at the thought of laying it all bare to him, telling him of her plans was no less scary than admitting her feelings for Mr. Archer.
Most of all, Katherine felt deep in her bones that Benjamin was being earnest with her. This was no halfhearted olive branch like those Prudence and Rosanna had offered from time to time. He wished to help her. And despite her best efforts and insistence that she was capable, she wasn’t certain how to proceed with her plans.
Besides, what did it matter if Benjamin disapproved? It wouldn’t stop what was to come, after all. But if he was being honest with her, he could be of assistance. Katherine Leigh would take control of her future one way or another, but if he wished to help her, why not accept it?
“You must give me your word that you won’t tell our parents about this,” she said. “It will not alter my plans one jot, but they will make my life a misery.”
Benjamin’s brows rose. “That sounds ominous.”
“I want your word.”
“Then you have it,” he said without further quibble. “I will not tell our parents anything you say to me. However, I will add that you seem to be under the misconception that I speak to our parents about anything. I avoid them as much as I can.”
With a sharp nod, Katherine held his gaze and said, “I am leaving Greater Edgerton.”
Her brother’s gaze widened for a moment, but before he could say a word, she continued, “Grandmama Cora left me an inheritance—enough to let a small cottage and live on my own. It would be a humble life, but I’ve done the calculations, and the interest is enough to cover food, heating, rent, my personal expenditures, and even a maid-of-all-work. I will be quite comfortable. More than that, I will be quite happy to live my own life without my parents dictating my social calendar, harping about my clothes, and bemoaning my despicable spinsterhood.”
Benjamin dropped from his crouch to the ground, his mouth agape as he stared at her. “You are leaving?”
She lifted her chin and watched him closely. “I am.”
“And Grandmother Cora left you that much money?” he said in a monotone.
“With instructions to the solicitor to tell no one but me, lest our parents get wind and attempt to wrestle it away from me,” she added with a wry smile.
