“You think we can survive a carriage ride home from out here? Did you see it wobbling to-and-fro?”
“There is nothing left inside me to object to the motion.”
He sighed in defeat, waved Liza off with a hand, and adjusted his cushion under his head. Then he closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “As long as everyone agrees that I am an innocent victim, merely asleep and enjoying the sunshine.”
“How can you enjoy anything after what we just did?”
He peeked out one eye. “You forget I am used to pain.”
His boxing. “Well, if this is what losing a fight feels like, I cannot fathom why you continue.”
He smiled and slid his hands under his head. “I don’t lose.”
Before I could so much as scoff at his presumptuousness, Liza was again above us, retying her hat. Somehow, she looked almost as drained as we did. “I shall return as soon as possible. Ros, are you certain about this? As much as we jest, I trust Charlie. And I cannot fathom that anyone should come upon you here, but there is always a risk.”
“I am certain Marlow would understand. Go. Quickly. Before your cousin’s pride swallows me whole.”
With a rush, she was off.
And Charlie and I were suddenly very alone. Our blanket seemed to shrink; the warmth of the day became more prevalent. For a few long moments, we both laid perfectly still, save for our breathing.
I caught Charlie’s gaze as it darted from mine. Then he lifted a hand and picked at the grass above his head. “I am confident when I fight. Why must I feign to be less than I am with the one thing that suits me?”
The one thing? Surely he did not believe that. I shifted to my side and bent my knees, then adjusted my skirts over my legs. “You could admit your winning less pompously.”
“That is fair, I suppose. Allow me to try again.” He cleared his throat and looked up at the clouds. “I could not compare today’s illness to losing a mill, because of the many, many, countless fights I have participated in over the past year, I have yet to lose once.”
Trying to hold back my derision resulted in a most unladylike snort. “That was far worse. I see why you chose a direct answer.”
He smiled and closed his eyes again. “Very good. Why waste time with flowery words when you can just get to the point? Like boxing. There is no need for words. Only your fists, your footwork, and your perseverance.”
“But why? Why would you choose such a sport when there are so many other respectable hobbies for a gentleman?”
“Like cards and horse racing?”
“Like horseriding. Fox hunting. Fencing.” I rubbed my sore stomach.
He harumphed, his eyes still closed. “I see your point. But those hobbies are for men who are content with their lives. Some of us must persuade ourselves that there is light ahead. Boxing is a perfect vessel for expressing frustrations when life has not turned out quite as expected.”
“Do you speak of yourself?” I scrunched my nose. Handsome, wealthy, intelligent—what more did a man need to be content? His silence told me I’d asked too intimate a question.
After a moment, he said, “Did Liza tell you about my brother?”
His question caught me off guard. I tried to recall what Liza had told me about Charlie. He’d made poor choices. A lot of them recently. And ...
“Your father lost a son.” The newspaper stories I’d read took on new meaning. That wasCharlie’sfamily. His father’s grief. His brother.
Charlie held my gaze for a moment, then turned his face back to the sky. “Henry. He was three years older than I. My father’s heir and my mother’s favorite.”
I could not help but think of Ben. Father’s heir. My brother who lit up a room with merely his presence. To think of never seeing him again was unfathomable. To lose any of my family members was unfathomable.
“He sounds like quite the son,” I said.
“He was quite the brother.” Charlie’s lips hinted at a smile. “Henry was easy to love. He filled every room with laughter and kindness, intelligence and compassion. But more than that, he was a good man moved by his duty. Hecaredfor the estate, looked after the land and its people, and he always knew exactly what needed to be done.”
I could not refute his claims, though I wondered if Charlie thought so highly of his brother, why he thought so little of himself. “You must miss him a great deal.”
Charlie frowned and turned to face me on his side. He lowered his voice like his words were a secret. “It isn’t fair that he died. He was needed. He was necessary. Not just for the estate, but for our entire community. He did more with his two hands, helped more people and changed more lives for the better, than I will do in a lifetime.” He swallowed and pressed his lips together like he was closing a door.
