Harred stared at his brother in disbelief. Could his brother truly be this much of a jackanapes? “I disagree. I want a wife who voices her opinion.”
“Why?”
“I do not want my wife to hide a part of herself. I want to know everything about her, including her likes and dislikes.”
William looked at him like he was mad. “We have a difference of opinions on what we both expect from a wife.”
“That is where you are wrong. I expect nothing from my wife. I just want her to be happy.”
“She will be happy being a marchioness. Isn’t that enough for your wife?” William asked.
With a shake of his head, Harred said, “You have a lot to learn about women, but I am not the one to teach you.” He pointed up at the ceiling. “You have a wife that can help you.”
William followed his gaze and admitted, “I don’t even know where to begin.”
“You could start by apologizing to Ruth for your terrible behavior,” Harred suggested. “You might even have to grovel.”
“Me? Grovel?” William asked. “I think not!”
Harred knew his brother was an idiot, but he decided not to press him on his backwards opinions of how matrimonywas supposed to be. They had more pressing issues that needed to be resolved. “Where have you been sleeping?”
William had the decency to look ashamed. “I have been staying with a friend across Town,” he shared.
Harred suspected that William wasn’t being entirely truthful, but he decided it was best not to press him. “You may come home, assuming you behave,” he said. “I will expect you to treat your wife courteously.”
William abruptly rose from his seat and walked over to the window. As he stared out, he said in a soft voice, “I miss Mother and Father.”
“As do I,” Harred responded.
“Father would tell me what I needed to do to get me out of this mess that I find myself in,” William stated.
Harred studied his brother and saw the pain that was etched on his face. It appeared genuine, which was something he hadn’t expected from William. “Father is not here, but I am.”
“Yet you aren’t helping me.”
“I am trying, but you aren’t listening to what I am saying,” Harred said. “Father’s biggest mistake was fixing all your problems. It is time you own them and face them head on.”
William turned around and stared at him. “I prefer when Father took care of them. It was easier; it was familiar.”
“Then how will you ever learn?”
“I don’t want to learn!” William shouted, tossing his hands up in the air. “I want to go back to the way it was when Father and Mother were alive. I am tired of living without them.”
Harred understood William’s outburst. He felt the same way. But what he didn’t realize was how much William was hurting. They had never discussed their shared pain.
Rising, Harred came around his desk and approached his brother. “We can’t go back. We must move forward.”
William closed his eyes firmly, as if he were holding backtears. “I am so sick of trying,” he admitted. “I can’t do it anymore.”
“You can, and you will,” Harred encouraged. “When life seems the bleakest, you must look for a reason to have hope.”
“What hope do I have?” William asked as he opened his eyes. “I have nothing.”
Harred placed a comforting hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You have me, Brother. I won’t abandon you.”
“Yet you kicked me out of our townhouse,” William muttered.
“That was for your own good,” Harred defended. “You were out of line by the way you treated your wife.”
