Page 34 of Vanquished By A Viscount
“I would like that very much,” Barbara said, still sniffing, though she held her chin high.
Gray sent Charlie a look.
Charlie nodded and slipped his arm around Barbara’s shoulders. “Come along, love,” he said. “Show me the way.”
Gray and Robert stayed where they were as Charlie and Barbara walked down the hall. As soon as they had turned the corner and were out of sight, Gray rounded on his brother.
“What truly is the matter?” he asked. “I know Barbara has high spirits, but I have never seen her so beside herself.”
Robert sighed and shifted to sag back against the wall, rubbing his face with both hands. “I should not have married a woman ten years my junior who was coddled by her brother into believing life is nothing but a fairy story.”
“No,” Gray said, shaking his head and crossing his arms. “You will not say that. It is a disservice to the cheerful and exuberant woman you fell in love with.”
With his hands still covering his face, Robert peeked through his fingers at Gray. Then he sighed and let his arms drop to his sides. “You are right,” he said, standing straighter. “Barbara may be naïve in many ways, but those ways are why I love her.”
“Good,” Gray said with a nod. “That is more like it.”
Robert pushed off from the wall. “Her upset is likely the same thing that it has been for months now,” he said. “Her failure to conceive.”
“Herfailure to conceive?” Gray arched one eyebrow. “Do women create babies entirely on their own?”
Robert clenched his jaw slightly, then said, “Very well,ourfailure to conceive.”
Satisfied that his brother would not continue to attempt to foist blame for the rift entirely on Barbara’s shoulders, Gray moved to lean against the wall with this brother. “I know that you are as desperate for children as she is,” he said. “Are you certain the urgency to begin your family has not put undue pressure on both of you? Pressure that has led to frustration?”
“And what would you know about making babies?” Robert chided him.
Gray was tempted to reply that he knew enough to know that the arseful of seed he was standing there with would never create a baby, but it was not a time for crude jokes.
That reminder that he was not exactly in an appropriate state for a long discussion about procreation with his brother pushed Gray on.
“Barbara is not the only one who likely needs a good, refreshing night’s sleep,” he said, clapping a hand on Robert’s shoulder. “You both have been under a great deal of strain with this house party. The rain has done nothing to make anyone’s spirits lighter. Go to bed, allow Barbara to sleep as well, and once the sun is shining again, the two of you will be able to resolve your issues.”
“If they are resolvable,” Robert said gloomily. He stood straight once more and sent Gray a weary smile. “If things go on the way they are, I might be forced to take your passage to Australia in order to begin a new life.”
Robert thumped Gray’s arm, then retreated down the hall to his bedroom.
Gray was left standing alone, heart suddenly beating faster. He’d completely forgotten about Australia in the intensity of the last few days. His passage was already booked and the voyage was approaching swiftly.
He turned to glance down the hall the way Charlie and Barbara had gone. What would he tell Charlie about Australia?
Not that it mattered. They had an arrangement, yes, but it only lasted as long as the house party. After that, they would go their separate ways once again.
That thought sat awkwardly in Gray’s chest as he turned and headed into his room. He tried not to think past the next couple of weeks, the next couple of days, as he stripped out of his soiled clothing and bathed using his washbasin and a few tools he’dpicked up on the Continent. Once that was done, he sat in bed, waiting for Charlie’s return.
It was more than an hour later when he heard Charlie’s heavy footsteps in the hall. As soon as he did, he leapt from his bed and dashed to yank open his door before Charlie could retreat all the way into his bedchamber.
Charlie looked startled to see him and paused, face drawn and weary, in his doorway with a questioning look.
“Has Barbara settled comfortably?” Gray asked, though that wasn’t truly the question foremost on his mind.
“She has,” Charlie said with a tired nod. “The gamekeeper’s cottage is surprisingly well-appointed. It is only just on the other side of the garden. I’ve been told it’s visible from the north side of the house.”
“It is,” Gray confirmed. He hesitated for a moment, letting his eyes sweep over Charlie and taking in his full form, before going on with, “I do not know how serious this breach between them is, but I am concerned about it.”
“As am I,” Charlie admitted, leaning against the inside of his doorframe. “Something must be done.”
“Something most certainly must be done,” Gray agreed. “Particularly as I believe the chief complaint between them is that there is no happy news to share with the family yet.”
