Chapter 28 #2
“Why not?” George asked, wounded by the implication of those words. “Do you really think I’d hold something like that over your head? Use it against you? For what?”
“Of course not,” Theo said. “I didn’t mean that. I just—I don’t want to be beholden to anyone.”
Impatience washed over George. “That’s ridiculous.” He was getting irritated now, and it was showing in his tone. “No man is an island, however much you might wish to be one.”
Theo’s expression hardened. “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that.
I’ve been something of an island for as long as I remember, and I’ll tell you this: it’s far preferable to being weighed down by constant responsibilities.
I mightn’t have had a feather to fly with before Blackfriars landed in my lap, but at least I was free. ”
“And that’s exactly why I’m offering you a loan,” George exclaimed, throwing up his hands. “To give you your freedom back.”
“But I won’t be free, will I?” Theo retorted.
“I’ll owe you money. And I won’t be able to rest till it’s all paid back, every penny.
” He looked truly pained at the thought.
“I don’t want that hanging over me! I don’t want to feel obliged to you, George, or to anyone.
I don’t want to need anyone.” He ran his hands through his thick hair, disordering it in his frustration.
George could only stare at him, at a loss as to how to respond.
“Theo,” he said at last, a little desperately, “we all need other people at some stage in our lives. What I’m offering you is not a difficult thing for me to give.
I don’t care about the money. I care about—” He broke off at the flash of panic in Theo’s gaze, then forced himself to say the words anyway. “I care about you.”
Theo didn’t say anything to that, but his expression flared with panic. Throat thick, George glanced away, reaching for new words. Words that would take them back to safer ground.
“And besides. To be blunt, short of selling Blackfriars, I don’t see what other options you have. It’s not as though you have potential buyers queueing up.”
“Actually,” Theo said, studiously not meeting George’s gaze. “I do have a potential buyer. I’m meeting him tomorrow.”
George’s eyes widened, a wave of disbelief washing through him.
For weeks, they’d been working here together, learning the rhythms of Blackfriars and the turns of its seasons.
George had even begun to wonder if Theo was coming around to keeping the place.
He had said nothing about a possible buyer before now.
“What?” he breathed. “Who?”
“A Mr. Prentice,” Theo said shortly. “He’s a local landowner.”
Prentice.
“Oh, Theo, no,” George whispered, remembering what Mrs. Morgan had said all those weeks ago. “You can’t.”
Theo’s brows drew together, but he didn’t meet George’s eyes. “Don’t jump to conclusions,” he said tightly. “I just want to hear what he has to say. I need to know what choices are open to me.”
“Do you?” George said, his voice rising. “Do you, really? Or do you just want to know what the easiest choice is?”
Theo did look at him then, and the betrayed expression on his face had a pang of guilt piercing George’s chest. Even so, George made himself go on.
“Listen,” he said, “I won’t deny that Blackfriars needs repairs, some of them urgent.
But that’s just due to temporary neglect.
The more I’ve seen over these last weeks, the more I’m reassured that the estate is fundamentally sound.
The land is good and has been well maintained for years.
The harvests are more than decent. There’s some pain to be borne in setting things to right, but Blackfriars will turn a profit again, I’m sure of that. You just need to—”
“You know, I’m not quite as much of an idiot as you seem to think,” Theo interrupted. “You may believe I’ve not been paying attention to what you and the others have been telling me over these last weeks, but I have. And I’m capable of assessing Mr. Prentice’s offer fairly for myself.”
George stared at him, unsure how to reply. He had probably hurt Theo’s feelings, but wasn’t Theo being unfair? Dismissing George’s offer out of hand while insisting on hearing out a perfect stranger—one whose ruthless reputation preceded him—then bristling when George questioned his judgment?
George couldn’t help but feel aggrieved and hurt. Abruptly, he got to his feet. “Well, it seems you have everything in hand. Since you don’t need me, I think I’ll retire. It’s been a long day.”
Without waiting for a reaction, he turned on his heel and strode for the door.
“George,” Theo said behind him. “Wait.”
But he didn’t wait. He opened the door and strode through it, then closed it after him, shutting Theo away.
It was quiet in the corridor. Painfully so.
George paused his step, suddenly uncertain of his decision to storm off.
There was even a moment when he considered reversing course.
But he stiffened his resolve and headed for the stairs, climbing the steps to the bedchamber he hadn’t spent a night in for weeks.