CHAPTER 48 — BETWEEN BROTHERS
CHAPTER 48 — BETWEEN BROTHERS
The morning after their return to Breedlove Manor arrived quietly.
Snow rested along the stone terraces, and a thin layer of frost silvered the garden paths.
Inside the Manor, however, the household had already returned to its usual rhythm.
Doors opened and closed.
Servants moved through the corridors.
A fire crackled in the morning room.
Somewhere below, someone laughed loudly enough to be heard from the upper floor.
Nathaniel stood near one of the tall windows, watching the grounds.
He had been there for several minutes without moving.
Behind him, the door opened.
Elias entered carrying two cups.
“I brought you this.”
Nathaniel turned.
“What is it?”
“Coffee.”
Nathaniel accepted the cup.
“You remembered.”
“I usually do.”
Elias crossed the room and leaned against the edge of the writing table.
For a while, neither brother spoke.
They watched the snow-covered grounds together.
“It feels strange being home,” Elias finally said.
Nathaniel looked at him.
“Strange?”
“After the mountains.”
Nathaniel took a slow sip.
“You miss them already?”
“No.”
Elias smiled.
“I miss knowing what was around the next bend.”
Nathaniel gave him a knowing look.
“That sounds very much like you.”
“And you don't?”
“I prefer knowing what is around the next bend before I reach it.”
“That is why you are impossible to travel with.”
Nathaniel laughed quietly.
“I could say the same about you.”
Elias looked toward the window again.
For a moment, the easy humor between them remained.
Then it faded.
“You noticed it too,” Elias said.
Nathaniel did not ask what he meant.
“Yes.”
Elias lowered his voice.
“The feeling.”
Nathaniel's expression became more serious.
“The mountains have a way of doing that.”
“No.”
Elias shook his head.
“I mean after we left them.”
Nathaniel looked at his brother.
“You think something followed us?”
“I didn't say that.”
“You were thinking it.”
Elias gave him a small smile.
“I suppose I was.”
Nathaniel set his cup down.
“There was nothing behind us when we left.”
“I know.”
“Nothing on the road.”
“I know.”
“Then let it rest.”
Elias considered that.
“You always say that.”
“Because sometimes it is the wiser choice.”
“And sometimes?”
Nathaniel looked toward the doorway.
“Sometimes the wiser choice is knowing when not to speak.”
Elias raised an eyebrow.
“That sounds suspiciously like something Father would say.”
Nathaniel smiled.
“Perhaps I have spent too much time listening to him.”
“That may be the first thing I have ever heard you admit.”
Nathaniel shook his head.
“You are enjoying this.”
“Very much.”
The brothers laughed.
It was a small sound, but it belonged to them.
Neither noticed the figure passing quietly beyond the half-open door.
Beatrice had paused in the corridor.
She had heard enough to know her brothers were having one of their private conversations.
She smiled to herself.
Then she continued down the hall.
She had no intention of interrupting them.
There was something she wanted to do that morning anyway.
The greenhouse had been calling to her since their return.
She wanted to see what had survived the cold.
She wanted to check the winter plants.
And perhaps, if she was fortunate, she might find someone there she had not yet had the chance to know properly.
Back in the morning room, Elias had returned to the window.
“Do you think Beatrice is all right?”
Nathaniel glanced toward the corridor.
“She seems well.”
“She was quiet at breakfast.”
“She was tired.”
“Perhaps.”
Nathaniel looked at him.
“You worry too much.”
“I learned from you.”
Nathaniel gave him a skeptical look.
“I do not worry.”
Elias laughed.
“You absolutely worry.”
“I prepare.”
“That is your word for it.”
Nathaniel picked up his cup.
“It is a useful word.”
Elias folded his arms.
“Then tell me what you are preparing for.”
Nathaniel was silent.
The question had been asked lightly.
His answer was not.
“I don't know yet.”
Elias studied his brother.
That answer told him more than a long explanation would have.
“You really did notice something.”
Nathaniel looked toward the snow-covered grounds.
“I noticed that the valley felt different when we returned.”
“Different how?”
“I can't explain it.”
Elias stepped closer.
“Then perhaps you shouldn't try.”
Nathaniel looked at him.
“That sounds like something I would say.”
“Perhaps I have been listening too.”
For several moments, they stood together in silence.
The Manor creaked softly around them.
A distant door closed.
The fire shifted in the grate.
Outside, a raven crossed the pale morning sky and disappeared beyond the trees.
Elias watched it.
“Do you ever wonder how much this house remembers?”
Nathaniel followed his gaze.
“More than we know.”
“That wasn't an answer.”
“No.”
Nathaniel picked up his cup.
“It wasn't meant to be.”
Elias smiled.
“You really are impossible.”
“So I've been told.”
The brothers remained there a little longer.
No servants interrupted them.
No questions demanded their attention.
For once, they were not Guardians, protectors, sons, or anything else the family expected them to be.
They were simply brothers.
And for the moment, that was enough.
Beyond the morning room, Beatrice stepped through the rear doors of the Manor.
The cold air greeted her.
She pulled her coat closer and started toward the greenhouse.
Behind her, the Manor doors closed softly.
The day had only begun.
And each member of the Breedlove family had something of their own waiting for them.
