not bring himself to utter the word.
“Sodomy,” she whispered, almost to herself. She had not intended it as an indictment, but as soon as it escaped her lips, her brother’s anger erupted.
“Don’t say that word to me! I would expect better of you than to tar me with such a revolting brush.”
“I did not…” She tried to placate him but he would not suffer her touch.
“I am not such a monster as that, sister. I am not.” He stalked away, his shoulders stiff, and Hester had to fight against the hurt his brusque rebuke inflicted. She could understand his disgust at being so labelled, but his uncharacteristic outburst still stung. “If I had known last night the outcome of my visit to Mr. Cook’s wretched pub, I assure you I should never have been persuaded to visit it. This is all a terrible mistake.”
“What on earth were you doing in that dreadful place, Robbie?” The questions that had beat against her brain since learning of his arrest seemed to flood out in an incoherent gush. “How did you discover it? When? Had you been there before? Did you not know of its nature when you went there last night? And who were the friends that would expose you to such things? Surely they cannot be acquaintances of long duration.”
“No,” Robert said, whirling about to face her. “Can you believe me capable of such a thing? A creature such as that, for instance?”
He turned his head in a swift gesture, his gaze intent. Hester followed, uncertain what he wanted her to see. There was a young man, his clothes and his face as equally damaged as Robert’s. One arm hung limply, though whether it was a recent hurt or not, she could not tell. It was not bandaged as Robert’s was. But even so degraded and dirty, she could not miss either the beauty of his face and body or the insouciance grace with which he lolled against a nearby bench, his full lips pursed and his eyes coyly downturned. With his other arm, he waved, his fingertips fluttering in greeting at a nearby man before he crossed his ankles with a ladylike motion.
Hester was stymied. She had never seen such a man before, masculine in appearance but so feminine in his nature. Was that a sodomite?
She did not know exactly what could pass between two men, but that her brother should be considered amongst such as those seemed utterly improbable. Somehow, a terrible miscarriage must have occurred.
“It is a mistake, Hessie,” Robert said when she at last looked away from the flirting young man in the pale lilac suit. “I am innocent. I had no idea, when my friends persuaded me to attend them last night, that we would encounter such things as Amos there. You must believe me.”
“Of course, Robert,” she said, “I am sure of it.”
“You swear?” he said. “You swear you believe me?”
He was so insistent on the point that Hester had to take a step back.
“I have said so. Do you doubt me, because others doubt you?”
Her brother had the grace to look ashamed. “No. I cannot doubt you. But you must understand, your faith will be sorely tested in the days to come. There will be many who will shun me, and you, merely by virtue of our family relations.”
“Not everyone, surely. Mr. Ramsay, for instance…”
Robert frowned as though he had not taken in her early accounts fully. Now, he looked around skittishly. “He is here? Now? Attending you?”
“No. No, I would not let him accompany me here. I did not think you would want to be subjected to such a thing. But he has been very good to me, providing me with a great deal of aid. He did not retract his assistance either, even after we discovered your fate.” She thought of his staunch defence of her to the disapproving manager. If he had been truly disgusted, he would not have defended her so strongly, would he?
Yet the memory of his defence sat uneasily with the final view she’d had of him, driving his carriage away at a furious clip. How could she reconcile such different reactions?
“Sodomy,” she whispered, almost to herself. She had not intended it as an indictment, but as soon as it escaped her lips, her brother’s anger erupted.
“Don’t say that word to me! I would expect better of you than to tar me with such a revolting brush.”
“I did not…” She tried to placate him but he would not suffer her touch.
“I am not such a monster as that, sister. I am not.” He stalked away, his shoulders stiff, and Hester had to fight against the hurt his brusque rebuke inflicted. She could understand his disgust at being so labelled, but his uncharacteristic outburst still stung. “If I had known last night the outcome of my visit to Mr. Cook’s wretched pub, I assure you I should never have been persuaded to visit it. This is all a terrible mistake.”
“What on earth were you doing in that dreadful place, Robbie?” The questions that had beat against her brain since learning of his arrest seemed to flood out in an incoherent gush. “How did you discover it? When? Had you been there before? Did you not know of its nature when you went there last night? And who were the friends that would expose you to such things? Surely they cannot be acquaintances of long duration.”
“No,” Robert said, whirling about to face her. “Can you believe me capable of such a thing? A creature such as that, for instance?”
He turned his head in a swift gesture, his gaze intent. Hester followed, uncertain what he wanted her to see. There was a young man, his clothes and his face as equally damaged as Robert’s. One arm hung limply, though whether it was a recent hurt or not, she could not tell. It was not bandaged as Robert’s was. But even so degraded and dirty, she could not miss either the beauty of his face and body or the insouciance grace with which he lolled against a nearby bench, his full lips pursed and his eyes coyly downturned. With his other arm, he waved, his fingertips fluttering in greeting at a nearby man before he crossed his ankles with a ladylike motion.
Hester was stymied. She had never seen such a man before, masculine in appearance but so feminine in his nature. Was that a sodomite?
She did not know exactly what could pass between two men, but that her brother should be considered amongst such as those seemed utterly improbable. Somehow, a terrible miscarriage must have occurred.
“It is a mistake, Hessie,” Robert said when she at last looked away from the flirting young man in the pale lilac suit. “I am innocent. I had no idea, when my friends persuaded me to attend them last night, that we would encounter such things as Amos there. You must believe me.”
“Of course, Robert,” she said, “I am sure of it.”
“You swear?” he said. “You swear you believe me?”
He was so insistent on the point that Hester had to take a step back.
“I have said so. Do you doubt me, because others doubt you?”
Her brother had the grace to look ashamed. “No. I cannot doubt you. But you must understand, your faith will be sorely tested in the days to come. There will be many who will shun me, and you, merely by virtue of our family relations.”
“Not everyone, surely. Mr. Ramsay, for instance…”
Robert frowned as though he had not taken in her early accounts fully. Now, he looked around skittishly. “He is here? Now? Attending you?”
“No. No, I would not let him accompany me here. I did not think you would want to be subjected to such a thing. But he has been very good to me, providing me with a great deal of aid. He did not retract his assistance either, even after we discovered your fate.” She thought of his staunch defence of her to the disapproving manager. If he had been truly disgusted, he would not have defended her so strongly, would he?
Yet the memory of his defence sat uneasily with the final view she’d had of him, driving his carriage away at a furious clip. How could she reconcile such different reactions?
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