"No," he admitted, with half a sigh. He felt guilty about saying so, even to Noble, but it was the truth. This entire ordeal of being head of the household had forced him to focus on all sorts of things he might never have cared about before, and he hated it. He wished, not for the first time, that Noble was older — Noble would have been better at this. Noble was rational, and collected; Noble could be mercenary, if it came down to it. Ford would have much preferred if his only job as a brother was to love his sisters unconditionally. He was good at that.

"It's not their fault," he pointed out, begrudgingly including their mother in that comment. Verity and Grace didn't know anything about the family's situation, and while their mother did, she hadn't ever had the full scope of things. As explicit as Ford was trying to be with her about laying out boundaries on their money, he still didn't think she really understood.

  

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Set by Lady!

"You know it's not your fault, either," Noble said, after a beat, "Right?" Ford had taken on the whole weight of their sisters and their futures and everything that could possibly go wrong - but it wasn't his fault. The blame belonged to their father, but their father was dead, and did not have to actually deal with any of the aftermath.

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Ford frowned. Of course he knew that, in a vague academic way; he had nothing to do with the circumstances they had found themselves thrust into in the days after their father's death. He also knew that it didn't particularly matter whether or not he'd had a hand in making this particular bed. He'd inherited it, literally, and he would be the one to lie in it if they couldn't find a way to get it all sorted first.

"Maybe not," he said wearily. "But if we all end up ruined a year, it might as well have been. I think I'd better go check on Grace," he said abruptly, because standing here having a little pity-party with his brother was helping no one.

  

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Set by Lady!