The moment George called on him directly, Edmund’s expression stiffened.
He had hoped to wait a little longer and hear what Harold and Victor had to say first.
But now that his father had put the question directly to him, staying silent was no longer an option.
Edmund shifted in his chair and looked up.
“Father, I don’t think much differently from you.”
He let out a sigh.
“What happened to Thomas is serious.
He’s my own brother.
We grew up together, and now he’s been hurt this badly.
I can’t simply stand aside and do nothing.”
He glanced back at the young men standing behind him.
“I already spoke to my boys before we came over.
Thomas is their uncle.
If there’s extra work in the wheat fields, the barn, or with the animals, they should help wherever they’re needed.”
“We’re family.”
“At a time like this, we can’t only think about ourselves.”
The young men behind him nodded but did not interrupt.
Elena sat quietly beside Martha and listened.
There was nothing wrong with what Edmund had said.
Thomas could not work for the time being, so having his grown nephews take on some of his farm duties would certainly help.
But that was not the real question George had asked.
Would they continue trying to treat Thomas’s legs?
If they took him to a larger city, where would the money come from?
That was the hardest part of tonight’s discussion.
Yet Edmund had spoken at length about family helping family and about having his sons do more work without once mentioning the cost of Thomas’s treatment.
Elena glanced at him.
Edmund seemed easygoing enough.
He spoke carefully, and every word made it sound as though he cared deeply about his brother.
But when it came to the part that required an actual decision, he had managed to avoid it entirely.
He certainly knew how to talk.
At first, it sounded as though he had agreed to everything.
Only after listening carefully did Elena realize that he had not actually agreed to anything important.
George had clearly noticed as well.
He listened for a while, but when Edmund started talking again about having the younger men help Martha with the farmwork, George finally raised a hand.
“Edmund.”
Edmund stopped.
George looked directly at his eldest son.
“I’m not asking who can spend another half day in the wheat fields or who can help Martha move a few sacks of grain.”
“We don’t need to gather the whole family in here tonight to decide that.”
He set his pipe down on the table.
“I’m asking about Thomas’s legs.”
“Are we going to keep trying to treat them or not?”
The room went quiet.
Edmund’s expression became slightly uncomfortable.
George did not give him another chance to avoid the question.
“Dr.
Brown already told us that if we want a better idea of how badly Thomas is injured, we’ll have to take him to a larger city and find a surgeon who knows how to treat serious bone injuries.”
“But if we go, it’ll cost money.”
“So that’s what I’m asking you.”
“Do you think we should spend it?”
This time, Edmund could not avoid answering.
He was silent for a moment and instinctively looked toward Harold and Victor.
Harold remained seated without any intention of helping him out.
Victor only frowned.
Neither man seemed willing to answer for their elder brother.
Edmund had no choice but to turn back to George.
“Father, when you put it that way, it’s difficult for me to answer.”
George’s face darkened.
“What’s so difficult about it?”
Edmund sighed helplessly.
“If I say we shouldn’t treat him, of course I’d feel terrible.”
“Thomas is my brother.
I don’t want to watch him spend the rest of his life unable to walk.”
“And he still has Martha and three children.”
His eyes briefly moved toward the bench by the wall.
Martha sat with her head lowered.
Elena remained quietly beside her without showing any reaction.
Edmund looked back at his father.
“But if we’re really talking about taking him to a large city, then it isn’t that simple.”
“You and Mother know better than any of us how much money the family has.” New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
“There are this many mouths to feed.
People need clothes.
We need seed.
Tools break and need replacing.
The animals and wagon cost money to maintain.
Every year something needs repairing around the farm buildings or barn.”
“None of that is free.”
“We’ve already spent money today bringing Dr.
Brown here and buying medicine for Thomas.”
“If we send him to a large city after this, how much will the journey cost?
How much will the doctor charge?
How long will Thomas have to stay there?”
“No one knows.”
Edmund paused.
“I’m not saying I don’t want to help him.”
“But once we start spending that kind of money, none of us knows where it ends.”
George frowned.
“So what exactly are you saying?”
Edmund hesitated.
“I’m saying…
this isn’t something you can ask only me.”
George’s expression immediately worsened.
Edmund quickly added, “I’m not trying to push the responsibility onto someone else.”
“Each branch may have its own living arrangements, but we all still depend on Miller Farm.
Most of the grain and shared income are managed together.
If we use the family’s savings, it doesn’t affect only me.”
He looked toward Harold and Victor.
“Harold has a wife and children.”
“So does Victor, and Laura is expecting another child.”
“Daniel isn’t married yet, but he’ll have a life of his own someday.”
“If I sit here and agree on everyone’s behalf that we’ll spend whatever it takes on Thomas, that wouldn’t be fair either.”
“What if they don’t agree?”
“Then the money is already gone, and the family ends up fighting over it afterward.”
By this point, Elena fully understood Edmund’s position.
It was not that he refused to help Thomas.
When it came to farmwork or lending a hand—things that did not require immediately taking a large amount of money from the family’s savings—he was willing to help.
But once the discussion reached the family’s money, he did not want to be the one to make the decision.
That was understandable.
What stood out to Elena was how carefully he had phrased everything.
From beginning to end, Edmund had avoided saying exactly how much he himself was willing to sacrifice.
That way, whether George eventually decided to continue treatment or stop at what Dr.
Brown could provide, it would be difficult to blame Edmund for the decision.
Elena glanced at the young men behind him.
They had been unusually quiet since entering the room.
Edmund had probably warned his sons beforehand not to speak carelessly no matter what they heard tonight.
George had clearly had enough of listening to him circle around the issue.
“You certainly know how to talk.”
The old man stared at him coldly.
“You’ve said all that, and I still haven’t heard a straight answer.”
Edmund looked embarrassed.
“Father, I only think something this important should be decided by everyone.”
“I know it should be decided by everyone,” George snapped.
“That’s why I’m asking each of you.”
“I didn’t ask you to make the decision for Harold and Victor.”
Edmund had nothing to say to that.
George watched him for a moment before trying again.
“Fine.
Let me ask you differently.”
“Forget everyone else for a moment.
I’m asking what you think.”
“Are you willing to use the family’s money to take Thomas to a large city and find him a better doctor?”
This time, Edmund remained silent even longer.
Everyone in the room waited.
Finally, he spoke.
“If the cost is something the family can afford, then yes.
Of course I am.”
George’s frown remained.
Edmund did not answer.
“What if it takes a large part of the family’s savings?” George continued.
“What if we spend all that money and the doctor still can’t promise Thomas will ever walk again?”
Edmund opened his mouth, but no answer came immediately.
After a moment, he sighed.
“Father.”
“That’s exactly why I said this is difficult.”
“If we’re talking about medicine, paying a doctor, or an amount the family can reasonably afford, I have no objection.”
“But if we’re talking about spending most of what this family has managed to save over the years for something no one can promise will work…”
He paused.
“I can’t sit here tonight and say we should definitely do it.”
The answer was still carefully worded, but it was much clearer than before.
George did not lose his temper.
He simply sat there and looked at his eldest son for a long moment.
Perhaps he had already known that none of his sons would agree without hesitation to every possible expense.
Still, knowing something and hearing it spoken aloud were two different things.
Edmund seemed to feel the weight in the room as well.
He added, “But while Thomas can’t work, I’ll have the boys take on more.”
“And if Martha needs help with anything, she can ask Bertha.”
Bertha blinked when she heard her name, then quickly nodded.
“Yes.
If there’s something I can help with, just tell me.”
Martha looked up and managed a faint smile.
“Thank you.”
Elena remained silent.
She could see that Edmund was not heartless.
He was willing to help his younger brother.
But there was clearly a limit to how much help he was prepared to give.
Once that limit was crossed, his first concern would naturally be his own wife and children.
It was practical, if nothing else.
George seemed to understand that there was little point in pressing him further.
At least Edmund had finally made his position clear.
After a moment, the old man turned away from his eldest son and looked toward Harold, who had remained silent throughout the discussion.
Harold had barely moved.
He had not interrupted while Edmund spoke.
He had not offered an opinion while George questioned him either.
Every so often, he had simply lifted his earthenware cup and taken a drink.
Now that his father was looking at him, Harold slowly set the cup down.
George was already in a poor mood.
Seeing his second son move with such calm made him even more irritated.
“Harold.”
“Edmund has had his turn.”
“Now it’s yours.”
Harold looked up.
Unlike his elder brother, who had carefully considered every word before speaking, Harold seemed much calmer.
“You want to know what I think?”
George frowned.
“Why else would I have called you here tonight?”
Harold nodded.
“All right.”
He pushed the earthenware cup aside and sat a little straighter.
“Then I won’t go in circles.”
Martha visibly tensed.
Elena raised her eyes toward the man at the table.
Harold did not look at either of them.
He kept his eyes on his father.
“Thomas needs medicine.
He needs Dr.
Brown to keep treating his injuries.
I don’t object to any of that.”
“If the family needs to pay for those things, then we should.”
“But if you’re asking whether we should take a large part of our savings, send him to some distant city, and gamble it on a treatment even Dr.
Brown can’t promise will work…”
Harold shook his head.
“No.”
“I don’t agree.”