There was a long pause as Edward debated. He could just tell Stede what he'd done now and get it over with. The other man wouldn't forgive him - how could he? And then he wouldn't have to know where Stede had gone.
He had a pretty good idea. If Stede thought he'd destroyed his family by leaving and ruined him by coming into his life... well, it wasn't much of a stretch.
The part of him that had broken when Stede didn't meet him at the dingy, though, the part that had needed to wallow in the pain of it all, had to know.