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A sense of dread came over Tia. Nelson’s manner was too extreme for it to be good news.
“Yes, my lord. Your brother is in the salon.”
Chapter 23
Braden’s heart pounded in his chest. He glanced over at Tia’s wide-eyed face and smiled. “I will be down in a minute, Nelson. Find out if he wants something to eat.”
“Yes, my lord.”
He jumped out of bed and looked in the mirror. Other than the lack of a cravat and a bandage on his head, he was respectable enough to meet his brother. Tia scampered off the bed and straightened her skirt.
“I need you to stay upstairs,” he said quietly, knowing she would put up a fight.
“I will not!” she exclaimed.
“Yes, Tia, you will. I need to speak with Jonathon alone for a few minutes. If he is still eating opium, he might not be sane. I will not put your life at risk.”
She tilted her head. “But you will put your own life at risk. No, I will go with you.”
She was, without a doubt, the most vexing woman he had ever met. “I will lock you in this room if you try.”
“I dare you to try,” she taunted.
Braden ran for the door, grabbed the key, and left the room before she had barely moved. He locked the door and pocketed the key. “I will let you out when I know it is safe to do so.”
“Do you realize how many ways I could kill you and no one would know it was me?” she shouted.
He laughed. “I will remember that, Tia.”
“I could make you suffer in so many ways.”
“I have no doubt about that either,” he said with a chuckle as he walked toward the steps.
She pounded on the door for good measure, but to no avail.
Once he reached the bottom step, he stopped and glanced back. “Nelson, if Miss Featherstone should find a way out of a locked room, please make certain she does not interrupt my conversation with my brother.”
“Of course, my lord. Am I to assume she was not happy about being locked up?”
Braden laughed again. “Not in the least.”
Nelson attempted to stifle a grin, but Braden saw it.
With a bit of trepidation, Braden walked to the salon. He stood at the threshold, staring at his brother, who hadn’t noticed his appearance just yet. Jonathon stood to the side of a window, peeking outside. His blond hair was longer than usual and his clothing disheveled. He appeared different from the man who had stayed with him at the estate most of the summer.
“Jonathon?”
“Thank God, you’re all right,” Jonathan said before striding across the room and embracing him.
“What is going on?” Braden asked. “Wait, let us move to my study for some privacy.”
“As you wish.”
They both walked out of the salon only to hear a loud bang on a door upstairs. Braden rolled his eyes and Nelson grinned.
“I take it you have company?” Jonathon asked.
“Don’t ask,” he muttered, shaking his head. He wasn’t certain how his brother would take his relationship with Tia. That was one reason he insisted she stay upstairs. Another was his own insecurity about how she truly felt about Jonathon. Would she fall back in love with him the moment she saw him? He refused to think about that.
