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“Honestly, I don’t understand. Middleton has a dreadful reputation as a rake and some say he may have been involved in the deaths of the previous viscount and
his son. How could you be with such a man?”
Tia stared at her sister with a raised brow. “Indeed? And the last man you were with before Hart beat you. Middleton has only treated me with love and respect.” Perhaps not love, but there had been some respect. “And he had nothing to do with those deaths. Since he has returned, someone has tried to kill him.”
“Are you going to marry him?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Why?”
She wasn’t sure how much to tell her sister just yet. While they had been close growing up, since she moved to Middleton’s estate, they had grown apart. Mia’s dalliances with men hadn’t helped the situation. But Tia needed someone to speak with and since Emily’s friendship was now in question, it must be her sister. “When I told him I loved him, he didn’t say a word, Mia. Not a word.”
“Oh,” Mia whispered. “I am so sorry, Tia.”
“How can I marry a man who doesn’t truly love me? I don’t want that. I want what Mother and Papa had. They were so happy together.”
“Yes, they were,” Mia said. “I want that too.”
“Are you happy?” Tia hoped her sister hadn’t married Hart for the wrong reasons. The man had loved her for years, but Mia had never seemed to notice. A dreamy look entered her sister’s eyes.
“Very happy, Tia. Did you know he loved me?”
“I think everyone knew but you.”
“I still cannot believe I never noticed,” Mia said softly.
“Do you love him?” Tia asked hesitantly.
“So much, Tia. That’s why I was so upset when I found out you were Middleton’s mistress. I don’t want that for you. You deserve a man who loves you as much as you love him.”
Tia pondered her sister’s words carefully. Mia was right. How could she marry Braden if he didn’t love her? It would not be the right thing to do. Emily was a perfect example. Tia refused to live her life as Emily did, watching her husband take mistresses right in front of her. Or sneaking behind her husband’s back to meet with a man. Tia would not settle for a life like that just to become a viscountess, not when that wasn’t even important to her. The dresses were lovely, but beyond that, there was such a stiffness to the people in Society. She didn’t want that.
“You are right, Mia. I do deserve love. And I won’t settle for anything less.” Which meant in a few days, her time with Braden would be over.
“Are you certain he doesn’t love you?”
Tia blinked and then stared at her sister. “How can you ask such a thing? You were the one who wanted me to come straight home.”
Mia played with the folds of her dress. “I know that. But seeing how much you love him, it softens my feeling toward him. If you feel so strongly about him, he can’t be as terrible as I thought.”
“He’s not. He actually was for a long time, but when he became the viscount, he made a decision to reform.”
Mia smiled. “That speaks highly of him.” She frowned for a moment. “I thought you were in love with Jonathon? And where is he in all of this?”
Tia explained what had happened with Jonathon over the past few weeks. And Braden’s decision to return to the estate at week’s end. The only thing she left out was how Emily fit in to this dreadful mess.
“So if you weren’t in love with Jonathon, why did you run after him?” Mia asked.
“He’s eating opium, Mia. When he was at the estate, he admitted to me what he’d been doing and that he hadn’t touched it in over three months. After he returned to London, I assumed it was because the craving for it had come back. I wanted to help him.”
Mia covered her mouth. “That is part of why we are here.”
“Because of Jonathon?”
“No, Hart’s brother, Charlie, is having the same issue. We brought him to Dr. Simmons for treatment.”
“That is what I had hoped to do for Jonathon. But we cannot seem to find him.” Tia sighed. “Was Charlie receptive to the idea of treatment?”
