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“When I summon you, I expect you to come.”
“I am not some house servant you can summon,” she replied.
“Actually, I am the Lord of this House,” he said. “Which means I can summon you whenever I desire, and you are required to tend me.”
“You seem exceptionally churlish today, Brother,” she said. “Were you not able to find a maiden to spoil?”
Castor drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was obviously trying to control his temper, though Ivy had no idea what he was in such a foul mood about. But ever since the attempted assassination of the Duke back in York, she knew her brother had been on edge. Tense. He was nervous and much surlier than usual.
“What is the matter, Castor?” she said. “You have been less pleasant to deal with than usual ever since York.”
“Brixton tells me that you ran away from him,” he said. “And that he found you alone with that Scot in his office.”
“Yes, and?”
“Does the impropriety of what you did not bother you?”
Ivy shrugged. “No, not particularly,” she said. “We were leaving, and I wished to say goodbye to him.”
“Alone?”
“Have we not already established that?”
Castor pinched the bridge of his nose as if he were trying to stave off an aching in his head. He looked at her as if she were causing him physical distress.
“Why are you, this way, Sister?” he asked. “Why can you not behave yourself and act like a proper lady?”
“I have done nothing to suggest I am anything but a proper lady, Castor,” she hissed. “And I resent your suggestion that I have.”
“Ivy, how you conduct yourself is a reflection on this House,” he growled. “And it is a reflection on me.”
“I have done nothing that I should be ashamed of,” she replied coolly. “Let alone anything I need to apologize for.”
His chair creaked and popped as he leaned back in it, taking a long draw from the flagon in his hand. He looked at her through narrowed eyes for a long moment, his jaw clenching and unclenching.
“What did you and the Scot talk about?”
“His name is Fin,” she replied. “And I already told you, I was saying goodbye.”
“Because you two were such good friends, and you were going to miss him.”
“We were friendly,” she countered. “And unlike you, I learned manners and etiquette growing up.”
“What else did you talk about with him?”
Ivy looked taken aback by the question. “I do not see that it is any of your business.”
“That is for me to determine, Ivy. Now, what did you two talk about?”
Ivy pursed her lips and studied her brother for a long moment. And as she did, Fin’s questions rattled through her mind once again. She heard his unspoken suspicions about Castor, and as much as she hated to admit it, the way he was acting right now was making her suspicious of him as well. He just seemed a little too on edge. And if she were honest with herself, his abrupt decision to leave York and return home had not set well with her.
“Where were you last night?” she asked.
He cocked his head, a strange expression crossing his face as if the question had confused him. But that expression quickly gave way to a darker expression and a look of consternation as he glared at her.
“I was in my chambers,” he said. “Not that it is your business.”
“You were not,” she replied. “I stopped by your chambers to speak with you. You were not there.”
