Page 1 of Truth or Spare

Chapter One

The Olympia Apartments, the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York…

New year, New York, but same Theobald Anton Christoph Aelbehrt von Hessen.

Fluffy clumps of snow floated past the windows, covering Central Park and making it softer and sparklier from his gilded vantage point. High above the hustle and bustle of 72nd Street in Muriel Hormsby’s elegant apartment, Theo felt even more disconnected from humanity and more restless than usual.

“Still watching the snow?” Matteo asked as he strolled into the sitting room.

Theo turned, raising a curious brow as his brother buttoned a new tuxedo coat and gave each sleeve a tug. “Where are you headed? It’s Monday night,” he noted, making Matteo roll his eyes.

“This city never sleeps and you know how insistent Muriel’s friends can be. I’ve promised to stop in at a few places tonight,” he said, causing Theo to grimace as he checked his watch.

“Not how I’d prefer to spend the evening but I can be ready in twenty minutes.”

“Nee. Don’t bother,” Matteo said quickly, waving Theo off and backing away.

A frown furrowed Theo’s brow. “You’re going without me? Again?” They had returned from spending the holidays in Austria at Schönbühel a few days earlier, but Theo was already regretting the decision. He had only come to Manhattan to keep Matteo out of trouble but he kept ditching Theo in the evenings.

“You know how dull these things can be and there’s no telling where I’ll end up,” he told Theo with a dismissive wrinkle of his nose. As Austrian royals and houseguests of the notorious heiress and widow, they had been inundated with invitations. Neither enjoyed society or had any interest in rubbing elbows, but were used to doing their duties for the family’s sake.

But Matteo had been particularly popular and busy since their return. “Was machst du gerade, Teo?”

He draped an overcoat over his arm and clicked his teeth as he backed toward the front door. “Better you didn’t know.”

“What does that mean?”

“For plausible deniability,” Matteo said obviously, then stopped Theo when he started to protest. “I’m not a child anymore. Neither is Eli. It’s time for you to stop playing mother hen and do something for yourself.”

“Quatsch! I do things for myself all of the time. I got a facial this afternoon and I visited Greece last summer by myself,” Theo pointed out and Matteo shook his head.

“You got the facial because that woman complimented your crows feet and said they made you look distinguished.”

Theo gasped and covered the corners of his eyes. “Just wait until it happens to you,” he said, but Matteo snorted.

“All I have is this face so you won’t catch me outside without sunglasses. Or laughing. Sunscreen, hyaluronic acid,and peptides are my holy trinity,” he said and flashed Theo one of his perfect smiles.

All four of the von Hessen brothers were attractive. They had their Italian mother’s dark hair, olive skin, and brown eyes, but the rest of their striking features had been inherited from their father. Theo was considered the handsomest because of his good looks and charming personality, but Matteo was the beautiful one. With big, puppy dog eyes, heart stopping cheek dimples, and full, pouting lips, Matteo could be dangerous and he knew it.

“You went to Greece because you heard someone needed rescuing,” Matteo said accusatively. “Leo didn’t need your help and Eli was too busy for us, so you jumped at the first opportunity you saw to save someone. Did you get an email or read an article online?” he asked with an expectant look.

“It wasn’t anything like that,” Theo muttered under his breath. “I overheard a doorman telling a repairman about his uncle,” he said, sticking out his tongue.

Matteo laughed and pointed. “Do something for yourself for once. I dare you,” he whispered tauntingly.

“I have everything I could possibly want.”

If Theo was being completely honest, he was spoiled. Their upbringing had been modest because their father had been disowned for marrying a commoner. Theo’s and his brothers’ fortunes were reversed when his older brother, Leopold, was named the next Margrave of Hessen. Theo had wanted for nothing after that and believed that the best way he could repay the universe and his parents for his good fortune was to take good care of his brothers.

“It will always be my job to look after you,” he said simply, but Matteo shook his head.

“We’ll always look out for each other. We always have. But what about you, Theo? What doyouwant and how can we help you get it?”

“I…” Theo floundered, unable to come up with anything that didn’t revolve around Eli becoming a tenured professor or keeping Matteo out of trouble.

“Genau!” Matteo gave his head a sad shake. “You keep running from the truth but we’re not little boys anymore and we don’t need you to look after us. It’s time to put yourself first and think about your own future.”

“Why do you say that like it doesn’t include you or like I’d be better off on my own?”

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