Page 8 of A Duchess to Unravel
“I am not our father, it is true,” he answered after a tense silence, “But I care for you, deeply, Theo, and I am worried that these choices you are making are going to have irrevocable consequences.”
She laughed, the sound bitter.
“Such as?”
“Such as you will ruin all prospects of marriage,” he replied.
“And what do I need marriage for, Tristan?” She retorted. “We are--” she paused.We are orphans.The thought weighed heavy in her heart, making pain and loneliness bloom in her chest.
“We no longer have parents to please or worry,” she pushed on. “You are the title holder, the oldest male heir. It is your responsibility to further our legacy, not mine.”
“It is not just about responsibility, Theo,” he insisted, “It is about life! And happiness in it. Finding a husband does not have to be a duty, sister, it can be a choice, a declaration of love. It can be someone that cares for you as you age. What if something happens to me? What if I am taken from you early as Father and Mother were? Do you truly wish to be alone?”
The thought gave Theo pause. This was not the lecture she was expecting. She could negate the idea of practical marriage all night long, but how was she to argue with that?
“And might I remind you, sister,” Tristan continued, “That your reputationistied to mine.”
Theo rolled her eyes, feeling foolish for thinking that even for a moment that her practical, perfect, older brother could be so in touch with her feelings.
“Of course,” she muttered, “Therein lies the truth. You worry for yourself.”
“I worry for both of us,” Tristan countered. “Tell me, what do you know of our family finances, Theo?”
She was startled at the sudden change in subject.
“What does that have to do with anything?” She asked.
“Answer the question,” he demanded.
Embarrassment took over her as she realized she truly did not know.
“We are nobles. Nobles are rich. Through inheritance and such,” she guessed.
Tristan laughed bitterly as he shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Oh, little sister, how I crave to have your innocence at times,” he sighed.
He opened his eyes, rubbed his jaw, then leaned forward.
“Our inheritanceisour title,” he told her. “With that does indeed comesomemoney but nowhere near enough to support our lavish lifestyle. We have three houses. All of them fully staffed at all times for means of convenience when we wish to travel. We eat the finest foods; we wear the finest fabrics.”
A sneer formed on his lips as he said the last words, his eyes raking down her dress.
“Even if your dress is barely made of any,” he added with distaste.
Theo wanted to be offended by that, but she could not. The dress was designed to scintillate, and she did not imagine she would fare well if she saw him dressed in just a vest and trousers as Poseidon had been. She pulled her arms closer around her, covering her cleavage, and blushed.
With a sigh, Tristan shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
“That was cruel,” he admitted, “I apologize. I just--I do not wish to see my only baby sister in--” he waved a hand over her--“this.”
Theo just shook her head, wanting to be done with this particular part of the conversation.
“Continue, brother,” she said weakly. “Please. You have never shared such information about our family’s wealth before. I want to understand.”
Tristan shook his head.
“It is something I wished to shield you from,” he replied, his tone growing softer, more affectionate. “But now, I think you must know our reality. Everything about our life costs something. Money. Reputation. Pride. Your reputation, which has barely been salvageable,iscosting us money. Our income stems mostly from business earnings that I have nurtured since Father died. I have grown them some, I am proud to say. Thanks to Hugo and Dominic, we areverycomfortable … but that can all change. It is changing. We are losing investors because of rumors still circulating about you and Amelia from over a year ago. Now ifword gets out that you were seen here tonight, we will stand to lose even more.”
