Page 89 of A Touch of Charm
“Who is it, dear?” Anna asked gently, already reaching for her crutch with slow, practiced movements.
Thea’s chest constricted painfully. She couldn’t evade this now. Anna, her dear friend, needed her. And yet, all Thea could think of was running—escaping far, far away before whatever storm lay waiting in the hall swept her up completely.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to move, to stand beside Anna and offer her arm in assistance. She owed her that much. If anything, Anna’s quiet strength anchored her in that moment.
And then, the voices grew nearer.
“Thea!”
Her head whipped toward the door. The voice was loud, laden with authority, and it struck her like a whip. Not Stan. It was Alex. The weight of it slashed through her, both familiar and imposing.
Panic crawled up her throat, and her grip on Anna’s arm tightened.
“Alex,” Thea smiled through her teeth.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your companion?” he asked, standing tall and eyeing Thea with the same demanding stare that his father had. Alex had always been the one to make his father proud.
Introductions were made, and Thea tried to excuse herself.
Anna tilted her head. “You’re not pleased to see your brother.” It wasn’t a question.
Thea swallowed hard, unable to pull her gaze from her brother who was a foot taller than her.
“Pleased is not… exactly the word I’d use.”
His coat was immaculately tailored, his boots gleaming with polish, his hat perched at the slightest rakish angle—not for charm, but for calculated effect. Even the air around him seemed sharp, as if he carried expectation on the soles of his boots.
And then came Stan. His disheveled dark hair popped out first as he plopped into the armchair and winced. The shoulder… He had dressed appropriately, of course, but there was none of Alex’s ironclad perfection. There never was.
“I should go,” Anna said as she stepped toward the door. Thea nodded. It was better that Andre’s sister didn’t see this.
“Sit,” Alex said, waving to the settee once Anna had left the room.
It was just the three of them, and they switched to their native language, Romanian.
“Are you mad?” Alex asked Thea. “You ran away!”
Oh good, no time wasted on platitudes.
Thea bristled against his condescending tone. “It would have been madness to stay and wait for the Habsburgs.”
“But that’s exactly what you were supposed to do.”
Stan cleared his throat. “That’s not all.”
Alex groaned. “How much do you need? I didn’t bring that much with me.”
“It’s not money. It’s a blessing she needs.” Stan nudged in Thea’s direction.
Oh no, he was forcing her to say it.
“I wish to dissolve the agreement with the Habsburgs entirely.” Thea folded her hand on her lap.
Alex sucked his lips in. “Don’t tell me—”
But he asked Stan and not her.
“Why would he know better than me? Why don’t you ask me?” Thea put her arms on her hips and realized she sounded precisely like Mother.
