Page 11 of A Tale of Treachery

He laughed at my use of his proper title and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly and throwing etiquette to the wind. I embraced him, inhaling deeply of his scent.

“I missed you. Where have you been?” Aiden breathed into my neck.

“Avoiding you,” I teased.

He let me go and his eyes narrowed at the crowd gathered around us, a silent warning to give us privacy. Then, without a word, they dispersed.

“I’ve been wanting to apologize, but I haven’t been able to catch you. So you really were avoiding me, then?”

“I didn’t think you would want to see me again,” I whispered.

Things had grown heated that night, and some choice words had been spoken by me, by him, and even by George.

Aiden rocked back on his heels. “You know I’m sorry. I said and did some things I shouldn’t have. I was upset and worried. If anyone caught the two of you, your reputation would have been ruined.”

I snorted. My reputation had been ruined a long time ago. Lord Redmond had never been the best guide in decorum, and I still struggled to understand the concepts of etiquette and propriety, despite my attempts.

“It’s all right. Can we simply forget about it and move on?”

He nodded and took my hand. “Come on. The boys will be happy to see you. We were just about finished for the day.”

He dragged me along behind him, looking over his shoulder with a reassuring smile.

And just like that, the past was forgotten.

“Look who’s joined us today,” Aiden announced to Brandon and George.

I curtsied once again, attempting to keep a straight face at the formal action. The three of us had been lectured one too many times on our familiarity with each other and how scandalous it was. We were no longer allowed to engage in childish play or inappropriate banter. “My Lords.”

Brandon hopped up from the bench where he sat with his brother and hugged me despite the lectures we’d all received about physical contact, pure joy lighting his face. The two of us had always been the closest of the bunch.

George slowly guzzled from a canteen of water before offering me a wink in greeting.

I chuckled. Things should be awkward between us, but they weren’t. A large part of me suspected George had arranged the situation just to have Aiden catch us. He was mischievous enough to warrant that suspicion. He might come across as a debaucher to everyone else, but I knew him well enough to know that he always had a reason for doing something. He was a master of manipulation.

Brandon and George were nearly identical twins, tall, with brown hair, brown eyes, and dark complexions, but despite looking so similar, they couldn’t be more different. Where George was a powerhouse of muscle and brawn, Brandon was lean and toned, graceful in his every movement. But the real difference lay in their personalities. George was arrogant and smart as a whip, often using those smarts to manipulate others into doing whatever he wanted. He charmed the skirts off nearly every lady in court, mostly to their detriment.

I groaned when I thought of how close I’d come to being one of his victims.

Brandon was sweet and funny. If you were in need, you could count on him to give you the shirt off his back. If you needed a laugh, he was sure to be filled with them. Unlike his brother, he didn’t have a weakness for the fairer sex because his tastes favored the male variety. Not that anyone knew about his preferences besides his brother and me, as it was a crime in our kingdom, although widely accepted in the outside world. But just like his brother, the objects of his desire were bound to crumple at his feet, helpless against his wiles.

Those boys were trouble.

Brandon let me go and gently tapped my chin with his fist. “It’s been a while. You’re looking good, little one.”

I laughed. The boys were only a year older than me, but often treated me like their little sister. “We’re nearly the same age, little one.”

He backed up, the smile slowly slipping off his face once he noticed his brother and Aiden staring each other down. An awkward sort of silence stretched between the four of us.

“Seriously? Are we going to do this?”

George’s lips tilted to one side at my question, but he didn’t break eye contact with Aiden.

“George, stop it!” I scolded.

“Stop what?” he asked, a grin finally breaking through his face.

“You know exactly what you’re doing. Stop it.”

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