Miss Taygete’s Sweet Sister’s Society

by Charlotte Stone

  Taygete met her sister’s eyes and glanced over to find Nicholson looking at her as well.

  That did not surprise Taygete in the least.

  Electra was radiant. She was pale from head to toe with gray moon eyes.

  Taygete watched Nicholson look Electra over and then his eyes returned to her. He smiled with amusement and none of the lust that she usually saw in a man’s eyes after seeing Electra.

  He only wanted Taygete.

  That frightened her even more. If she could throw her sister at him, she would. Instead, she simply introduced them. “Electra, this is Commander Nicholson.”

  “Miss Electra.” He bowed, his face showing no sign that he thought the name unusual.

  “Commander Nicholson.” Electra put none of her usual charm behind the words. Perhaps she was done with men in the military since they tended to die before she could get them down the aisle. She turned to Taygete. “Oh, well, I suppose I simply must speak to you at home then, Taygete.”

  “No.” Taygete took her sister’s arm. “I’ll go home with you now.” She looked back at Nicholson and said, “Have a good evening, Commander.”

  “I plan to, Miss Taygete. I’ll see you again,” he vowed with a sure look.

  Her heart rocked within her chest as something touched her heart. She could see it in the man that he’d keep his vow. He’d come after her, and Taygete wasn’t sure she didn’t want him to.

  She left quickly then, rushing Electra back down the hall and not breaking until the man was out of her vicinity.

  “My, Taygete. It’s no wonder you never leave the hospital.”

  Taygete’s cheeks burned even if the words toward her character weren’t at all accurate. “This is his first visit to the hospital.” She grabbed her coat from the front office and once again took Electra's arm.

  They stepped outside to find the air cool and the day gray. It was hours before sunset, which meant Taygete was leaving much earlier than she usually did.

  “He didn’t look ill to me,” Electra said as they started down the road. Home was not far, and Taygete usually walked the mile home. Electra knew this.

  “He wasn’t ill,” Taygete told her.

  “How did you meet him?” Her sister was very inquisitive, but Taygete didn’t mind the conversation because she didn’t wish to discuss the reason Electra had come for her.

  “He was a patient of the surgeon’s.” She gathered her coat closer.

  “How is it that he was a patient if this is the first time he’s been to the hospital, and you said yourself that he wasn’t ill?”

  Caught.

  Taygete tried to find words that wouldn’t reveal the truth. She looked at her sister, thinking the sky matched her eyes. “Why must you ask so many questions?”

  “Where did you treat him?” Electra asked.

  Taygete groaned and whispered, “You must promise not to tell Mama.”

  Electra’s eyes widened, and she stilled. “You treated him in his home? Was he in bed?” She gasped. “You did, didn’t you?” She narrowed her eyes. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. You tell me everything.”

  Taygete urged them on. “Yes, I know, but I didn’t want to tell you that!”

  “So, why tell me now?” Electra said. “Does he mean something to you?”

  Nicholson was only a reminder that though she’d sworn never to marry, she was still a woman. For seven years, it had been easy to forget, but her first kiss she would always remember.

  She’d kissed other men since then, all during that first year when Maia and Edvoy had been courting and eventually wed.

  And she’d even made love to a commander. The affair with Nicholson had been intense, and Taygete had almost allowed herself to wish for more, but she had left before more could be discussed.

  During that first year, Taygete had simply wanted to forget Edvoy, but it had been no use.

  Now she had a commander on her heels, chasing her, and she was almost inclined to let herself get caught.

  She shivered at the thought, her feet slowing to a stop.

  Electra looked her over. “Tay Tay, are you all right?”

  She blinked and nodded, and then changed the subject to what she didn’t want to speak about. “You said that he said yes.”

  “Oh, yes! Lord Edvoy is taking me and Alcyone to London!” Electra began to hop up and down on the sidewalk. “Isn’t this glorious? I’ll likely meet a fine gentleman to marry. A man who will never go to sea and die!” She was smiling brightly.

  Taygete was still recovering from hearing ‘Lord Edvoy’ when she smiled. “I’m glad for you, Ellie,” she said, using her sister’s nickname. They’d grown close since Maia’s death. Taygete would hate to lose their friendship.

  Electra took her hands and held her eyes as she gave them a squeeze. “Tay Tay. I want you to come with me.”

  “No.” Taygete took her hands away from her sister and started down the road again. It was out of the question. She would not be going to London. She would go nowhere near the marquess. She couldn’t.

  But Electra didn’t know that.

  “Taygete,” Electra whined. “Don’t make me go to that city alone. What am I supposed to do without you?”

  “Everyone adores you, Ellie. You don’t need me there. You’ll make friends quickly.” Taygete knew that was true. There wasn’t a soul in the world Electra had met who wasn’t instantly her friend. Men, women, children, and even small creatures couldn’t resist her.

  Electra jumped in front of her and grabbed Taygete’s arm. Her look was serious. “Tay, I do need you.” Electra’s fingers bit into her coat. “I don’t want to be there alone.”

  She knew what ‘there’ meant. London. Her sister hadn’t actually been in London when she’d died. In fact, Maia had been on the road home when the carriage had gone over, but still the thought of London always made them think of Maia.

  “She lived there,” Electra went on, her eyes turning to shimmering glass. “I’d feel better if you came along with me.”

  Taygete slowed and closed her eyes. Pain shot through her heart at the thought of abandoning her sister, yet still she shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Ellie, but I can’t. I can’t go there.” When she opened her eyes again, there was an odd look on her sister’s face before, in a blink, it was gone.

  Electra sighed and took Taygete’s arm before pushing them both home again.

  They didn’t speak for a long time.

  Taygete was in her thoughts and most of them were of things that bothered her greatly. She couldn’t go to London. She had no place there or anywhere else. She only belonged to the hospital and planned to serve it for the rest of her life. Titan had already promised her a home of her very own when she turned twenty-eight; he also said he’d see that she continued to receive her allowance, and one even bigger, so that she could see to her household. She had nothing to worry about. She’d get a dog and many a cat and she’d be content. She didn’t want anyone in her life. She didn’t want the commander or any other man.

  She looked over at Electra as they neared the house. “When do you leave?”

  “Tomorrow.” Her sister’s voice had lost its vibrancy.

  Tomorrow. So soon?

  “Well, maybe we can get Cook to make your favorite meal. Who knows when you’ll next get it?” Taygete had no doubt that Electra would be wed before she returned.

  Electra looked at her despairingly but then gave her a small smile and started up the stairs to the house.

  Inside, Mary met them at the door and smiled. She looked winded, as though she’d been rushing. “Girls, you must put on your finest dress. We’ve a guest coming for dinner. A very important one.”

  “Lord Edvoy?” Electra asked.

  Dread filled Taygete’s stomach. She didn’t want to see him.

  “No,” her mother said. Taygete had only a moment to relax before an even greater sense of dread filled her. “Commander Nicholson.” She looked ready to burst with happiness
. “I happened to meet him earlier in the day and invited him. He just sent a messenger not two minutes ago to say he accepted. Isn’t that excellent news?”

  Don’t tell me no.

  I know I’m not the first man to propose to you, but I plan to be the last.

  “Dear God,” Taygete whispered.

  The commander had warned her he’d not give up.

  She had no idea what to do.

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  CHAPTER FIVE

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  Hugh returned to the Bellenger home the next morning as promised and was greeted with footmen moving more than a few trunks to the carriages he’d brought for transporting the women and their maids.

  The butler made mention that Titan had gone to one of the mines for an emergency and wouldn’t be back to see them off. Hugh sighed in resignation. He’d had questions for Titan. He planned to help him find the ones behind whoever was terrorizing the Bellengers. He knew he’d simply have to write him to gain the answers he needed to begin his search.

  Last evening, after returning home, Hugh had regretted not having dinner with the Bellengers. His home had felt so empty, void of the love that had once filled the halls. But he’d already known what to expect upon entering. It was the same feeling he often had at his townhouse in London and why he’d taken to sleeping at Francis’ over the last year as most of the other men in the brotherhood did.

  Francis’ house had been built by one of his ancestors, a madman who’d designed the mansion in a way that made one’s lips part in fascination no matter which way one looked. Last year, the main floor of the mansion had been turned into a gentlemen’s club when Francis had been plagued with monetary issues, while the second and third floor had been reserved for Francis’ friends. However, since Francis was now a wealthy man, he was working to move the club somewhere close to Bond Street and return his residence to its former glory.

  Hugh had a room in the guest wing but would be returning to his own residence since he would have company. He also planned to get his brother involved in escorting his sisters-in-law to various parties.

  He smiled as he imagined the look on Ray’s face when he heard the news.

  Ray was only younger than Hugh by two years, making him twenty six. Being a wealthy bachelor, he’d learned to avoid places where unattached woman would be.

  Most days, he spent his time assisting Francis with the club, a place full of men. A perfect strategy if there ever was one for a man who didn’t wish to marry, but Hugh would need him, and he knew Ray would not disappoint him.

  He was still smiling when Taygete made an appearance.

  He felt as though a veil from the past had been laid over his eyes.

  He studied her face and noted that time had only enchanted her beauty. While she’d been a gorgeous girl, she was a breathtaking woman. His eyes moved over her traveling dress, and he thought that the slight weight that had made her face youthful seemed to have moved to other places, for even her clothes could not hide the curves that lay beneath.

  He had to stop himself from cursing and groaned at the sight of her. How had she managed to stay unwed all these years? It made no sense.

  His eyes returned to hers and found her looking at him as well. He hardened under her gaze and wondered how she could still call this reaction from him after all these years. He’d not been prepared to see her but was glad that he had.

  And she was in traveling clothes, which told him that she was going somewhere. Did she plan to go with him?

  The very thought left him without words.

  Her eyes flickered with some emotion he couldn’t read, their hue unique from the others. Taygete’s had come out as a cross between mother and father. A silvery-blue that Hugh believed were the eyes of a siren with the power to call men down to their watery graves. He’d never seen anyone with eyes like hers, yet he’d compared her eyes to others for years.

  Even to Maia’s, though it pained him to admit it.

  He couldn’t look away even as servants moved past them. Their gaze remained locked in a way that hadn’t happened since the first time they’d kissed. She’d avoided looking at him after that, and now he was taking his fill.

  And she was taking hers.

  Movement came from a hallway, and Electra appeared. Eight years and he could still recognize all their faces.

  “Lord Edvoy!” Electra grinned. “Thank you so much giving us a Season. We’re all looking forward to it. Oh, and Taygete has decided to come as well.”

  “No.” Taygete’s voice was still as throaty as ever, rough but in a pleasant way. She placed a trembling hand to her lips and blinked. “No, I’ve changed my mind. I can’t go.” Then she was gone, racing down the hallway that Electra had come from.

  Hugh didn’t think as he found his feet chasing after her, passing a startled Electra as he pursued Taygete. He had no control of his body, as though instincts took him to her. It was almost like when he found things for his friends. He was good at finding lost things.

  But this was different.

  He didn’t know why he felt so strongly about her refusal to go with him or what he intended to say when he found her, but he had to find her nonetheless.

  He stopped when he heard shuffling from the other side of the door to his right and, without a single knock, he went inside.

  Taygete stood in the middle of a lemon-colored room that the sun made shine brightly, illuminating everything, especially her hair. She seemed shocked by his arrival and was sure he looked just as surprised.

  He closed the door behind him, and the clicking of it finding its place made Taygete jump.

  “What are you doing in here?” Her hands were fisted at her side, but she didn’t look angry.

  He walked over to her, and the part of his mind that held his ability to speak the English language fled. He was just so happy to see her, content to just gaze at her.

  “Edvoy…” she whispered warily.

  He thought it best to speak. “Is this your room?”

  She blinked thick, pale lashes and shook her head. “No.”

  “It suits you.” He had no idea why he’d said it. He didn’t know her well enough to know what suited her, but he thought she looked lovely surrounded by yellow. Though she’d probably look lovely surrounded by any color.

  She wrinkled her nose and glanced around the room before returning her eyes to him. “The color is too bold. I could never find rest in such a space.”

  “Too bold? Has the woman who stuck her bare feet into a pond lost her audacity?”

  Her eyes widened, and she smiled before turning away. “I was a silly girl then.”

  God, her voice was pleasant to his ears. He was sure that another man would find pleasure in something softer, but he liked hers just as it was. Earthy. He wanted to hear her moan.

  He took a step back at the thought. He had no right to want that from her. She was his sister by law. He could never have her. According to the laws of the land, Taygete had become out of reach the moment he wed her sister.

  Maia.

  He took another step back as guilt hit him.

  She looked at him. “I’ve changed my mind about traveling to London. I’m staying here.”

  “No, you’re not.” He seemed to be back in control of his vocabulary and his mind and was thankful.

  Taygete’s lips parted and she frowned. “Yes, I am. I’m not going to London. I’m needed here.”

  There were words that came to mind, dangerous words. He pushed them away and brought up others. “Your brother is concerned for the family’s safety in Southampton. You’re not staying here.”

  This news startled her. “What do you mean our safety? What did Titan tell you?”

  Hugh shook his head. “I shouldn’t have told you, but that doesn’t matter now. You’re coming to London.” He’d be damned if he
left her here. He’d not risk it.

  “But I don’t want to go.” He was surprised when she didn’t stomp her foot in the process.

  He controlled the impulse to threaten carrying her to the carriage when she moved around him and started toward the door. “Where are you going?”

  “To speak to my brother. Surely, what you imply isn’t true.”

  He caught her before her hand touched the knob and turned her around. “Your brother told me what he did in confidence. I should never have mentioned it to you, but I need you to understand why you must come to London. Let your brother do right by you.”

  “My brother? Are you speaking about Titan or you?”

  “Both of us.” His hands tightened on her arms. “You must come to London.”

  “I’m needed at the hospital.” She jerked up her chin.

  “You were willing to leave it less than ten minutes ago,” he reminded her.

  Her gaze flickered away. “I can’t go.”

  “Why not?”

  He wanted her to say it, to admit she felt their connection, but she didn’t, and he was glad she did not. It would lead nowhere. His feelings for her would lead them nowhere. He couldn’t take her for a wife or risk their children being declared bastards, only to inherit his wealth but never his title.

  That chance for them had passed, but still he wanted her safe.

  He struggled with his words. “Taygete, if harm ever came to you, it would cause your family a great deal of pain. You know this.”

  She closed her eyes. “I have to speak to Titan.”

  “Someone is attacking your family,” he told her.

  Her eyes opened once more. “I have to speak to Titan,” she said again.

  He shook his head. “He’s not here, and we leave in minutes. You don’t have time to find him, so you’ll simply have to listen to what I have to say. We’re going to London, and you’ll help me find your sisters powerful husbands who can keep them safe. We can find you one as well.”