“Sure.” She hitched up a shoulder and dropped it. “We’re all members of Lord Daeg’s Dead Wives Club.”
Brahm’s breath caught. He shot his sister a dark look. “Not funny, Hannah.”
I’d always wondered what happened when Gideon went out looking for his father the night we’d arrived at Daeg’s castle. Remembering how naïve and clueless I’d been brought instant heat to my cheeks. Gideon had come so close to betraying me. So painfully close. The memory of it still hurt. “Where was his father? Gideon’s, I mean.”
Hannah grinned like a cat that had dropped its paw on the end of a mouse’s tail. The mouse thought it had gotten away but found out too late it was wrong. “It’s a rather long story, but we have time to tell it... if you really want to hear it.”
She had me by the tail. Might as well let her think she had me trapped. “I do, Hannah. I really do.”
Chapter 8
The First Meeting of Lord Daeg’s Dead Wives Club
When the butler escorted the visitor into Hannah’s sitting room, she’d never suspected that guest would be Gideon Faust. The surprise of his presence left her speechless. She hadn’t seen in him in at least three years, and during that time he’d shed the last traces of childhood. There he stood, as broad shouldered as a man and taller than most. His hair was longer, too—the color of dark honey streaked with sunlight. His manner was stern and hard like a soldier’s or that of one of the guards Brahm had hired to follow her wherever she went.
Hannah’s blood turned hot. Her pulse quickened.
She never forgot the boy Gideon had been before he left for Inselgrau—the boy for whom she’d harbored an intense infatuation. She remembered feeling sorry for him when Daeg took him into his home. She knew Daeg had trained Gideon to be his agent, his spy, and as much as she wanted to judge him for it, she also knew the power of Daeg’s influence. She and Brahm had almost succumbed to Daeg’s manipulations. If their mother hadn’t died when she did, his corruption might have rotted them both from the inside out.
But nothing about Gideon looked corrupted or sullied.
In fact, quite the opposite.
Brahm seemed less astounded by Gideon’s presence. While Hannah stood silently evaluating her guest, her brother strode across their sitting room’s elegant carpets, hand outstretched. “Gideon, welcome.” The two young men clasped hands. “I had no idea you were back in Dreutch.”
Gideon’s brow puckered. His lips pursed. “Why do I suspect that isn’t quite true?”
Brahm gave him a lopsided grin. “Because you know us too well.”
“You two always seemed to know what was happening the moment it happened. Sometimes even before it happened. So I suspect you know why I’m back.”
“There’s been quite a commotion at Daeg’s castle tonight. Some excitement over a special guest.” Brahm flicked an eyebrow. “A visitor from Inselgrau?”
Gideon merely grunted.
“It’s true then.” Hannah blinked and shook off her stupor. “The Stormbournes have returned to their homeland.” Her lip curled. “Daeg must be beside himself.”
Gideon glanced at her. Again, he said nothing, and his expression remained impassive. Something about him seemed troubled, though. Yet anyone who had spent more than a few minutes in Daeg’s presence would seem that way.
“Tell me about him.” Hannah motioned toward a cushioned chair near the fireplace, gesturing for Gideon to sit. “This Stormbourne heir.”
“Her.” Gideon took his seat as Hannah and Brahm sat across from him, sharing a settee covered in leather as soft as butter. “The heir is a girl. Her name is Evelyn. Evie.”
“A girl?” Hannah asked.
Gideon nodded.
She glanced at her brother. “Did you know?”
“I might’ve heard rumors.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” She folded her arms over her chest and scowled.
“What difference does it make?”
“It changes everything.” Hannah brushed her skirts smooth and glanced at Gideon from the corner of her eye, watching for hints, clues, anything she could use to crack his granite façade. “Do I befriend the Stormbourne heir, or do I seduce them? It matters.”
Brahm snorted. “To get your way, dear sister, you’d happily do whatever it took.”
But what would it take to get Gideon, she wondered. He would fall for none of her usual tricks and flirtations—no pretty dresses and pouting lips. “So her name is Evelyn. What else can you tell us about her?”
Gideon’s gaze went unfocused, and he seemed to stare at some far-off place. “She’s impetuous, spoiled, naïve, and trusting to a fault.” His eyes hardened. “But she’s brave. Intrepid. Resourceful. She underestimates herself too often. There’s a lot of raw power inside her. If she ever learned how to tap into it, she’d be formidable.”
In response to Gideon’s tone and mood, something he likely wasn’t aware he conveyed, Hannah sat up straighter and raised her chin. Gideon obviously cared for this girl—maybe more than cared for her. Stupid boy. Doesn’t he know better than to keep his feelings out of it? Maybe he’s not such a good spy after all. “Sounds like Aodan will soon be a very lucky boy.” She scowled. “And Daeg will be unstoppable.”
Brahm exhaled and sagged against the back of the settee, rubbing the uneven spot in his nose from a break that hadn’t been properly set. Hannah frowned, remembering the punch that had left Brahm with that scar. She’d made him train twice as hard as usual the week after that fight. Even though he’d won, it had been close. Too close.
“Why do you help him, Gid?” Brahm asked. “You know what kind of man Daeg is. Why would you want him to have that kind of power?”
Gideon’s gaze sharpened. His posture tensed.
“Loyalty.” Hannah squinted, studying Gideon like a biological specimen at a scientific lecture. “Gideon is loyal, and if it weren’t for Daeg, he’d have grown up on the streets. Penniless. Homeless. No safe place to keep his sister.” She gave Brahm a saccharine smile and batted her lashes. “Oh, the things one is willing to do to care for a beloved sibling.” She turned the syrupy smile on Gideon. “Even betray someone under your protection, someone who trusts you. Someone who might even love you.”
Gideon rocketed from his seat, his expression as dark as storm clouds. “I didn’t come here to argue my character or defend Daeg’s.”
With careful grace, Hannah stood and faced him. Her voice was quiet, her tone soft. “Then why did you come?”
“I’m looking for my father. Aodan said he’s not working for Daeg anymore. I need to know where he is.”
