“Yes, my lord. They are in the blue room.”
“I thank you.” Relieved to hear his brother was here as well as their mutual friend, Tristan flipped a gold coin to the man before hurrying in that direction.
When he entered the parlor, his younger brother and Dominic were in conversation with two other gentlemen. Each man held a glass of wine. Tristan found it odd that they all wore the same, sour expressions.
When Tristan stepped further into the room, the floor boards groaned beneath his feet. Trey was the first one to snap his attention in Tristan’s direction. His brother gasped, then sprang from his chair. The piece of furniture tipped over behind him and fell to the floor in a loud crash.
This sparked the other men into spinning around to look at Tristan. Their jaws dropped as shock registered on their wide-eyed expressions.
“Tristan!” Trey wrapped Tristan in a hug. When Trey pulled away, he glared through hooded eyes. “Where in the blazes have you been these past few days?”
Forcing himself to chuckle, Tristan walked to the table. It touched him to know his brother cared so much. Dominic jumped to his feet and shook Tristan’s hand heartily.
“Thank the Lord you are back safe, my good man. Please tell us what happened. There was so much gossip we didn’t know what to believe.”
“Forgive me for worrying you all.” Tristan glanced at the other two men and nodded. “Lord Gilbert. Lord Caldwell.”
The men stood and shook Tristan’s hand.
“I see you are not playing cards.” Tristan motioned to the table. “It’s not often I see Trey and Hawthorne in the same room without cards in their hands and a stack of bills in front of them.”
“Tristan,” Trey said with irritation in his voice. “Quit skirting around the question. Where were you?”
“We heard you had been kidnapped,” Caldwell said.
“Indeed I was, Caldwell.” Tristan sat then the other men followed as they gathered around the table. He studied Gilbert and Caldwell. The older men were friends of Hawthorne’s family and had been kind to Tristan’s mother. At times he wondered if these men were interested in her, yet they never let their feelings show. Tristan really didn’t know if he trusted them enough to tell them what truly happened.
Clearing his throat, he drummed his fingers on the table. “I was kidnapped by a woman who thought to exact revenge when I had nearly ruined her reputation a few years back.”
All eyes widened in disbelief. Seconds later, Dominic snorted a laugh and Trey shook his head.
“You must be joking,” Trey muttered.
“I’m gravely serious, dear brother.”
“How did you escape?” Hawthorne asked with a smirk on his mouth.
Tristan wagged his brows. “I charmed my way out if you must know.”
He waited for their reaction, but it didn’t happen as quickly as he figured it should. But within moments, they all barked with laughter. Grinning, Tristan relaxed in his chair.
“Who is the lady?” Gilbert asked.
Tristan held up his hand and shook his head. “I have already ruined her reputation enough. I shan’t do anymore damage.”
Caldwell arched a thick, white eyebrow. “I see you escaped unscathed.”
“Indeed, I did.”
Trey released a heavy sigh. Sitting back in his chair, he linked his fingers together and rested them on his mid-section. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I fear you have returned home at the most unfortunate time.”
Studying his younger brother, Tristan tapped his finger on the table. The sour look was back upon Trey’s face—just as it had been when Tristan first walked into the room. “Why do you say that?”
“Because there has been another death—our cousin, Elliot. His life ended pretty much the way Hollingsworth had.”
Tristan gave his brother a blank stare. “And pray tell, what does this have to do with me?”
“Have you forgotten? You are still one of the magistrate’s suspects for Hollingsworth’s murder.”
