Mr. Dorian watched me closely, but said nothing. Then the door swung open, and Mrs. Langham entered empty-handed. “Sorry, my doves. It appears we used the last of the tea this morning,” she said with a chuckle.
Mr. Dorian glowered. “Explain yourself, Mira.”
She sat down in the chair the inspector had occupied and let out a mournful little sigh. “Must I?” Mr. Dorian’s only response was a stony look, which seemed to do the trick. “He came around to mine one day looking for you.”
That seemed to catch Mr. Dorian entirely off guard, and he leaned forward. “Why would he do that?”
She gave a little shrug. “He thought we were together. A mistake which I quickly corrected,” she said to me. “But then, we got to talking and … well … you know.”
Mr. Dorian glowered. “Out of all the bloody men in London,thisis who you’ve finally chosen? It cannot go on. You must know that.”
“That is not your decision to make,” she said with surprising firmness. I was quite impressed with the way she took him to task. “And furthermore, he doesn’t like you treating him like a child.”
Mr. Dorian reared back in surprise. “I’m doing no such thing,” he blustered, but his protest was weak.
“Well, according to Miles, you have done it quite a lot. And now might be a good time to show that you trust his judgement.”
Mr. Dorian gaped at her, and I couldn’t help smiling a little.
“Very well,” he said in a clipped tone as he got to his feet. “If you are both so certain of your feelings, I won’t stand in your way.”
“Thank you,” Mira said with a graceful nod before turning to me. “It was very nice to see you again, Mrs. Harper. I hope we can all meet again soon,” she added, shooting Mr. Dorian a significant glance.
“I’d like that,” I replied with a warm smile.
Mr. Dorian pursed his lips, but kept quiet as we exited the house.
“I won’t pretend to know how you feel,” I began, but Mr. Dorian gave me a sharp look.
“The word ‘betrayal’ comes to mind,” he drawled.
“Surely it is not so bad as that.”
He turned away with a sulky shrug. “She should have told me.”
“That is understandable. However, don’t you think it’s interesting that your brother was inquiring after you?”
“Then he should have tried my home,” Mr. Dorian said.
“Maybe he did. Or maybe he was trying to look out for you.” Mr. Dorian merely grunted in reply. “In any case,” I continued, “it seems clear that he is trying to reach out to you in some way.”
Mr. Dorian met my gaze. “A pity then that he fell into bed with Mira and got rather distracted.” I looked away and felt my cheeks heat. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That was a crude way to put it.”
“Yes, it was,” I said, forcing myself to look back at him. “And I think it does a disservice to them both.” For if Mira Langham felt comfortable enough to answer the door and discuss Miles Dorian’s issues with his brother, it seemed reasonable to assume that something serious was developing between them.
“A fair point.” The corner of his mouth curved up for a moment before he turned serious once again. “I want to be there,” he murmured.
I cocked my head. “What?”
“At your house. When you meet with Linden.”
“But if he sees you, he might not—”
Mr. Dorian held up a hand. “I’ll hide in the damned closet, then,” he said sharply. “You can’t expect me to sit at home twiddling my thumbs while you confront this man.”
“Very well,” I conceded. “Come at the same time as your brother, then.”
“I will,” Mr. Dorian said, looking slightly more at ease now. But despite my acquiescence, the tension lingered between us, and we were both too lost in our own thoughts to exchange more than a handful of words during the long journey back to Hyde Park Street.
