Free Missing Lily (Tales of Dalthia) by Annette K. Larsen

clutching at my cloak, unable to sit or even move. The only sounds that reached my ears were indistinct.  
    Rhys had a brother. Suddenly Cora’s outrage at having the ‘young master’s’ favorite meal served made sense, as did the groom’s lamenting over the young master’s ‘moods.’ They had been speaking of Tobias.  
    I walked back and forth in agitation. Rhys has taken his sword, which suggested a fear of violence from his brother, and I worried that he or someone else would be hurt. I didn’t know where Rosamond or Giles were, but I wished Rhys had help.
    I heard a door crash open and rushed to my window, pushing it open in time to see Tobias getting to his feet after being sprawled out on the stone path.  
    “I’m perfectly lucid,” Tobias claimed as he brushed off his clothes in a rather fastidious fashion.
    “I doubt that.” Rhys’s voice came from the open doorway, but I couldn’t see him from my vantage point.
    Tobias let out a chuckle, which turned into raucous laughter. “I’m shocked, Rhys. Here, all this time, you’ve been playing the noble hero, claiming no interest in any lady. Yet I return to find you with a young lady shut up in our home.”
    “Be silent, Tobias.” Rhys’s voice was weary. “Do not assume I am the kind of degenerate you are.”
    Tobias rambled on, seeming to enjoy himself. “By all means, man. Have your fun. You certainly deserve a little diversion before fulfilling your marriage contract.”  
    I deflated at these words. A marriage contract? Of course there was a marriage contract. Why wouldn’t there be? I was only the little invalid, someone to take under his wing.
    “She’s not a diversion!”  
    I opened my eyes at Rhys’s shout and saw Tobias raise his eyebrows, a knowing grin spread across his face. “You’re very protective, Rhys.” He said this slowly, as if relishing the discovery of some great secret.
    “Leave her alone.”
    “No need to worry. I won’t soil your pet .”
    A metallic ringing echoed through the air as Rhys unsheathed his sword and held it to Tobias’s neck. “Take a walk,” Rhys ordered with menacing finality.
    Tobias held up his hands in mock surrender and took a few steps back. “Perhaps I’ll have a ride on that new stallion,” he spat.
    “Take a walk, Tobias.” His tone left no room for argument, but Tobias still sent him a childish, mocking grin before turning to saunter away. I watched his retreating form until Rhys cursed and slammed the door.
    I closed the window and it wasn’t long before a knock sounded at my door. I crossed to it, reaching for the handle, but remembered his warning. “Yes?”
    “You can open the door.” I did so and was shocked when he not only entered, but closed the door behind him. I stiffened. He looked up at me, noted my reaction, and then sighed before opening the door wide. He pulled a hand down his face as he crossed the room, sitting on top of his mother’s trunk. I continued to stand, watching as he rubbed one hand against the other, his knee bouncing in agitation.
    “Your brother has come home.” I broke the silence.
    “Yes. I cannot apologize enough for his behavior. It’s inexcusable.”
    “He’s very disconcerting.”
    Rhys laughed without humor. “He’s a disgrace. He’s angry and out of control.”
    “Angry at whom?”
    Rhys shrugged. “Me. The elite. The royal family. The world. He’s rather indiscriminate in his rage.”
    At his mention of the royal family, something clicked into place. “The small library in the hall downstairs—the one close to the gallery—there is a desk there. Do you use that room?” My urgency made me less than eloquent.
    He looked at me quizzically, as if unable to fathom the importance of such a question at this moment. He took a moment before answering. “No.” I breathed an audible sigh of relief, then looked away, embarrassed. “Tobias uses that room when he is at home.”
    I turned my back to him, horrified that my relief