“I wanted to ask a favor of you.” She walked over to the shelves lining the walls and stared at all the books. She slid a finger down the buttery leather binding of one book.
“Go on,” he said, not looking up from his map.
“I was hoping you would agree to let me stay here a few more days.”
“No.”
“That’s it? No. Don’t you want to know why?” Tia tried her best to keep her frustration out of her voice.
“No.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
Middleton sighed before moving away from the desk. Several lines creased his forehead as he frowned. “Yes. That is all I have to say on this subject. You are leaving tomorrow morning.”
“What do you mean, I am leaving? Won’t you be coming with me?”
“No, I have some business to attend to here.
I won’t be back until it is complete.”
Her mind spun with emotions. If he wasn’t leaving, there was no reason she had to go either. “Then I will stay until your business is finished. I promise I shall behave this time. I won’t leave the house without a maid. I will let you know exactly where I am going at all times.”
He crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the desk. The movement only accentuated the breadth of his shoulders. “You are a terrible liar, Miss Featherstone.”
She stared down at her hands. “I cannot leave yet.”
“Sit down. There is something I haven’t told you and I believe it will change your mind.”
“What is it?”
“Sit down, Miss Featherstone,” he commanded.
Tia took the closest seat. “What is wrong?”
“Before I left to find you, your mother informed me of an . . . an incident with your sister.”
“My sister? What happened to Mia?” Her eyes opened wide as her mouth fell open. She had felt as if something had happened to Mia, but she’d ignored the sensation. She should have known better. They were always sensitive to each other’s feelings.
“Yes.”
Her mouth went dry. “What happened?”
“Your sister was abused by a man. She will be all right. She is staying at Hartsfield Park until they catch the man who did this to her.”
And this was precisely why Tia had never given her affections away as her sister did. It led to nothing but trouble. “I see,” was all she managed to say. “It was that new man she was with, wasn’t it?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” Middleton walked over and handed her a handkerchief.
Tia hadn’t realized she was even crying. “I told her not to see him. She wouldn’t even tell me his name. Only that he was new to the neighborhood.”
“Come here.” He helped her to her feet and brought her into the safety of his arms. “I’m sorry, Tia,” he whispered. “But you needed to know why I was insisting you return.”
“When did this happen?”
“The day before I left.”
“But that was almost a month ago. Why didn’t you tell me when I was here a fortnight ago?” At that point, she might have been able to help her sister. But now it seemed unlikely that Mia needed her.