A Fiery Dalliance

XXXVI

"I want her to be happy. It's worth sacrificing myself." Richelle Mead, Bloodlines

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XXXVI.

Joe was once again following Ed down an alleyway, only this time his brother was fully aware that he was being trailed. Joe supposed that Ed was right. A molly house was the last place on earth their father would look for them both.

Joe found that the idea of entering into such an establishment, knowingly this time, did not bother him. It did not bother him in the way that his brother was bring Joe into an incredibly sensitive area of his life, and that level of trust was not lost on him. In fact, in bolstered his ever-blistered heart and mind as he struggled to figure out what to do next.

Ed entered the establishment under a false name, and he brought Joe inside as his guest. As it was not yet the evening, the molly house was quite empty, and there were only a handful of gentlemen inside, quietly playing cards or enjoying hushed conversation.

Joe followed Ed to the bar, where they both sat down on a stool before it. The young man behind the bar glanced up at Ed, and a look of recognition crossed his eyes. "Mr Turner," he greeted, before his attention flicked to Joe. The confusion upon his face when he looked upon Ed's identical twin was one that both the Parish men were well used to. "And Mr Turner?"

"Would you be so kind as to inform Mr Paxton that I am here?" Ed murmured.

The bartender nodded, before he disappeared up a staircase near the bar that Joe had not noticed. It must have led to rooms above, and Joe presumed that 'Mr Paxton' was the pseudonym for –

"David," Ed read Joe's mind. "He wrote me while we were in Hertfordshire, and he came to London to see me."

Joe knew his brother well enough to know that there was a lesson here somewhere, but he could not deny the nerves that suddenly appeared in his withered stomach. The nerves seemed to be apparent on Ed's face as well.

"Will you meet him?" Ed asked softly.

Looking into his brother's dark eyes, Joe could see the hope, the pleading, there. It was, without a doubt, the most vulnerable that he had ever seen Ed in their twenty years.

Joe nodded, and just as he did, the bartender returned, followed by the young man that had been with Ed the night that Joe had last been in this room. Joe had not taken much notice of his appearance that night. He had been far too preoccupied with the betrayal he had felt from his brother. But upon seeing him now, Joe could see that David was about their age, with youthful features that indicated his lack of physical maturity. His hair was a russet brown, and his eyes were a deep shade of blue. He was dressed immaculately, every bit the young Cambridge gentleman, and he appeared as nervous as a worm on a hook.

Ed did not make the introductions then. Instead, he asked the bartender for three pints of ale, and then motioned for both Joe and David to follow him to a small table and chairs set away from the bar.

As soon as they were seated, Joe found himself sitting opposite David, who looked as though he was staring down the barrel of a rifle.

"David, please allow me to introduce you to my brother, Joe. Joe, this is m ... David."

"I am glad to know you, David," Joe said sincerely, addressing the man by his first name as he had no other to name to call him.

The moment such a simple sentiment was uttered, Joe could see a great deal of relief upon David's face. And the moment David relaxed, Joe could see that his brother smiled at him. It was a warm, caring, knowing smile. Such a simple look of affection, and it stung Joe.