"Charles," I called out. "Who's your friend?"
Charles looked up, his smile dimming slightly when he saw me. "Caleb. This is Bryan. He's Lady Juliette's younger brother. He just arrived today."
Juliette's brother.
I examined the young man more closely. He was perhaps fifteen or sixteen, with dark hair and gentle eyes. There was something almost delicate about his features. Soft.
"Lady Juliette's brother," I repeated slowly. "I didn't know she had a brother."
"Half-brother, technically." Bryan stood, offering a polite bow. "From our father's concubine."
Concubine. Which meant his mother was a kept woman.
Something ugly stirred in my chest.
"So you're the son of a concubine," I said, letting contempt color my voice. "Interesting that Juliette would bring you here. I suppose she likes
