She abruptly turned and went to the sitting room, plopping on one of the sofas. A moment later, Dexter left without sparing her a glance.

“Lady Reid,” Colbert called.

She rose and went into his bedchamber. “I assume Prince Dexter went to get supplies?”

Colbert nodded. “He stitched me up the first time.”

Not giving propriety a thought, Reid crawled onto the bed, settling beside him. Instead of saying that Dexter should have done a better job the first time, she asked, “Why don’t you want a healer to do it?”

“Because no one can know I’m injured. I need you to promise you won’t say a word to anyone.”

“I promise.” She couldn’t help but wonder who’d cut him and why. Was it a training accident he’d been too embarrassed to tell anyone about? Or had there been some sort of altercation? She eyed him, trying to envision the different scenarios.

Dexter stomped into the bedchamber, pausing to glare at Reid before sitting on the chair. Scooting it closer, he opened a jar and scooped out a green gooey substance, gently spreading it over Colbert’s wound. “That will prevent infection and numb the area.” He put the lid back on the jar. “Try not to cry this time.”

Reid studied Dexter’s face. The right side of his mouth curved into a half smile. He must be joking then.

Finn sat next to the bed. After whining for a moment, he stood, preparing to jump on the mattress. Not wanting the dog to bounce on the bed as Dexter worked, Reid firmly told the dog to stay. Thankfully, Finn listened, curling up on the floor instead.

With that crisis averted, she returned her attention to Dexter, who deftly threaded the needle with large, steady hands.

“Look at me,” she said to Colbert, wanting to distract him. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

“What do you want to know?” He hissed as Dexter started sewing his skin together.

Reid reached out, positioning Colbert’s face so he focused on her instead of what his brother was doing. “Are you engaged?”

He grunted. “No, definitely not.”

“Colbert is too busy reading books to be bothered with women,” Dexter mumbled.

“When I saw the sofa in your office had been turned into a makeshift bed, I assumed you were addicted to the written word.”

“The library is my favorite place,” Colbert admitted. “That’s why my office is there.”

While Dexter finished sewing his brother up, Reid continued to ask meaningless questions about his dog, his schooling, and his favorite books. Beads of sweat pooled on his forehead, so she took the wet towel and dabbed his face, trying to cool him off. He reached out and clutched her hand, squeezing it.

“I’m done,” Dexter announced. “Take your shirt off and get some rest.”

Leaning closer, Reid started unbuttoning Colbert’s shirt.

“What are you doing?” Dexter demanded.