Chapter 6

“Do you know his story?” Etienne colored his coffee with half and half and put in one lump of sugar.

“Donal hasn’t told me, and I don’t think he would if I asked. He’d consider it betraying a friend.” Alexei put a sugar cube in his glass of hot tea.

“You still drink your tea in a glass?”

“Russians have done this for centuries. Who am I to buck tradition? Besides, Donal likes the glasses. He doesn’t like the baroque dishes or furniture, but he loves the ornate tea set, samovar, and the bed curtains. He really loves the bed curtains.” Alexei chuckled.

Etienne sobered. “After the life Donal was forced to lead, of course he values his privacy.”

“What brought you here today? You said it was business related.”