Timaeus should have known that the Baroness would not keep him waiting for very long. She never did. Or at least she didn’t anymore. He shook his head slightly at the sound of the playful voice that he wished was anything but. She should know by now that he did not come to the Peisistratos household for the pleasure he already knew she wished to take from him. He was no fool, after all, he knew that hungry look she had in her eyes everytime they had the joy of meeting. He was no stranger to how a woman looked at a man she wanted, she desired. He was all too familiar to how Galatea would drink his image in, how her fingers would twitch just so when she would glance over the thick layer trappings that separated her from what she wanted to take. It was little more than a game to her. Who would break first? Which of them would be the first to reach for the strings that held his tunic up and her chiton on? She hadn’t even seen his face yet and her mind was probably already racing, trying to calculate the moves she would have to make in order for him to see the bed as such a tempting, wonderful place as she did.

It wasn’t all that different from how Timaeus was also carefully considering his next move, how he would outmaneuver her.

He was not going to play Galatea’s game. Not tonight nor ever again if he could help it.

He had no interest in giving her what she wanted. Not when he had yet to forgive himself for the last time she had won. It had only been a little over a year and a half ago, during one of his first solitary visits to the household. Previously, he always had one of his brothers at his side, but they were both gone. Nicomedes was dead and Silanos had fled from his grief, leaving his older brother all alone with a grief that was still oh, so fresh to the new baron. Galatea had greeted him similarly and Timaeus, oh he had been so blind to not have noticed how her gaze upon him had changed. In her eyes, he was no longer that lanky boy, still struggling to fit into his skin. His journey to Lands Afar had bolstered him, stole those unkempt windswept curls as well as his boyish grin and replaced him with the man she saw today… and she had seen then. All it had taken was a few goblets of blood red wine and feather-light touches from the Baroness to convince him to forget who she was to him and to the man who lay unknowingly behind a closed door.

Timaeus had yet to forgive himself for what had happened that night. He may have been drunk and, clearly, he was not thinking, but that didn’t change those events all the same. That night he took something from Isidore. Something he would never be able to give back. He slept with his wife. He took his cousin’s wife for his own pleasures and he took her from a man who would never be able to understand what happened, let alone defend his honor. Snatched away by a drunk, grieving boy. Until Silanos returned, Isidore was the only legitimate male relative Tim had left and he had betrayed him in the worst possible way.

His hands balled into slight fists as he lightly hit them out of frustration, showing his inner turmoil as Galatea circled him, reclining in a plush chair. If she didn’t notice this, then perhaps she could see the way he bit his inner cheek to keep himself from saying regrettable things. He barely turned his head towards her as she moved, finally returning her hungry, lustful stare with a blank one of his own. He glanced her up and down only once, taking in her rather informal appearance. This drew a thin smile from him, utterly pleased to see that his late and unexpected arrival had thrown her off guard enough for her to forget her shoes before coming to greet him. Any upper hand he could get on the woman would be a useful one indeed.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary.” He hurriedly started to say as Galatea sent her attendants off to prepare a chamber for him that evening, but he spoke up too slowly. By the time the words left his mouth, they had already disappeared from the room to complete the task. His gaze lingered on the closed door for a moment, silently willing them to come back before he shifted in his seat and resettled his eyes on her. Now the two of them were alone.

This situation was less than ideal.

His palms quietly hit each other again as he moved in his seat, changing from his more stoic position to crossing his left leg over the other as he rested his hands on top of his knees. To an outsider, the pose looked almost attentive. It was like his only concern in the world was listening to what Galatea had to say, but the both of them knew better. It was only to add more layers between them. As if the thick riding pants and heavy cloak still draped over his shoulders wasn’t already doing that.

This was about business. Not pleasure.

“I think we both know that I have no intention to stay the night.” The young baron dryly reminded, finishing his interrupted thought from earlier. The statement hung in the air, cutting through the tense, heavy air like a knife. There, now the Lady Galatea knew at least some of the expectations he held for his visit. Those few words would probably do nothing to stop her attempts to lure him into the bedchamber, but at least now she could no longer feign innocence in his intentions for the evening. Timaeus knew she would stay persistent nevertheless, it was practically in her name, but with a little luck, his resolve would only grow stronger as the night wore on.

He perked up a bit though when the topic turned to his cousin, causing Galatea to go on the defensive, or at least that’s how he perceived her final words. Although the relationship between the houses of Valaoritis and Peisistratos was that of a friendly nature due to their shared kin, there was no denying that it was tenser now due to the tragedies that befell both of their families. As Isidore was the only male member of the Peisistratos line, the responsibility of Galatea’s guardianship had fallen to his closest male relatives after his accident; the Valaoritis family through his mother’s line. In the last five years, she had seen three of the men from this family serve as her legal caretakers even though she had proven to be quite capable of the task on her own accord. However, the law was the law and Timaeus was more than happy to leave the Baroness well enough alone. He was too wary of her to suggest doing anything else and besides, for Galatea, his responsibilities were limited. All he had to do most of the time was to sign a few financial documents and handle Arcanes’ political interests in the Senate.

But with Iolanthe’s return looming… Now it was about to become an entirely different story and Galatea’s harsh words seemed to confirm his suspicions with her displeasure over how the arrangement would be handled.

From the moment his cousin set foot in Colchis once again, making Timaeus her legal guardian, he would a great power in his hands. You see, Io was returning as a childless widow to an infirm brother with a barren wife. Clearly, none of them would be producing an heir anytime soon. If the house of Peisistratos wished to continue, Io would have to remarry. As her guardian, Timaeus legally held the choice of who that would be to. He would effectively be deciding how the future of Galatea’s household would be built. It was a great responsibility and held long-lasting implications. No wonder Galatea seemed to be mad that it was out of her control.

“No, I do not. Not yet at least.” He said reassuringly with a light chuckle when Galatea pressed him over whether or not he was already thinking of who would be her next bridegroom. In truth, he had only recently learned of her husband’s death, he hadn’t had the time to think of what came next. “She needs her time to grieve.” He said plainly, with a small disinterested shrug. He knew just as well as anyone that major loss took time to recover from. Timaeus wasn’t eager to force his cousin to rush that process along.

However, the implication that there were plans to be laid hung quietly in the air. Iolanthe would have to be remarried. It wouldn’t be a matter of if, only when.

He took a moment to consider her other question though. Why had he come here? That was an excellent question, wasn’t it? Surely, he could have handled this through letters, but truth be told, something told him that this would be better-handled face to face so Galatea would have no room for misinterpreting his intentions.

“Oh, am I now suddenly forbidden from visiting my cousin’s household?” He snapped back at her, showing some of his frustrations for the first time. Timaeus stopped himself short of saying anything further as he paused to calm himself. After a few deep breaths, he quietly continued, “Your missive was vague and the contents were quite a shock. I did not expect that she would want to return from Colchis so quickly.” It was true. He had believed that Io would want to remain with her deceased husband’s households rather than return to this miserable place.

“I need to know what to expect as her guardian.” Timaeus deadpanned, looking her dead in the eyes on the last word, almost as if to challenge her to question the position. She wouldn’t of course, they both knew the law. He settled back in the plush chair, clearly at ease since he now held the power again, “Namely, when is she arriving? Your letter failed to mention that.” He glanced up towards the ceiling as he struggled to recall what else they would need to discuss.

“Ah yes,” He said suddenly as something came to him, “there are also the financials. I’m assuming she is returning with her dowry and then some of her husband’s estate. I will need to know how much that will be to ensure her expenses are all in order.” The business of money wasn’t a favorite task of his, but he knew that the fact he would technically be in control of Io’s money would get under Galatea’s skin. She was the kind of person who was never keen on relinquishing power to anyone, let alone a younger man.

For a moment, silence hung in the air as he continued to think. One of his fists came up to his face, an extended index finger tapping against his chin as he sorted through his thoughts. There was a slight, sharp inhale when he recalled what was probably the most important one of all, “Plus there is the matter of her living arrangements. You failed to note that as well.

“Now naturally I would assume that she’d want to stay here, but we need to be sure because, after all, if I’m to also be her guardian --’ He paused for a moment, to give a slight chuckle before finishing, “I suppose I’ll have to be able to find her.” He then fell silent, waiting for Galatea’s response to it all. With any luck, she would do him the kind thing, answer his questions and allow him to take his leave. If he left soon. He would have enough time to make it to Midas before it would be too dark to safely continue the journey.

But that, of course, would be the easy thing to do and Galatea was not a woman to take the easiest route.

This was going to be a long night.