She pressed his hand against her cheek. “I have never been better, Papa.”
Lord Matlock invited them to the table, ordering more refreshments to be brought in and introducing Alexandra to them.
Alexandra was quick to reassure Papa. “That’s me crew out there, mostly. They’d each one of ‘em protect yer daughter with their life if I asked ‘em to.”
Father raised his eyebrows. “That has been the company you have kept these past six days?”
While Alexandra puffed up with pride at what she understood to be a compliment, Elizabeth saw the horror in her father’s expression. She had hoped he would be more amused than upset.
Colonel Fitzwilliam intervened. “How was your journey? You traveled at a brisk clip and must be fatigued.”
“At least we did not have to keep up with your breakneck pace, young man.” Uncle Gardiner sat in an empty chair opposite Alexandra.
The conversation around the table stayed on superficial matters—their journey, the state of the roads, the weather along the way.
But when Papa pushed his plate away, Fitzwilliam asked if he might have a word with him and her uncle Gardiner.
Elizabeth held her breath, knowing that she would be the subject of their conversation and regretting how unprepared she felt for it. When they sat at the other side of the parlor, she was relieved that she could at least observe them.
Fitzwilliam explained. Uncle listened quietly. Her father interjected with questions. The longer they talked, the deeper became Papa’s frown. When he started rubbing his chin, Elizabeth thought she would go mad with concern. She leaned closer to Alexandra. “This is not going well. My father is agitated, and Fitzwilliam looks penitent. It is just as I feared.”
“Why should Darcy look guilty?”
Did she really not know? Elizabeth glared at Alexandra. “He is a gentleman in every sense of the word. He feels responsible for my welfare, and he will take the blame formy kidnapping.”
“But that was me idea.”
“My father apparently does not see it that way.”
“Ye mean he might not give his consent for ye to marry the man who loves ye to distraction?”
“I do not think that is the subject of their discussion right now, but yes, that is exactly what it could mean.” Elizabeth clenched her hands together to keep from wrapping them around Alexandra’s shoulders and shaking some sensitivity into her.
Alexandra shrugged. “I’ll ask Boone to marry ye. Or there’s this place called Gretna Green…”
Elizabeth’s blood stirred. “I have sisters to think of. They would suffer from my defiance, and I would lose my father’s trust and friendship.”
“Ye thought of all that just now?” Alexandra snapped her fingers. “As fast as that?”
“Yes.”
“How? How d’ye do it?” Her jaw fell open.
Elizabeth sighed. It was impossible for her to stay angry at Alexandra when she looked at her with such boldfaced admiration. “It gets easier with practice.”
“It’d be easier still if ye only had yerself to think of.”
“True, but I could never ignore the interests of the people I love.”
Alexandra twisted her mouth and wrinkled her nose. “Ye make me see how selfish I am.”
What could Elizabeth say to that? She remained silent and tried to read her father’s lips from across the room.
After several minutes of distinguishing only a few words out of their hushed whispers, Alexandra startled Elizabeth when she spoke again. “I’ll make Nick love me as deeply as yer Darcy loves ye, and I’ll be hanged if I allow him to take the blame when we all know I’m the one yer pa ought to be cross with.”
Before Elizabeth could prevent it, Alexandra marched over to them, rudely interrupting their conversation when she stepped between them.
Elizabeth looked to Nick, and then at Lord Matlock, but neither of them seemed to know what to do any more than she did.
