“And congratulations, miss. I mean, missus.” With a conspiratorial wink, he retreated down the wide hall.
“Ready to face the music?” Tuck asked.
Lizzy made a face. “Maybe we could slip down the servants’ stairs and ride back north? I hear summers in the highlands are so warm you can sometimes remove your coat for a whole hour.”
He brushed his thumb over her ring. “I’ve got your back. I’m here every step.”
“Elizabeth,” a deep, unfamiliar male voice boomed. “Enter, if you please.”
Tuck had imagined a firing squad, the parents and brother standing in the middle of the room ready to take aim. Instead, they casually lounged on various fancy furniture.
“That’s him, Father.” Henry waved in Tuck’s general direction. “That’s the American.”
“Sir.” Tuck stepped forward, hand out. “Tucker Taylor, pleased to meet you.”
Lizzy’s stepfather gazed at his extended hand but refrained from accepting it. Instead, he meticulously folded theEvening Ledgernewspaper, resting it against his potbelly before crossing his arms.
“Mr.Alby!” Horror flashed in Lizzy’s tone. “You can’t mean to snub—”
“I was a naval officer during the American War. I saw action inthe Battle of Long Island. The siege at Kip’s Bay. Nasty business. Nearly lost my leg. Good men lost their lives. I was twenty years old. I’d never been out of England, let alone across the Atlantic. And for what? Loyalty betrayed by colonists who decided that the king and the rule of law no longer applied to them. We beat back your general on the shores of New York, that Washington who became your president.” His voice was thick with contempt.
Cool.
The problem was that Tuck only had the barest grasp of the Revolutionary War. Of course, he knew about George Washington. But specific battles? Nope. Not a one. Paul Revere rode around saying “The redcoats are coming!” in Massachusetts. That’s all he had.
Shit.Why hadn’t he taken Nora up on her offer to go seeHamiltonwhen she’d invited him to fly to New York to see it on Broadway? That would have been the CliffsNotes version at least.
The man had deep-set heavy-lidded eyes, a red nose, and spidery red veins in his round cheeks. He might not be one of the most powerful men beyond these walls, but in this house, he was the king. How to play it? Tuck wasn’t going to make peace or earn respect by rolling over and submitting. But if he picked a fight, he’d just be giving this dude a reason to let his temper unleash.
Better to be unpredictable.
“I don’t know much about the war, sir. It was over before I was born.”
“Your history doesn’t matter to you?” Mr.Alby’s voice was calm, but Tuck noticed his jaw tighten a little.
“I prefer to be more future-looking.”
So far, so good. And also, true.
But an awkward stillness filled the air, carrying a weight that felt like anger.
“A future that you decided to rob our Elizabeth of securing. A future that you claimed even though you have no right. A future that will be darkened forever because my stepdaughter, a Wooddash, no less, has been prevented from securing a marriage with a member of one of the families we had envisioned.”
“Sir, I haven’t gone to war, and I’m not looking to start one here in your home. I understand that our elopement to Scotland must have not been what you imagined for your stepdaughter’s future. But Lizzy made a choice. It was different from what you would have chosen for her. But it’s done. And I’m here. And I’m not going to ruin her, or be a nuisance to you and your wife. I’m not even going to ask you to give me a chance. But I will work harder than any other man and I’m not going to quit until she has everything she wants.”
“Rufus, my darling dove—” Lizzy’s mother deployed one of those sugar-dipped voices that she probably believed was calming but in reality was about as soothing as a needle in a balloon factory. “Do exercise prudence. Provoking your temper will only be at a detriment to the well-being of your tender heart.”
Tuck resisted the urge to scoff. That dude was less dove and more deranged dictator. But then he caught the subtle glance that mother and daughter exchanged. Maybe this was also part of the game.
“Mr.Alby. Mother. Hen... ry.” Lizzy stepped in. “You might have fallen asleep at night with dreams of little old me marrying into a great family in Grosvenor Square. Except no one ever wanted me there, and I didn’t want them. But I want this man. I need him and he needs me. We are married and it’s legal and binding and the best choice is the simplest—accept it.”
“But what’s next?” Lizzy’s mother stood, wringing her hands. “Shall you abscond to the colonies? Oh, Lizzy, what will Lavina Throckmorton have to say about such a libertine lark? The very thought makes my head ache.” Lizzy’s mother whirled to address Tucker directly. “And will my precious progeny reside above a Baltimorian mercantile shop?”
Tuck cleared his throat. So far telling the truth had seen him in good stead. “What matters is that I am here to support your daughter, not be supportedbyher. So instead of debating what doesn’t matter, why don’t we all agree on what does. Your daughter is extraordinary. And I’m very grateful that I found her when I did.” His lips pressed together firmly, the hard thump of his heart thrumming in his ears. The gravity of his words lingered in the air, and there was no denying it—he knew he’d meant every word.
The trouble was, he had no idea what to do about it.
Chapter Twenty
