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‘Very well, sir, thank you,’ Elise replied in an admirably level tone despite the fact her heart had a moment ago leapt to block her dry throat.
‘Are you staying long in town?’
Elise’s tawny eyes clashed on a deep-brown gaze, but he wasn’t deterred by her hostile stare.
‘Your sister mentioned a moment ago that you reside in Hertfordshire with your father.’
‘We do, sir, and will be in town a very short while as guests of Mr and Mrs Chapman.’
‘Always welcome...you know that...’ Mr Chapman chipped in.
Anthony had always thought Elise very pretty in a quiet way. Her sister had a popular beauty with her petite figure and pale hair and skin, but in his opinion Elise’s warm character made her the more attractive of the two. ‘You must stay as long as you like, my dear,’ he offered magnanimously.
‘Thank you, you are very kind, but we cannot accept...’ Elise began evenly.
‘I shall speak to Mrs Chapman about a few more days with us.’ Anthony patted one of Elise’s hands comfortingly. ‘There’s...no need to feel it will put us out. I assure you it won’t. Besides, now your aunt Dolly knows you are in the capital, I expect she’ll like you to go about with her to a few places, won’t she.’ He gave her a beam. ‘Now I really must tell the ladies it is time to go or we will not find a ride home till goodness only knows what hour.’ He ambled off, leaving a very tense atmosphere in his wake.
Chapter Seven
‘Am I forgiven yet?’ Alex asked quietly as soon as Mr Chapman was out of earshot.
‘Forgiven?’ Elise echoed, eyeing him warily. ‘Why...what have you done, sir?’ She pounced on the possibility that he was about to admit to having betrayed her.
‘I confused you with a woman of ill repute for a while,’ Alex murmured, amusement far back in his eyes. ‘Too reckless and loyal to a fault...I’ll accuse you of that, but a hussy? No...I couldn’t have been more wrong, and I apologise for that and what followed.’
A fizz of heat prickled Elise’s cheeks at what he was alluding to. But she realised there was still hope their meeting remained a secret. ‘I trust you have not mentioned to anybody...?’ she murmured, attempting to suffocate a note of panic in her tone.
‘Did you imagine I would?’
Elise gave a small shake of the head and even managed to bestow a shaky smile. ‘I guessed you would not want to be plunged into a scandal any more than I.’
‘And the irony is...’ Alex let his eyes drift sideways to where his friend and Elise’s sister were merrily laughing within a group of friends and relatives ‘...they seem to have taken to one another without our help.’
‘Hugh Kendrick is Mr Best, isn’t he?’
Alex gave a sardonic smile that was answer enough for her.
‘He has no prospects and I imagine no proper interest in a woman without a dowry.’ She sighed. ‘I can assure you he would be disappointed in my sister. It would be best to deter him in a subtle manner, if indeed he needs to be dissuaded from pursuing her. Perhaps he likes to flirt as well as fortune hunt.’
‘Who told you Hugh has no prospects?’
‘His aunt...but she meant no harm in it, I assure you,’ Elise quickly added. ‘Mrs Vickers made it clear she is very fond of Hugh and prefers him to his brother, who has inherited everything.’
‘Sensible woman,’ Alex muttered drily. ‘So, your sister has lied about having a little fortune.’
Elise bristled at the implied criticism, warranted though it was.
‘Your friend has not behaved impeccably either, sir, by encouraging a gentlewoman to arrange a clandestine tryst, and neither have you,’ she added sharply.
‘How were we to know she was a gentlewoman?’
‘How were you to know she was not?’ Elise returned immediately.
‘Only you have behaved decently, Miss Dewey, is that it?’
‘I have done my utmost to prevent Beatrice from getting embroiled in this lunacy from the very start—’ Elise broke off to nibble her lower lip; he didn’t know her efforts had worked and her sister had been more sensible than she in staying put with Aunt Dolly earlier. ‘When you waylaid me—no...abducted me,’ she spluttered in an angry undertone, ‘my intention was to find my sister and return her to safety.’ Elise shot him an accusing glower from beneath dusky lashes. ‘You were going to report back to your friend, thus prolonging the madness, whereas I was determined to bring it to an end.’
