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“Must be a boy,” Royal said. “No girl would dare to be so ill-tempered.”
She managed a rueful smile. “I’m sorry to be so ill-tempered, myself. You don’t deserve to catch the brunt of it.”
“You know I don’t mind. And I mean it when I say I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”
She regarded him with a slight frown. “Yes, I do know.”
“I admit to quite enjoying your aunt’s company. She’s almost as entertaining as Angus.”
“Please, do not remind me of your grandfather. He should count himself lucky that I didn’t murder him during that stupid elopement.”
Royal grinned. “He feels the same about you—not that you had to spend much time with him that day. You were spared that much at least, unlike the twins and their hapless victims.”
“That’s because I refused to allow him into our carriage,” Ainsley said. “The Kendrick family should be exceedingly grateful to me, because it’s the only reason your grandfather is still alive.”
After kidnapping Ainsley from a ball, they’d traveled north in two coaches. The lass had made a point of ripping into Angus, berating him over the stupidity of his plan and then ordering the old fellow into the other carriage. Royal and Ainsley had made the rest of the trip alone. Once she’d unburdened her spleen to him, they’d barely exchanged another word until they arrived at Kinglas.
He took her hand and held it in his lap. “I’m sorry if I made things worse for you. That certainly wasn’t my intent.”
She glanced up, her eyes wide. “Why do you think you made things worse?”
“Because I almost ruined your reputation with our benighted scheme.”
“Your grandfather’s benighted scheme, you mean. I know you and your brothers were simply witless participants,” she said dryly. “But please remember that I didn’t ask you to return me to Glasgow. I was quite happy to travel north to Kinglas, once I thought about it.”
“You didn’t seem happy. You were furious with me for days.”
“Recall that I was several months pregnant at the time and not feeling my best.”
“Yes, I’m sorry about that, too. It was unfortunate that I put you in so awkward a position.” If hehadknown of her predicament, Royal would have done his best to convince her to marry him. It wouldn’t have solved all her problems, but at least he could have protected her.
“Under the circumstances, I certainly couldn’t marry you,” she said. “That would have been horribly unfair to you.”
He wanted to disagree, but there was little point.
She withdrew her hand from his loose grip. “I had no intention of marrying Lord Cringlewood, either. I hoped that participating in such a scandalous affair would ruin my reputation, making me entirely unsuitable for marriage to the marquess or anyone else that mattered.”
When he flinched, Ainsley sighed. “Sorry, that didn’t come out right. I didn’t mean you.”
“Yes, you did.”
She wrinkled her nose, looking adorably rueful. “I couldn’t marry you, Royal. I couldn’t marry anyone.”
“It doesn’t matter. As it turns out, your reputation was spared by Nick and Victoria riding to the rescue.”
His brother and Victoria had followed in hot pursuit, surmounting all the obstacles that Angus had placed in their path—including an avalanche triggered by his blasted bagpipes.
“Yes, all your hard work was for naught,” she gently mocked.
“It was a stupid plan, and I’m well aware that I should have discussed it with you first.”
“Or at least made some attempt at courtship before abducting me,” she joked. “That’s generally how it works.”
“What did you think I was doing all those weeks in Glasgow, you daft woman?”
“If reading me lectures is your idea of courtship, no wonder you’re still a bachelor.”
And would forever remain one, as long as Ainsley Matthews refused to marry him.
