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They stood in line to order soup and sandwiches, along with pots of tea and had just taken a seat at a table when Cara reached out and put her hand on his arm. “Oh no,” she said. “They’re here.”
“Who’s here?” he asked, and then immediately realized who she must be referring to. “Chet?”
She nodded, her fingers still clutching his sleeve.
Alec glanced around the converted stable’s dining room but wasn’t sure which of the different young couples was Chet and his wife. “Which table?”
Cara released his sleeve and carefully adjusted her chair so that her back was to the room. “Directly across from us, on the opposite side of the room near the souvenir books. He’s in a dark blue striped sweater.”
Alec scanned the room and yes, five tables over was a man in a navy striped sweater sitting at a small square table with a pretty brunette. They weren’t speaking but staring off in different directions. From their expressions they were either very tired or in a fight.
“I cannot believe I keep bumping into them,” Cara said under her breath. “Can’t they go somewhere else? London? Edinburgh? Dublin?”
“Even Bristol would be good,” he said solemnly.
Cara glanced up at him, lips pursing. “You’re making fun of my limited knowledge of English cities.”
“Yes.” He paused, suppressed a smile. “You do know Edinburgh and Dublin aren’t English cities?”
“Yes.” And then she looked at him, brow wrinkled. “Is Bristol where the Beatles were from?”
He couldn’t hide his smile any longer. “No. That’s Liverpool.”
“Oh, right. Dang it. I really need to get educated. I have a feeling I’ll say something wrong and your family will have a fit.”
“If they do, it will be privately, when you’ve left the room. Never to your face. That would be bad manners.”
Her jaw dropped, expression horrified. “You’re joking, right?”
He covered her hand. “Yes, I’m joking. The aunts will be perfectly proper and quite nice. Uncle Frederick can be a little unpredictable. But I can’t see any of them criticizing you.”
“Oh good. For a second there I wondered if I should just head home.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” he said, surprised to realize he meant it.
He liked her company and looked forward to seeing her. Despite his headache this morning, he’d been disappointed not to see her at breakfast, and then when she did show up—interrupting Miss Fletcher—he’d nearly cheered. Not just because she’d saved him from Fletcher, but seeing her eased the tension within him, and instantly lifted his mood.
It was rather miraculous how she managed to do that every day, too.
“You must stay and see what Christmas is like at Langley. It will be different from what you know, and it should give you plenty to talk about when you go home.”
“But they’re not ramshackle,” she said, grinning at him, clearly enjoying using his word.
“No. They’re all quite proper, maybe in my uncle’s case, a little eccentric. My aunt Emma was raised as Lady Emma, being the daughter of an earl, but she married a mister, not a title, and while she could have continued to use her title, out of deference to her husband, she didn’t. With that said, she still carries herself as if she was Lady Emma. Aunt Dorothy, on the other hand, is perfectly lovely. Her only downfall is trying to keep Emma happy, which can lead her to her own discontentment, but she doesn’t complain. She’s practically a saint, and I don’t think I could get through the family dinner every year without her.”
“Was Aunt Dorothy ever Lady Dorothy?” Cara asked.
“No. She’s—” Alec broke off, distracted by the discovery that across the restaurant, Chet and his wife were standing, gathering their winter coats and things, and instead of heading out, Chet was heading their way. “Cara, brace yourself. Your beloved is heading this way.”
“My beloved?” she repeated, confused, glancing around the room, before spotting Chet. “Oh, no. No. Not again.”
*
Cara made theintroductions, Chet to Alec, Alec to Chet, and then introduced herself to Alison. Everyone made proper small talk, and although Cara smiled the entire time, her posture perfect, her conversation friendly and inclusive, Alec knew she was incredibly uncomfortable, and when she turned to him, and looked up into his eyes and asked him if they had time for her to go buy the postcards and some other souvenirs, Alec assured her they did.
Cara, always generous, turned to Alison and asked if she wanted to join her, and Alison said yes.
Chet didn’t seem pleased to see Alison follow Cara away to the displays against the wall, but when he looked at Alec, a faint smile curled his lips. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think Cara followed me here,” Chet said, his tone a little too smug, his smile too smooth.
