Page 66 of A Stolen Heart

“You are going home?” Thorpe asked, startled.

Aunt Hortense looked at him oddly, and Alexandra said, “Yes, of course. We did not intend to live in England.”

“No, of course not. I just presumed that your visit would extend several months. I—When do you plan to leave?”

“We were planning to sail next week.”

“Next week!” Thorpe looked thunderstruck.

“Obviously, with Mother in this condition, that is very unlikely. I presume we will go as soon as she improves.”

“I see. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Alexandra stared. “Tell you! Whatever do you mean? It was you who suggested in no uncertain terms that I leave. I cannot see why it is any shock to you that we were going to do so.”

Sebastian looked decidedly uncomfortable. “Well, of course…but, well, I suppose I thought you would stay to see this thing resolved.”

“In what way?” Alexandra asked wearily. “I don’t know how we can get at the truth of any of this. My mother is the only one who would have any information about my birth, and she is unable to talk. Even if she should awaken and be lucid, I have explained to you about her. I was not able to get her to answer any of my questions before. I see no reason she would tell me now.”

“But what about the Countess?”

“What about her?” Alexandra retorted. “I like the woman. I shall be sorry not to have more of her company. But my family has always been Aunt Hortense and my mother and the cousins I have back in Boston. That is where my home is.”

Thorpe said nothing for a moment, just looked at her. “Of course. I see. Well, before you leave, I think there is one thing that we could do to try to clear up this muddled situation. We have not visited Bertie Chesterfield, as we promised the Countess we would. I think we should.”

“All right. Whenever you want, though it does not sound as if he knows very much.”

“Only what he saw, which, considering Bertie, is not necessarily something one can count on.”

They agreed that he would find the man at White’s and arrange a meeting with him. Then, wishing a speedy recovery for her mother, he left. Alexandra watched him go, thinking that she could not remember ever having felt this lonely. Was this what it was like to be in love?

She pushed the thought away. One thing she was determined not to do was to spend her time pining after some man—especially an arrogant British nobleman whom she scarcely knew!

“Come,” she said to her aunt, rising briskly from her chair. “I want to see Mother.”

THERE WAS A TAP ON THE DOOR to her mother’s bedroom, and one of the maids entered timidly. “Miss.” She bobbed a little curtsey to Alexandra. “Miss Ward requests your presence downstairs. She said I should look after Mrs. Ward for you.”

Alexandra was less than certain about the maid’s ability to look after her mother. They were all scared of Rhea, despite the fact that she was lying helpless and asleep on the bed. Alexandra and her aunt had taken turns sitting with her mother for the past day, for Nancy was still in bed, her head bandaged, and complaining of a sick headache. The blow on her head seemed to have changed her to a different person—a sniveling, complaining one—and Alexandra had bought her passage on a ship sailing for America in two days. It would mean that she and Aunt Hortense would have to bear the burden of looking after her mother since the servants seemed too skittish to be of much use in the sickroom.

She went down the stairs and into the drawing room, where she found her aunt with two visitors: Nicola Falcourt and Penelope, the shy daughter of Lady Ursula. Alexandra stopped, surprised. Her first thought was that Lord Thorpe had immediately spread the word about Alexandra’s kidnapping and that the two young women were here to satisfy their curiosity.

However, it took only a few moments of conversation with them to dispel that idea. Minutes after exchanging greetings, Penelope gave Alexandra a shy smile and said, “Grandmama sent us over with specific instructions to invite you to the opera with us tonight. Please say you will. It would be most delightful. Nicola and Lord Buckminster are accompanying us, too.” The girl colored a little as she said this, but she went on, “It should be ever so much fun. My mother shan’t be accompanying us.”

She stopped, sucking in a little gasp. “Oh! I didn’t mean that the way it sounded!”

Alexandra rather suspected that she had, at least deep down inside, but she would not embarrass the girl by pointing it out. “Of course not. I understand what you mean. It would be much more comfortable for me if Lady Ursula were not one of the party.”

“Yes, that’s it.” Penelope cast Alexandra a grateful look.

“And for Bucky,” Nicola added a little roguishly. “Lady Ursula has little liking for Bucky. She considers him frivolous…which, of course, he is.”

“He is not frivolous,” Penelope protested. “He is simply fun-loving and—and easy to be around.”

Alexandra was beginning to suspect that the plain young woman had something of a tendre for Lord Buckminster. It seemed a trifle odd to Alexandra, for Lord Buckminster had indeed struck her as an eminently frivolous sort, whereas Lady Ursula’s daughter seemed both serious and retiring. Alexandra wondered whether the easygoing Bucky had any idea of Penelope’s regard for him. Alexandra suspected, from the sideways look Nicola sent Penelope, that she, at least, was aware of Penelope’s feelings.

“Of course he is,” Nicola said lightly. “I was simply teasing about him. Bucky is a dear, and we probably none of us appreciate him enough. After Papa died, Bucky and his mother took Mama and Deborah and me in with all the good grace in the world.” She turned to Alexandra and added hastily, “It was not that Papa left us unprovided for. We were perfectly comfortable, but of course we had to leave Falcourt Place.”

Alexandra must have looked lost, for Nicola added, “The estate passed to the nearest male relative, you see, Papa having no sons.”