I leaned over and kissed him, pressing my lips firmly enough into his that my nose squished against his cheek.
“But letting you in the greenhouse helps, right?” he muttered.
“Oh, yeah. Although you’ll never get me out of there now you’ve let me in.”
“I’m absolutely all right with that.” He sat down and pulled me on top of him, trapping me in his arms. “Who wants to tell your dad that he’s not getting a duke or an earl for his son-in-law, then?”
“You can do that.” I trailed my finger down his cheek. “If you’re sure.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” He met my eyes. “You’re mine, princess.”
“I’m not a princess.”
“Not in your eyes,” he said, lowering my mouth to his. “But you are in mine.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Right.
It had been five days since The Incident. Aunt Cat had done nothing but hide out at the hotel with Alpaca the dog—that Dad still didn’t know about—and he’d been hiding in Worcester with Alexander.
It was time to put an end to this.
I’d called Dad this morning and told him the boiler was broken. Without Arthur being around, I needed someone to take a look, and all the senior male members of staff had confirmed they were no good with such things.
He’d agreed to come home.
Begrudgingly.
Alex had agreed to drive him on the understanding my Aunt Elizabeth and his daughter, Olympia, could accompany him for the weekend. Naturally, any time spent with Olympia was time well spent in my eyes, so I’d agreed.
Adelaide and Evangeline were bringing Aunt Cat and the dog home, and Miles had agreed to bring Arthur under the same guise of the boiler.
I was the only woman in the house, and I was ready for this.
I was going to fix this.
It’s what my grandmother would have done. It’s what my mother would have done.
It’s what Lady Vic told me to do, too.
At least I’d heard from my brother. He was apparently in Tokyo. I had no idea what he was doing in Japan, but I prayed he would learn some manners while there. They were the politest people in the world, and if anyone stood a chance at kicking his arse, it was the Japanese.
No pressure, friends.
I paced the hallway. I’d asked Pierre to come in this afternoon and prepare a large dinner, but he’d been busy, so I’d had to do it myself. Somehow, with Adelaide’s help, we’d managed to pull together a semblance of a three-course meal.
All right, so we’d gotten the cheesecake from the bakery and the soup came from Aunt Cat’s updated apocalyptic stash of tinned soup, but that roast chicken was all ours.
And we hadn’t burnt down the kitchen.
Go us.
The front door opened, and I froze. “Daddy!” I rushed over to him and wrapped him in a hug. “You’re home!”
He grunted but returned the embrace. “The boiler broke. Nobody could help you. I had no choice.”
“Right. Of course.” I grimaced and moved to embrace the rest of my family. “Aunt Elizabeth, it’s been too long.”
“It certainly has. My goodness, darling. You’re glowing. Are you pregnant?” She held me at arm’s length. “Look at you!”
“Just happy,” I replied, skirting Dad a glance.
Nope.
Not pregnant.
Thank you. Next.
“Ignore her,” Alex muttered. “He’s fine. Just a little angry still.”
“Great,” I whispered back.
“Gabiiiiiiiii!” Olympia barrelled through the front door in a way only a ten-year-old could, shoved Alex out of the way, and squeezed me half to death.
“Oooof!” I wrapped my arms around her and just about stopped myself from falling over. “Hey, trouble!”
“I’m not trouble! I’ve been good!” She grinned up at me. “Lost a tooth, look.”
“I lost a tooth,” Aunt Elizabeth corrected her.
“I lost a tooth,” Olympia duly repeated, pointing to a gap on the left side of her mouth.
“Wow. Did the Tooth Fairy come?”
“Of course she did, silly billy. Is my bedroom ready?”
“It is. Emily did it especially for you with your favourite sheets.” I bent down. “Do you want to go on up there?”
“Yeah!” She stopped and looked at Alex. “Daddy, can I?”
“You know where you’re going.” He handed her a sparkly backpack that almost blinded me. “Go on.”
“Thank you!” She took it and darted off upstairs in the direction of her room with the bag bumping along after her.
Aunt Elizabeth’s eye twitched, but she didn’t say anything.
“Gabriella, there’s a roast chicken on the side,” Dad said, coming back into the hall. “I thought you said the boiler was out, yet you’ve apparently cooked.”
“Ah.” I grimaced. “See, about the boiler…”
“Gabriella.”
“It was my idea,” Alex said, resting his hand on my shoulder. “Uncle Henry, you need to be here. Arrowwood Hall is where you should be. Aunt Cat isn’t here—she’s at the hotel, but Adelaide is bringing her later this evening.”
“And Miles is bringing Arthur,” I admitted. “It’s been almost a week, and we can’t keep going on like this.”
His nostrils glared, but to my surprise, he nodded. “You’re right, of course. A discussion must be had. When are they to arrive?”
“In the next twenty minutes.”
“Well, then.” Aunt Elizabeth removed her jacket. “Shall we all get a drink? I daresay we’ll need one before Cat arrives.”
“I agree,” Dad said. “So, before this happens… Gabi, am I correct to assume that you and Miles have decided to pursue a relationship?”
I blushed. “Um, yes. We have.”
Despite his best efforts, his lips pulled to one side. “It’s about time. I do quite like him.”
Alex squeezed my hand.
“And I look forward to getting to know him better.”
Oh, that was not good.
“Let’s go, Beth. A drink is in order,” he said to Aunt Elizabeth.
“Oh, Aunt Cat rescued a dog,” I said quickly.
Dad stopped. “She did what?”
“She rescued a dog. She’s named it Alpaca.”
He looked at Aunt Elizabeth.
She promptly burst out laughing. “Alpaca?”
“So Adelaide and Eva tell me,” I said, trying not to laugh. “Can we… handle the dog tomorrow, maybe?”
Dad rubbed his hand down his face. “I suppose it’s much better than another bloody goat.”
“Amen,” I muttered.
“Let us get a drink,” Aunt Elizabeth said, ushering us all in the direction of the library. “And please can we ensure the dog is kept away from that roast chicken. It does smell rather divine and I’m starving.”
Alex shut the kitchen door.
“Thank you. Now, is there gin anywhere?”
The door knocker sounded, and I stepped towards it. “I’ll get it. You go to the library, and I’ll send Oly in when she comes down.”