“Doona make it too obvious, though, else your friends will simply think me the driver.”
She frowned. “I had not thought of that.”
“You need to keep the parasol up so the sun does not damage your skin, dear,” her aunt said. “I will whack the back of his seat with my cane instead.”
For a minute Alasdair wondered if she meant his arse, but the bench did have a board across the back so hopefully she didn’t. Not that he particularly wanted to feel the vibrating thud to the wood, either. He should have remembered to bring the woman a box of bonbons.
“Oh look!” Melissa waved a hand vaguely to her right. “I do believe that is Lord Bute’s carriage, is it not?”
Alasdair closed his eyes briefly. As far as he knew, Louisa didn’t have any suitors, so that probably meant Lorelei was in that carriage. He managed not to groan. She was just the person he didn’t need to see right now.
Melissa’s aunt pulled a pair of opera glasses from her reticule and raised them. “Goodness gracious,” she said. “I think the Marquess of Westwood is with her.”
…
Lorelei was enjoying the carriage ride through Hyde Park. The sun was shining—miraculously—in a clear blue sky, the grass a bright green contrast with the lake shimmering a complementary silver. It was a lovely late spring day and the hood had been put down on the barouche, since the air was warm. Louisa and Fiona sat across from her while Randolph sat beside her, ever the gentleman, and not crowding her.
“Lady Louisa,” he said now, “has the Bluestocking Society any insight as to what is to be done with the Colonies?”
From anyone else, Lorelei would have thought the question to be mockery, but coming from Randolph she was sure it was not.
Louisa lifted an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want me to answer that, my lord?”
“I would not have asked if I did not.” He smiled. “I daresay your friends could offer some critical advice to many of the lords in Parliament.”
“Probably not anything they would want to hear.” She smiled, too. “Most of Society thinks it is senseless to go to war.”
“Ah. A practical solution that would save lives.”
Fiona looked at him in surprise. “I thought England wanted to put the rebellion down.”
“In theory, you are right. It is an easy enough decision to make if one is sitting safely on this side of the pond.” Randolph grew pensive. “But is it worth lives being lost?”
“Ye are asking a Scottish lass?”
He grimaced slightly. “My apologies. Scotland has lost more than her share of good men to battles between us.”
“Aye. We have.” She paused. “But a Scot will fight if ’tis a cause he believes in.”
“Would your brother think this a good cause?” Louisa asked.
“Normally, we Scots tend nae to meddle in English affairs.” Fiona hesitated once more. “But…we mightna have a choice this time.”
Lorelei stared at Fiona as the words sank in. England had no conscription, so they couldn’t be forced to arms, but the MacGregors were about to enter into negotiations regarding land claims. Would one of the bartering tools be to make them enlist?
Lead settled in her stomach. She couldn’t bear to have Alasdair go overseas and possibly get killed. Or his brothers either. Emily and Juliana had finally found their loves with Ian and Rory. Carr was too bookish to be a real soldier and Devon was just the opposite… Too hotheaded to follow orders. Alasdair might regard her as only a sister—a bit of irony there—since she regarded the rest of his siblings as family, she didn’t want to lose any of them.
“Let us hope it does not come to that,” she said.
“Aye,” Fiona squinted her eyes suddenly as she looked into the distance. “Speaking of my brothers, is that nae Alasdair over there?”
As they all turned to look, Lorelei felt like a dark cloud had just obliterated the sun and cast a gray, foggy haze over everything.
Randolph made an odd sound that was almost a growl, which turned quickly into a cough, but Lorelei hardly spared him a glance.
Alasdair was heading straight toward them and beside him, on the driver’s bench, was Melissa.
…
