“Elliott! I forbid you to call me stereotypical. The very word is an insult. I simply wish to ensure that you marry the right sort of woman.”
He couldn’t help himself. He had to ask, “And just what is the right sort of woman?”
“Certainly not one who would marry a man after knowing him for only two days!”
“Alice and I knew each other for longer than that, and we cohabited the entire time, which I think you’ll agree speeds up the getting-to-know-you phase. No, no more, Mum. My shoulder hurts, and Alice will be back any minute. You may come to see me if you insist, but you will treat Alice with the respect due her as my wife.”
“Thank the lord that you have not yet married her!” was his mother’s final cry before hanging up the phone.
He got himself and his IV to the bathroom, and was being put back into bed by a thickset male nurse when Alice hurried into the room. “Oh, you’re up? How are you feeling?”
“Sore, and I’m not up. The doctor won’t be by to see me until around lunch. Did you eat?”
“Oodles and oodles. More than enough to make up for missing a few meals.” Alice waited until the nurse checked the IV and went off to deal with other patients.
“He seems nice,” she said, nodding after the nurse.
“Everyone has been very kind,” he said, eyeing her. He didn’t like to see the deep purple smudges beneath her eyes, a sign that she had not gotten any sleep. At least he’d seen to it that she had some food. “I should warn you that my mother will be here shortly.”
“Warn me?” She curled up on the visitor’s chair, hugging her knees to her chest. “That sounds ominous. I kind of got the impression that your mom would be super happy that you finally got married.”
“I assumed she would be, as well, but evidently she is determined to bring drama to our lives.” He reached out with his good arm and took her hand. “I want you to promise me that you won’t let anything she says or does upset you.”
“Uh-oh.” Her fingers tightened on his. “That sounds worse than ominous. Is she mad that we got married without her? Did you tell her we’re going to have a big party to celebrate after we have the civil ceremony?”
“She’s . . .” He thought for a moment, trying to explain the complexities that were his mother. “Mum can frequently be a contradiction. She has very strong beliefs in equality and justice, and the idea of every person making his or her own way through the world, and yet, she can be single-minded in her attempts to force things the way she wants them. Right now she’s clinging to the belief that all Americans are bad, and thus, she must rid me of you.”
Alice’s shoulders slumped. “Oh, great, I’m going to have a mom-in-law who hates me.”
“Hate is too strong of a word.”
“Dislike?”
He shook his head, grimacing when his shoulder pulled. Alice immediately got up to readjust his pillows. He settled back on them with a sigh of relief. “Dislike implies knowledge of whatever is being disliked. This is more an unreasonable prejudice, if that is not too repetitive a description. She thinks all Americans want a title; therefore, you must be after me for my title, and nothing more.”
“Then I’ll just have to show her I don’t give a damn about your title. Or rather,” she said quickly, obviously seeing the little frown that formed between his brows, “that it doesn’t matter to me whether or not you have a title. Is that better?”
He let the frown go. “Much better. I may not make a fuss about it, but the barony is an ancient one, and not all of my ancestors were oddballs like my parents.”
“Just so . . .” She stopped and did that lip-biting thing that never failed to make him want to kiss her. And frequently more. “Just so you don’t end up being brainwashed, and want to dump me. Because honestly, Elliott, I don’t think I could go through that again. It was bad enough with Patrick, and he was a jerkwad. You’re every woman’s dream.”
“Hardly that,” he said with a gentle laugh. Anything else hurt too much. “You shouldn’t need the reassurance that I am not so fickle with my affections, but since you do, let me just say right now that there is nothing my mother can say that will change my mind. You’re stuck with me.”
“Good,” she said with a happy sigh. “Now, would you like to tell me what happened? Gunner told me briefly, but I’m confused how that part of the building fell down twice.”
“It didn’t fall twice—the bulk of the tower collapsed two days ago, injuring a couple of workmen, who are luckily recovering nicely. That’s why it was so urgent that I leave you and return home. When I went to see the damage, part of the existing wall that supported the now-destroyed tower fell. Richardson and I weren’t standing under it, if that’s what your frown means—we weren’t that stupid. The part of the wall that fell landed on the rubble of the tower, and knocked some of the larger stones aside. One of them caught me on the shoulder.”
“You’re lucky you weren’t killed,” Alice said with a gratifyingly frightened face. “Oh, boy, do I want to climb on that bed and hug you like you’ve never been hugged before.”
To hell with the pain. He held up his good arm, trying hard not to show how his broken bone hurt when she carefully curled into his good side. He breathed in the smell of her—now a somewhat antiseptic version of her usual flowery scent, since she had taken a fast shower in the attached bathroom—and put aside the pain for the pleasure of holding her.
That was how his mother found them—Alice sound asleep, drooling slightly on his shoulder, while he made mental lists of all the things he needed to do once he was released.
“What on earth is that woman doing up there! Elliott! Release her at once!”
“Shh,” he warned, glancing down at Alice, but the damage was done. She slid off the bed with a guilty, sleepy look, shoving her hair back from her face, and trying to straighten her clothing at the same time.
“Oh, sorry. I must have fallen asleep. Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“Because you needed your sleep, and there was no reason to move you. Mum, may I introduce you to Alice Wood.”
“Ainslie,” Alice prompted.
“Ainslie,” he agreed, knowing that where it concerned his mother, it would be best to start out as he meant to go. “My wife. Alice, this is my mother, Rosalyn, Lady Ainslie.”
“I’m so happy to meet you at last,” Alice said, her hand outstretched as she came around the bed to where his mother stood. “And I know that I must come as a huge surprise to you, what with Elliott and I deciding that we were meant for each other, and all that sappy stuff that must seem really weird to you, but we really did decide that. I mean, how could one not? Elliott is so wonderful, and I thank my lucky stars that Patrick dumped me when he did, because if he didn’t, then I would never have met Elliott, and I wouldn’t be standing here right now. I’m babbling, aren’t I? I’m so sorry about that. I babble when I’m nervous, and Elliott told me that you weren’t best pleased about the fact that we got married without him even telling you about me, and that you have a thing about Americans, but I assure you that I don’t give a hoot about the fact that he has a title. I mean, I think it’s neat and all, but I didn’t want him because of it. In fact, it still strikes me as being weird.” She stopped for a breath, looking so endearingly miserable and unsure that Elliott was ready to leap to her defense.
His mother had listened in silence to Alice’s monologue, then turned to Elliott. “Why?” was all she asked.
He took a deep breath. “Mum, I told you that I love Alice, and nothing you can say is going to change that.”
“Why would I want to change anything of the kind?” she asked.
Elliott felt out of his depths, an emotion that he frequently experienced around his mother. “You said you didn’t want me marrying her—”
“Nonsense!” She gave him a little buffet on the top of his head, then turned to exam
ine Alice. “This girl is perfectly charming, not at all like what you told me she was. She’s quite clearly head over heels in love with you, and if you feel the same way, then I would be the last person on earth to interfere. My dear, you look peaked. Have you been ill?”
“Oh my god,” Alice said, suddenly releasing a breath she’d obviously been holding. She shot a look of mingled confusion and relief at Elliott before suddenly embracing his mother. “I can’t tell you how happy you’ve just made me! I thought you were going to be a horrible mother-in-law, and were going to try to break us up whenever you could, and would make snide comments and digs when Elliott wasn’t around.”
“You poor child,” his mother said. “What horrors has Elliott made you imagine? How like a man to scare you like that. Now, you must come back to the castle with me. It’s clear that you have been suffering, and need care and attention, and you shall have it in abundance. I will move immediately from the baroness’s bedroom, and make it available to you. I hope you like peach. Elliott, you must move into your father’s room—it’s long past time you did that.”
Alice protested, but his mother was having none of it until Elliott said loudly (frequently the only way to get through to his mother), “I’m quite happy in my own rooms, and there’s ample space for Alice there, so you do need not move anyone, Mum. Although I do agree that Alice needs care and attention—she will tell you what she had to go through to get here, so I’d be grateful if you would tell everyone to give her all due consideration.”
“Of course I will. You don’t imagine I’d let the mother of my grandchildren be abused and neglected, do you?” Mum asked with a disgusted look cast his way. She steered Alice by the shoulders to the door. “I shall take you up to the castle now, Alice dear, so that you might meet Elliott’s brothers and sisters. They will be delighted to know you. And then I will show you around the grounds, and you will appreciate just how old and vaunted the barony is. After that, lunch, and perhaps a visit to Ainston so that you might get to know the town, too. It is important to us, the town. So many of the tenants live there, you see.”
“But—but Elliott—,” Alice said, gesturing as she was shoved out the door.
“Oh, he’ll be fine. It’s just a broken collarbone. Did he tell you how many times that Edmond, my beloved husband, broke his collarbone? It seemed as if he was forever doing it. No doubt Elliott gets his weak collarbones from his father’s side of the family—”
His mother’s voice drifted back as the ladies left, Alice with one last startled glance. He smiled to himself, pleased that his mother saw what he saw in Alice, and content that all would be well in that regard.
The following day, Alice, Gunner, and his mother were on hand to take him home. Elliott gritted his teeth against the pain of the ride to the castle, regretting the loss of his IV drip filled with painkillers. Bertie was waiting for them on the front steps, dancing around excitedly while inquiring if there was anything he could do.
It seemed to take forever, but at last Elliott was settled in bed, Alice at his side, and his mother dashing in and out of his bedroom scattering random facts she felt were pertinent to the situation. Elliott couldn’t help but be amused by how quickly his mother had taken to Alice—it must be something in their genes, he mused to himself as Alice arranged pillows and adjusted the drapes so that the sun didn’t shine in his eyes. His mother never said the word “Alice” without appending “dear” to it.
“Walston has some new sheep in the south meadow. Walston is one of our tenants, Alice dear. You will like him. Bertie, don’t fuss with Elliott’s laptop. You know how he dislikes that. Alice dear, close the drape just a bit more. The sun will soon move and it will make Elliott uncomfortable. Did Richardson—he’s the builder, Alice dear—did he tell you that the insurance man called at the castle this morning? He said he would be back later today, so that he might speak to you, but that you were not to worry about the payouts to those men who were injured, so all is well there.”
“Other than the increases in insurance premiums, yes,” Elliott said, and immediately felt like a heel in being concerned by monetary issues when three men had been injured working on his home.
“Should he see the insurance man, do you think, Alice dear?” His mother frowned, and tweaked the duvet covering him. “He looks pale.”
Alice’s lips twitched as her eyes met his. He let a little of the exasperation show, which she answered with another twitch of her lips. She got control of herself, though, and turned a placid face to his mother. “I think he’ll be fine so long as he doesn’t try to cartwheel his way out to meet the guy.”
“Yes, but he looks so horrible.”
“Thank you,” Elliott said, shooting his young brother a look when the latter cackled, and slumped into an easy chair that sat next to the fireplace.
“Elliott’s a big boy,” Alice said, taking a page from his mother’s book, and gently escorting her to the door. “If he didn’t feel well enough to meet with someone, I’m sure he’d tell us.”
“Men can be so stupid about things like that,” Mum answered, but allowed herself to be persuaded. “Is that the time? I must be off. There is a meeting of the dramatics society that I said I would attend, even though that sort of thing isn’t really me. I’m the least dramatic person I know, aren’t I, Bertie dear?”
“Yes, Mum,” Bertie answered without bothering to look up from Elliott’s laptop.
“Leave it, Bertie,” Elliott growled. He disliked others touching his computer. They had a way of messing up things that made him tetchy just thinking about it. “Don’t you have something to do?”
“Summer hols,” Bertie said, poking at the keyboard.
Alice came back into the room, and took in Elliott’s growing frustration with one swift look.
“Beat it, kiddo,” she told Bertie, holding the door open.
He looked up in surprise.
Alice jerked her head toward the door. “Now.”
Bertie grinned, slammed closed the laptop in a way that had Elliott saying something quite rude, and got to his feet, slouching his way to the door in his usual manner. “So it’s going to be like that, is it?” he asked Alice, pausing in front of her.
“You got a problem with me?” she asked in a voice that was surprisingly tough.
His grin grew, and he shook his head. “No, but I bet old El doesn’t have a clue as to what he’s let himself in for.”
She gave him a little push out of the door, closing it and leaning against it with a tired sigh. “OK, let me preface this by saying that I love your family—”
“But a little of them goes a long way? I am in complete agreement with you.”
“So what now?” She moved around his room, clearly at a loss as to what she should be doing.
“The doctor said I should stay in bed for another day or two in order to minimize jarring the bones, and then I will be released from this room. If you hand me my laptop, I can do a little one-handed work.”
“I meant now what do I do? I’m happy to take care of you, but other than shooing people out of your hair, I’m not sure what you need done.” She set the laptop on the bed, plopping down next to him.
His shoulder screamed with the movement of the bed. He waited until the sharp burn of pain dulled into a bearable level, and answered, “You’re free to do whatever you like. Gunner said he’d be here for a few more days, and he’d be happy to show you around, or you can wait for me to do the same.”
“Do you have any work I could be doing?”
“Work? Such as?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, something secretarial? You’re a writer—you must have tons of paperwork and the like. Do you need something typed?”
“I have a voice program that will take my dictation.”
“There’s got to be something I can do. I hate feeling like I’m being a burden.”
&nbs
p; He gave her hand a squeeze. He wished he could do more, but even that movement had him braced against the resulting pain that not even his medication would alleviate. “Now you’re being silly. You aren’t a burden. I’m quite serious when I say you can do what you like. My home is now your home. I want you to feel comfortable here.”
“Oh, Elliott!” She snuggled up to his side, careful to avoid the injured area, but still making him wince. “You really are the most amazing man. I’m sorry to be such a pill when you’re feeling crappy, and I don’t mean to whine. I’m just feeling a bit . . . lost. I love your family, and of course, the castle is fantastic, but it’s all so . . . strange. I can’t shake the feeling that Cecily is going to pounce on me from a dark corner and make me leave the house.”
“You’ve been introduced to the staff as my wife, so that won’t happen.”
She bit her lip.
He had to look away so as to keep from kissing her. He tried to think of something for her to do that would give her a feeling of involvement without working her too hard. “Why don’t you plan our wedding party?”
“You’re kidding, right?” She pulled back to look up at him. “Your mother would kill me, Elliott, kill me if I dared to disrupt the plans she’s already making for that. It’s going to be on a Sunday, so she can thumb her nose at some local preacher dude by having your lesbian sister and her partner present, not that I understand all of that, but with your mom, it’s really just easier to let her roll ahead with her plans. Besides, she’s planning a kick-ass party, much better than I could have done. I don’t suppose I could help you with your book?”
“No, I’ve never been one who could work with a collaborator.”
She hesitated, then said, without looking at him, “What about your other work?”
He thought about that. Dixon acted as steward, but there were still some tasks that he as baron had to do. “I don’t know what there really is that you could do. It’s mostly things I have to attend to myself.”