Part 32 (2/2)
Felicity grinned, enjoying Alexia's discomfort. ”Miss Hisselpenny was awfully distraught when she composed it. I noticed no less than ten exclamation marks.”
”And why, pray tell, would she leave it with you?” Alexia sat down and served herself a small portion of haggis.
Felicity shrugged, biting into a pickled onion. ”I was the only one keeping respectable hours?”
Alexia was instantly suspicious. ”Felicity, did you encourage them in any way into this rash course of action?”
”Who, me?” Her sister blinked wide eyes at her. ”I never.”
Lady Maccon was confident that if Felicity had helped, she had done so out of malice. She rubbed at her face with one hand. ”Miss Hisselpenny will be ruined.”
Felicity grinned. ”Yes, yes, she will. I knew no good could possibly come of their a.s.sociation. I never liked Mr. Tunstell. I never even thought to look in his direction.”
Lady Maccon gritted her teeth and opened Ivy's message.
All about the dining table, fascinated eyes watched her and less fascinated jaws masticated even more kipper.
Dearest Alexia, the message read. Oh, please absolve me of this guilt I already feel squis.h.i.+ng on my very soul! Oh, please absolve me of this guilt I already feel squis.h.i.+ng on my very soul! Lady Maccon huffed, trying not to laugh. Lady Maccon huffed, trying not to laugh. My troubled heart weeps! My troubled heart weeps! Oh dear, Ivy was getting flowery. Oh dear, Ivy was getting flowery. My bones ache with the sin that I am about to commit. Oh, why must I have bones? I have lost myself to this transplanting love. You could not possibly understand how this feels! Yet try to comprehend, dearest Alexia, I am like a delicate bloom. Marriage without love is all very well for people like you, but I should wilt and wither. I need a man possessed of a poet's soul! I am simply not so stoic as you. I cannot stand to be apart from him one moment longer! The caboose of my love has derailed, and I must sacrifice all for the man I adore! Please do not judge me harshly! It was all for love! ~ Ivy. My bones ache with the sin that I am about to commit. Oh, why must I have bones? I have lost myself to this transplanting love. You could not possibly understand how this feels! Yet try to comprehend, dearest Alexia, I am like a delicate bloom. Marriage without love is all very well for people like you, but I should wilt and wither. I need a man possessed of a poet's soul! I am simply not so stoic as you. I cannot stand to be apart from him one moment longer! The caboose of my love has derailed, and I must sacrifice all for the man I adore! Please do not judge me harshly! It was all for love! ~ Ivy.
Lady Maccon pa.s.sed the missive to her husband. Several lines in, he began to guffaw.
His wife, eyes twinkling, said unhelpfully, ”Husband, this is a serious matter. There are derailed cabooses to consider. You have lost your valet, for one, not to mention a promising claviger for the Woolsey Pack.”
Lord Maccon wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. ”Ah Tunstell, the nitwit, he was never a very good claviger. I was having doubts about him anyhow.”
Lady Maccon took Ivy's note back from him. ”But we must feel sorry for poor Captain Featherstonehaugh.”
Lord Maccon shrugged. ”Must we? He has had a lucky escape, if you ask me. Imagine having to look at those hats for the rest of one's life.”
”Conall.” His wife slapped his arm in reprimand.
”Well,” Lord Maccon said truculently.
”You realize, husband, this puts us in an exceptionally embarra.s.sing position? Ivy was in my charge. We shall have to inform her parents of this sad affair.”
Lord Maccon shrugged. ”The newlyweds will probably make it back to London before we do.”
”You believe they are headed there after Gretna Green?”
”Well, Tunstell is hardly likely to give up the stage. Besides, all of his possessions are at Woolsey.”
Lady Maccon sighed. ”Poor Ivy.”
”Why poor Ivy?”
”Well, my dear, you must admit, she has come rather down in the world.”
Lord Maccon waggled his eyebrows. ”I always thought your friend had a flair for the dramatic, my dear. my dear.”
Alexia winced. ”You suppose she will join him in treading the boards?”
Lord Maccon shrugged.
Felicity, who had been avidly listening in to their conversation, slapped her fork down on her empty plate with a clank. ”Well, I say say! You mean she will not be completely ruined?”
Lord Maccon only smiled.
”You know, husband”-Lady Maccon glanced at her sister-”I think you may be right. She might make for a pa.s.sing good actress. She certainly has the looks for it.”
Felicity stood up from the table and marched out of the room.
Lord and Lady Maccon exchanged grins.
Alexia figured this was as good a time as any. ”Husband,” she said, casually helping herself to another small portion of haggis and a.s.siduously avoiding the kippers. Her stomach was still feeling a little queasy, having never really recovered from the dratted dirigible experience, but a body had to eat.
”Aye?” Conall loaded his plate down with mounds of various dead critters.
”We will be departing presently, will we not?”
”Aye.”
”I ken ken it is time you bit Lady Kingair, then,” she stated baldly into the quiet munching of the dinner table. it is time you bit Lady Kingair, then,” she stated baldly into the quiet munching of the dinner table.
The pack was immediately in an uproar, everyone talking at once.
”You canna change a woman,” objected Dubh.
”She's the only Alpha we got left,” added Lachlan, as though Alpha were a cut of meat to be acquired at the butcher.
Lady Kingair did not say anything, looking pale but resolute.
Alexia, rather boldly, took her husband's chin in one gloved hand, turning him mortal and turning him toward her.
”You need to do this, regardless of your pack laws and your werewolf pride. Take my counsel in this matter; remember, you married me for my good sense.”
He grumbled but did not jerk his head away. ”I married you for your body and to stop that mouth of yours. Look where that's got me.”
”Aw, Conall, what a sweet thing to say.” Lady Maccon rolled her eyes and then kissed him swiftly, on the lips, right there in front of the whole dinner table.
It was the surest way to silence a pack-scandalize them all. Even Conall was left speechless, with his mouth hanging slightly open.
”Good news, Lady Kingair,” said Alexia. ”My husband has agreed to change you.”
The Kingair Beta laughed, breaking the dumbfounded hush. ”I'm guessing she is is a proper Alpha for all she was born a curse-breaker. Never thought I'd see you line up short to the petticoats, old wolf.” a proper Alpha for all she was born a curse-breaker. Never thought I'd see you line up short to the petticoats, old wolf.”
Lord Maccon stood up slowly and leaned forward, staring across at Dubh. ”Want to try me again, pup? I can beat you down just as soundly in wolf form as I could in human.”
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