Alexandra

Chapter Fourteen

"What do you think, Alexandra?" Richard asked a few days after her arrival, drawing her attention from her book and making her glance up questioningly. They were seated in the drawing room with his father, and Richard was glad for the opportunity to spend time with him as well as Alexandra. Kit, Cassandra and the children were visiting a nearby acquaintance.

"What?" She asked, revealing that she hadn't been paying attention, making Richard suppress a smile. The novel she'd been so engrossed in had been a romance novel, and Richard briefly wondered what it was about such books that made women love them so much.

"Father proposes that we host a ball to celebrate our engagement." Richard said, an edge to his tone that was meant to go unheard by all but Alexandra. He normally did not mind most social events, especially if they involved alcohol and dancing, but an entire night of pretending that all was alright was not something he would look forward to. "What do you think?"

"My son does not think much of this idea." George said wryly, making Richard wince. His father adored socialising because most people loved him, but the same could not be said for Richard. While he did have his fair share of friends, there were even more who whispered behind his back. Besides, he did not want to go through the process of an engagement party if, in the end, he could not win Alexandra over and there would be no wedding.

"I must say, Your Grace, I do agree with him." Alexandra said, wrinkling her nose. Richard sighed in relief, relaxing.

"Do neither of you take much pleasure in your engagement?" George asked, raising an eyebrow. "It certainly appears that way."

"Of course we do!" Alexandra protested while Richard chose the easy way out and ignored his father. That was what was best to do when he was in such a mood. It wasn't as if he was truly keen on an engagement ball, he simply wanted to irritate Richard. "Don't we, Richard?"

"Of course." He drawled, wondering whether it would soon be time for supper, since the sun was already beginning to set.

"Well, your permission isn't required. The ball will be held Friday next." His father informed them, much to Richard's ire. He groaned, sitting up straighter on the sofa as he prepared to argue, although he was quite sure no argument, however logical it might be, would ever be able to change his father's mind once he'd made it up. "Is the date alright with the both of you, or would you like to change that?"

The message was clear— the only thing they could change about the ball would be the date of its occurrence.

Alexandra looked to Richard for guidance, a little lost as to how she ought to handle the situation. He sighed, nodding briefly to reassure her before saying, "Since we clearly do not have a choice, the date is fine with me if it is alright with Alexandra."

"Oh!" She said, obviously having expected him to argue with his father. After a second of scrambling, she appeared to realise that she did not have an option either and seemed resigned as she spoke, a little hesitant, "I suppose it would be alright."

"Wonderful!" George exclaimed, rising to his feet, "My dear, simply give me a list of all those you'd wish to invite tomorrow and I shall send invitations out by the day after. That would give them a week to arrive. It ought to be enough, would it not?"

Alexandra did nothing but nod, and both father and son fortunately noticed that she was a little out of her depth. Leaving Richard to speak to her, his father took his leave, patting him affectionately on the shoulder and smiling kindly at Alexandra. He would most likely be resting till supper, which would give the two of them more than enough time to go over things.

"Why did you agree?" Alexandra asked, a little breathlessly, the moment his father was out of the room and earshot. "That would make everything much more....real, wouldn't it? And there will be far more people to ask questions when our engagement inevitably ends."