Page 65 of A Stolen Heart

“I promised your aunt that I would bring you back, and I intend to do so,” he replied shortly, and Alexandra dropped the subject.

They had scarcely stepped into the house before Aunt Hortense appeared on the staircase. She hurried down the stairs, arms outstretched. “Alexandra! Oh, my dear, are you all right? We have been so worried!”

Alexandra went gratefully into her aunt’s arms. The truth was, she felt very much like crying on someone’s shoulder, though she had to admit that it had little to do with her ordeal. “I know. I’m sorry. How is Mother?”

Aunt Hortense drew back, shaking her head. “Alive, but still in a coma. I—I’m afraid that she may be like that forever!”

“Don’t say that. I am sure she will recover.”

“And here’s Nancy being hysterical now,” Aunt Hortense went on agitatedly, “and saying that she wants to leave this heathen country—well, one can hardly blame her, I suppose, for that, but I had thought that I could at least count on her not to fall to pieces. The butler’s threatening to tender his resignation. He says he has never worked in a household where such things happened—as if it were our fault! Now, I ask you…Needless to say, I told him that we were not used to such things happening in America, and I pointed out to him that at least in the United States people have a sense of loyalty to their employers. Then, the next thing I know, there’s Nancy blubbering like one of the upstairs maids and saying that she wants to go back home.”

“We can’t go back yet, not with Mother like that. We have to wait until she recovers. I suppose if Nancy is set on going, I could give her passage home by herself.”

Aunt Hortense sniffed. “I thought she was made of sterner stuff.”

Alexandra shrugged. “I suppose being hit on the head twice would be enough to jolt someone.”

Aunt Hortense turned to Thorpe. “I’m sorry, Lord Thorpe. You must think me rag mannered, indeed. I have not even thanked you for returning Alexandra to me. I am eternally indebted to you. You have done so much for us.” She turned toward Alexandra. “I hope you thanked him properly.”

“Of course.” Alexandra kept her eyes turned resolutely away from him. She was afraid that if she looked at him, Aunt Hortense would see written on her face everything that had happened the night before.

“I am only glad that I could be of service,” Thorpe replied stiffly.

“Come into the sitting room,” Aunt Hortense went on. “You must tell me everything that happened. How did you find Alexandra? Where was she?”

Alexandra and Thorpe cast a quick glance at each other and followed Aunt Hortense into the other room. When they sat down, Thorpe told her aunt a carefully expurgated account of how he had found Peggoddy and gotten Alexandra’s location from him, then had taken her away from Magdalena’s.

“But, my dear, how dreadful for you!” Aunt Hortense exclaimed, taking Alexandra’s hand and squeezing it. “But I don’t understand—where were you last night? After I got the message from Lord Thorpe’s servant? He said you were all right, so you must have been rescued by then.” She turned a puzzled face toward Thorpe.

Thorpe shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Alexandra could feel heat beginning to rise in her face.

Thorpe cleared his throat and said, “It was, ah, a delicate situation.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I, um, Miss Ward was not herself at the time, and I thought it would be better if you did not see her until she was fully recovered.”

Aunt Hortense looked at him steadily. “I cannot understand what could have been so wrong with her that she would not have been better off under my care.”

“I was drugged, Aunt Hortense,” Alexandra said flatly. “I suspect that they gave me opium.”

“Opium!”

“Yes—and some sort of herbal concoction. I am sure Lord Thorpe felt that you would be terribly shocked to see me that way.”

“No doubt I would have,” Aunt Hortense agreed heartily. “But I’m sure I have seen worse things than that. I did, after all, live through a war.” She fixed her stern gaze on Lord Thorpe. “This is a terrible situation. Surely you must see what damage it would do to Alexandra’s reputation if it were known that she spent the night at your house without any sort of chaperone!”

Thorpe set his jaw. “I can assure you that none of my servants will talk, Miss Ward. They are chosen for their loyalty, as well as their competence.”

“Aunt Hortense, please…it was for the best.”

“But it’s hardly the thing for you to be spending the night unprotected with a—an Englishman.”

“It would be no better if it had been an American man, Aunt. And you can rest assured that nothing happened.” Her last words were uttered with a heartfelt bitterness that made her aunt blink.

“But the appearances—what about your reputation?”

“What does it matter?” Alexandra retorted. “No one will know of it. We will be going home soon, and there will be no possibility of anyone there hearing of it.” Alexandra realized, with some surprise, that the thought of returning to the United States made her want to cry.