Page 27 of Enslaved to the Seduction of a Lady
“I cannot believe that there is no one,” Teresa said, although with a chuckle on her lips. “You’re six-and-twenty, and you have never—”
“Teresa! Do not parrot Father, please,” she rolled her eyes.
“No, I’m not,” she said, still chuckling. “I don’t care one jot if you are married or not, other than for your own happiness, dear sister. But I don’t believe that by the age of six-and-twenty, you have never once experienced love.”
Alison went quiet, and she could feel her cheeks blush as her thoughts raced through her. She fiddled with the trim on the edge of the blanket, not saying anything, the mood of the afternoon changed. She felt anxious, certainly, but she felt totally in love, too.
How can I explain this to her?
“Alison,” Teresa said, her voice soft and her head tilted. “Is everything all right? I am sorry if I have upset you; it was not my intention.”
“No, you haven’t upset me,” Alison said, shaking her head. She had her eyes closed, not wanting to reveal herself. “But there is something I should tell you.”
“What is it?” Teresa asked. “You know you can tell me anything, don’t you?”
She opened her eyes and looked at her sister, nodding.
“The truth is, there is someone.”
“Goodness, that’s wonderful news,” Teresa cried, a hand over her heart. “Why haven’t you said anything before now?”
Alison heard herself groan and she put her hand to her face.
“It is wonderful, isn’t it?” Teresa asked. “There is no dark secret, is there?”
“It is wonderful, yes,” Alison said, although her words were muffled as she spoke into her hand. “He’s… perfect.”
“Then whatever is the matter?” Teresa asked. Alison felt Teresa’s hand on her arm, pulling it down from her face, and Alison finally looked up at her.
“He is not a match that Father would approve of,” she said simply.
“Oh, don’t be too sure about that,” Teresa said, a forced jollity in her tone. “He is eager to see you married and happy, and if you have found something without him needing to intervene, all the better. What’s his name?”
“His name is Luke,” Alison said, unable to stop the smile from creeping up her face, uncontrollable as it always was when she thought of him.
“And his title?” Teresa asked. Alison felt herself blush again, but her smile dropped. She took a deep breath and looked into her sister’s eyes.
“Head groom.”
“Head groom?” Teresa looked confused for a moment and then her eyes widened in understanding. “Ah, I see,” she said. “Head groom.”
“As I said, not a match Father would approve of. We live in widely different worlds. He is neither wealthy nor part of the nobility. He is—”
“But do you love him?” Teresa asked, interrupting her, and Alison gushed her reply.
“Goodness yes. I love him more than I ever thought it possible to love anyone. He is my world, Teresa, and I have loved him ever since the day I met him.”
“And he loves you, too?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “I am certain of it. He has told me as much.”
“Well then the answer is simple,” Teresa said.
“It is?” Alison looked up at her, hope thrumming in her chest.
“Yes, of course. We shall just have to make Mother and Father understand.”
Alison snorted.
