Page 108 of May I Have the Pleasure
“I can still call you Lizzy?”
“Of course! You are still my sister. And the same goes for you, Anne. General Bristol, it is good to see you. Are you taking care of Anne as you should?”
“Yes, madam. I meet Lady Catherine’s approval, so I shall hope for yours.”
“General, if you are good enough for Lady Catherine de Bourgh, you are certainly good enough for me. I wish she could have made the trip.”
“Me too, Lizzy.”
“And who is this unknown gentleman?”
“Princess Elizabeth, may I present Señor Hidalgo. Sr Hidalgo, my sister, Elizabeth, Princess of Sweden.”
“An honour to meet you, your highness.”
“A pleasure, Sr Hidalgo.”
“Lizzy, Sr Hidalgo is my physician. He managed to cure that cough I had since we were children.”
“You did!Sr Hidalgo, you are my new hero. Pray tell me, what was the remedy?”
“Believe it or not, it is food! I appear to be intolerant of certain foods like milk and cheese.”
“I am all astonishment!I commend you on your perspicuity, sir.”
“It was my pleasure.”
“I must also commend you on your diligence. Trailing a single patient over 1,500 miles by ship when you have already cured her seems a bit… excessive?”
“You have found me out, sister. He is not just—”
“Not just what, Kitty?”
“He is… he is—”
“Come, come, Kitty. Just say you are engaged and get it over with—unless of course, you are already married.”
“Sometimes you are too smart for your own good.”
“That is not a stellar example of my observational skills. You can hardly take your eyes off him, and I am not at all certain he heard anything I said so far. Shall I quiz him? Can you repeat anything I just said, Sr Hidalgo?”
“You are cruel, Lizzy. He has in fact proposed, and I have accepted. We have Uncle Gardiner’s blessing but wanted yours as well.”
“How would you like to get married from the Swedish Royal Palace?”
“You are insane!”
“EXCELLENT!I shall take that as ayes.”
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Paris—July 1817
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“Fitzwilliam, I am so happy to see you. Thank you for coming to visit.”
“Princess Elizabeth, it is my privilege.”
