“Quiet, Georgy! As for you, Miss Greenaway, you’ll keep a civil tongue in your head or you don’t get a syllable more out of me.”
Marjorie Greenaway visibly struggled with herself. If this was the woman’s temperament, Alex was blowed if he gave Apple back to her at all.
“Very well, Lord Dymond,” she said at last, her tone as of one gritting her teeth. “Now would you kindly allow me to have a word with my cousin?”
Alex hesitated. He didn’t know just where Apple was at this moment, but he doubted she’d wish to see the woman. “You ain’t taking her away from here, I’ll tell you that now.”
“And I’d like to hear that from Apple’s lips, sir. How do I know you haven’t constrained her?”
“Like your brother, you mean?”
Walter reddened. “I’ve had enough of this, Marje! We’ll go to London and see the lawyer fellow ourselves.”
Marjorie flapped a hand at him and continued to stare at Alex. “Yes, we’ll see a lawyer all right, but it won’t be Vergette. Lord Dymond, if you don’t produce my cousin in person, we’ll have you up on a charge of kidnapping.”
Alex was just about to scarify the woman with a counter threat when the panel at the back of the room sprang open and Apple tumbled into the room.
“No! I won’t have it! I won’t let you!”
Chapter Twelve
The impulse that had sent her through the door gave way to dismay as Apple saw the effect of her entrance on the assembled company.
Georgy gave a shriek. “Apple, you idiot!”
“Ha!” exploded from Walter. “There you are, you disobedient wench!”
Marjorie glared. “Stupid, stupid girl!”
All of which Apple largely ignored, her gaze riveted on Alex, who cast up his eyes and shook his head at her. She took this up first. “It’s no use looking like that, Alex. I couldn’t possibly stand by and let them threaten you.”
“But, my dear girl —”
Riding over him, Apple turned on Marjorie. “How dare you try and have him charged with such a thing? Of course he didn’t kidnap me. I kidnapped him, if you must know, just as he said. And he’s looked after me much better than either of you ever did.”
She turned on the last, her fury embracing Walter as well, who growled in a fashion with which she was all too familiar.
“There’s gratitude for you!”
“I’ve no reason to be grateful to you, Walter. You’ve done nothing but try to get at my inheritance from the start.”
She came under instant fire from Marjorie.
“Will you be quiet, Apple? Your conduct is disgraceful. Anyone would suppose you’d been taught nothing of decency and maidenly modesty. Running off by yourself? Taking up with a strange man? What were you thinking?”
“Just what Lord Dymond told you. I wanted to see Mr Vergette. You wouldn’t support me when I told you I couldn’t stand the notion of marrying Mr Cumberledge. What else could I do?”
“You deserve a good slapping, girl! And when I get you home —”
“That will do, Miss Greenaway!”
The command came from Alex in a tone Apple had never heard from him. Marjorie stopped mid-sentence, her mouth still open as her head whipped round. Alex took a step towards her, and Apple almost quailed at the look in his face.
“You’ll raise a hand to the chit over my dead body, understand?”
A thrill shot through Apple’s veins and her heart began to pump hard. It was like having her very own champion, as if she was a medieval lady.
Marjorie was not visibly cowed and Walter squared up to him.
