“Robert Lemonade!” the children chorused. “Robert Lemonade!”
He turned to glare at Elizabeth, who wore a pleased little smile on her face. This was her fault! He shoved her soundly. She stumbled back but didn’t fall. Her eyebrows came together and she stepped up to him, looking determined. Robert was prepared to shove her again or pull her hair when he saw her small fist sail through the air towards him.
He stumbled backward, tripped over a root and landed on his backside. New laughter erupted around them. Not only was he crying and wet his pants, but now a seven-year-old chubby girl had knocked him down in front of everyone!
“Better make sure to bring your nanny with you next semester, Robert Lemonade!” a boy yelled.
“Yeah, don’t want any unseemly yellow stains on the mattress!”
“I’d hate to be his roommate. Can you imagine smelling vinegar all year?” the boys yelled, taunted and teased.
Robert dragged himself to his feet and glared at Elizabeth Stanton. One day…one day, he would get her back for this. He would have his revenge.
In front of everyone, she turned her back on him just in time for her father to discreetly grab her and haul her off.
Robert stood there, his hands curled up into fists, ignoring his family’s concerns, the laughter and jeers and focused on the receding image of Elizabeth as she left the park. One day soon…
Chapter 2
1824
“This is for your own good, Elizabeth!”
“You said that last year,” she pointed out, not bothering to raise her voice or even look up from her book as she turned the page and settled back against the chair, trying to get comfortable.
“And it would have been if you’d accepted a proposal!” her father stubbornly argued as he continued trying to pry the library door open so that he could drag her off to London, where she’d be forced to attend balls and dinners night after night all while her parents shoved every single man with a title to his name in her direction.
She wasn’t interested in marrying for a title, but they refused to listen to her, so now she was forced to take matters into her own hands and barricade herself in the library. It wouldn’t stop them from dragging her off to London, nothing would, but it would grant her a little more time to relax before she was forced to endure the hustle and bustle of life in London. It would also probably get her father to-
“Fine,” he said, sounding out of breath, “let’s discuss the matter.”
Biting back a triumphant smile, Elizabeth placed her book down, smoothed down her skirts and walked over to the door, but she didn’t open it. She wasn’t foolish, after all. There was no doubt in her mind that her father had at least two footmen standing with him on the other side of that door, waiting to grab her and drag her to the carriage waiting outside.
“I’m listening,” Elizabeth said, leaning back against the wall as she waited to find out what he was willing to offer in exchange for her corporation.
There was a slight pause before he asked, “Are you going to open the door, sweetheart?”
And make the same mistake that her two older sisters made when they’d been forced to take the same action? No, she really didn’t think that would be wise. Besides, unlike her sisters, Elizabeth couldn’t be bought, and he knew it. She didn’t care about dresses, silks, shoes, ribbons, jewelry, shopping, or any number of trinkets that the other women in her family adored and her father used against them when the need arose.
Not that Elizabeth didn’t appreciate pretty things, she did. She just didn’t care enough about them to cave to her father’s demands or justify spending a small fortune on them. Most people considered her to be odd, and perhaps she was, but she didn’t care.
“I’ll get this door opened eventually,” her father said, sounding hopeful that it would be enough to scare her into unlocking the door and going to her doom quietly.
It wasn’t.
“And then, I’ll just find another way to avoid going altogether,” Elizabeth said, smiling when he let out that annoyed growl that usually worked on her sisters.
“What do you want?” he asked warily, no doubt expecting her to ask for something outrageous.
He knew her so well, Elizabeth thought, unable to help but smile.
“I want my independence,” she said, not terribly surprised when he released another one of those vicious growls that he seemed to love.
“This again? Really, Elizabeth?” her father demanded in exasperation.
“It’s what I want,” she said, wondering just how early she’d be able to talk him into letting her go to her north estate.
Technically, she was supposed to wait until her twenty-fourth birthday to take control of her inheritance, but since her inheritance was under her father’s control, he could release it to her early. Unfortunately for her, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about his youngest daughter living alone, which, of course, was the reason why he was trying to drag her off to London.
