The Last Alpha

Chapter 6

People start to leave just as the sun begins to set, which is a relief seen as they have been here since just after lunch but the happy couple seem to be proud of how well it went.  Mr Jackson called Adam away not long before the party ended and Lucy has since joined me at a table, both of us exhausted from spending the afternoon out in the blistering heat.  We watch Ian and Jenifer stroll around the garden, locked in each other’s arms and laughing together in harmony.

I think about how nice it must be to have someone that you care about enough to want to spend your life with them.  It must be reassuring to have such a connection with an individual, Ian and Jenifer seem to relish in it.  Lucy, clearly thinking along the same lines, interrupts this line of thought by bringing up a new topic of conversation.

“Did you find your Mother?”  Lucy enquires with a sly look in her eyes.

“I couldn’t find her, she must have got lost in the crowds.”  I say in an attempt to cover up what had actually happened.

“Really because I bumped into her not long after you left and she said that she hadn’t asked for you.”  She counters, edging further towards the truth.

“I…”  Not able to think of a response quickly enough I fumble and instantaneously Lucy jumps to a conclusion.

“I knew Adam was full of nonsense, he just wanted to get you away from Henry.”  She yells energetically, bouncing on her seat.

“He was just trying to help.”  I refute. 

“By dragging you away from the most eligible bachelor in town, how on earth is that helping you?  Henry would have asked to escort you to his party.”

“And I would have had to say no.  Hurting the ego of the most eligible man, as you put it, is not something I want to do in my first week.”

“Why would you have had to say no?”  Lucy asks in confusion, putting prominence on the word had.

“Because I have no interest in going with him and I wouldn’t want to cause him false hope for the future by accepting.”

“How can you not be interested?  Every girl in town would throw themselves under a horse for the chance to be on his arm.”  She hollers hysterically.

“He is far too forward for my liking.  I am not impressed by a man’s ego or who his father happens to be.” I retort.

“You’re loss is our gain.”  She replies happily.  “How about we go inside and continue this conversation?  The wind is picking up and my arms are starting to freeze.”

We stand up from our seats and slowly walk inside, rubbing our arms as the cold wind catches us.  As we climb the front steps and walk into the foyer we see Adam racing down the steps.  In his mad rush he almost runs straight past us and out the door but instead he manages to halt himself just in front of us, his boyish smile making my heart flutter just a little.

“Elizabeth I’m glad I caught you.  I was wondering if you were busy at all tomorrow?”  He enquires nervously, his hands tucked into his pockets in an effort to conceal his fidgeting fingers.  “It’s no problem if you are, I was just curious.”

“No I’m free all day.”  I answer with a smile which is reciprocated.

“Good, I was hoping that maybe I could show you the estate.  I know that you said you enjoyed riding around yours when you were at home and so I thought it might be nice if I show you ours.”

“That sounds like fun.”  I reply excitedly.  “But I don’t have a horse here.”

“That’s ok Beth, you can take mine.”  Lucy offers; the same look from before now growing exponentially.