To Save a Love - Alexa Aston Page 0,2

her face. “Only Scotland.”

“Scotland?” Anna asked. “I don’t understand.”

Dez knew where his twin ventured because he had heard of the practice while at Eton. A friend’s older brother had eloped, much to the dismay of the family, who disowned the couple. If he wed Anna, he would receive no monetary support from his father. The earl would cut Dez off and they would have to somehow earn their own living with no help from others.

“You will need to travel the Great North Road and cross into Scotland,” Dalinda informed her friend. “The first town you come to is called Gretna Green. Scottish marital laws differ from those in England. You can marry there legally without parental consent. I heard about it from some of the girls in the retiring room the other night. You know how I love to eavesdrop.”

“What if you misunderstood, Dalinda?” Anna asked.

“She didn’t,” Dez said. “I know of the practice from school, as well.” He paused and took both Anna’s hands in his. “It would mean giving up everything you know, Anna. Your father—and mine—will denounce the action. They will cut us off. We . . . we would have to make our way in the world somehow.”

For the first time since he had entered the drawing room, he saw hope on her face. She gripped his hands tightly.

“I love you, Desmond Bretton. I always have and always will. Nothing could ever change that. I don’t care if we live in a hovel or a castle. As long as we are together, we can meet any challenge.”

He brought her hands to his lips and pressed a fervent kiss upon them.

“If you are sure, my love.”

Anna’s radiant smiled chased away any doubt Dez felt. “I have never been more certain of anything.” Then she frowned. “But how will we get there?”

“The mail coach,” Dalinda and Dez said at the same time.

“It’s uncomfortable, yes,” he added, “but it’s the cheapest and most efficient way to reach Gretna Green.”

“How long will it take?” Anna asked, her eyes filled with worry.

“Probably four or five days,” he shared.

“What if they come after us? Try to stop us?”

“They’ll have to know where we are headed. No one will,” he assured her, thinking quickly. “I will tell Father tonight that I have been invited to a friend’s country estate just outside of London. He won’t care if I am here or gone. I am no one to him. As for you, do you have an engagement this evening?”

“Yes,” she replied. “A rout.”

“Halfway through, claim a headache and see if you can be taken home.” Dez thought a moment. “Better yet, beg off going in the first place. Say you want to be well-rested for the betrothal announcement at tomorrow night’s ball. That you want to sleep until noon. Leave a note for your maid to discover and take to Lord Shelton. Write that you have had a change of heart and don’t wish to wed Lord Needham. That you have left for Surrey and home and you don’t care about the rest of the Season.”

“So, Papa will look for me in the opposite direction,” Anna said, a slow smile spreading across her beautiful face. “And your father won’t be looking for you at all.”

“Exactly,” he assured her though nerves now caused him to feel jittery, thinking of crossing both of their fathers and having to earn a living when he had no skills at all. “We need to leave on the earliest mail coach departing London and heading north to give ourselves a fair lead.”

“Who will buy the tickets?” Dalinda asked.

A brief knock sounded at the door. Though his arm was no longer around Anna’s shoulders, he couldn’t bring himself to let go of her hand. She already felt abandoned enough. He couldn’t hurt her more.

Thankfully, it was only Billy, who brought a cup and saucer. He crossed the room and then must have recognized something was amiss. “I . . . I brought . . . an extra cup for Mr. Bretton. I . . . thought he needed one for tea.”

“Thank you, Billy,” Dalinda said graciously, holding out her hand and accepting the extra china from the footman. “We also need you to run an errand for us,” she added, her gaze meeting her twin’s.

Dez acknowledged it and said to the footman, “I need you to purchase two tickets for the mail coach leaving London tomorrow morning for Scotland. The earliest possible.”

Wariness, coupled with understanding, grew in the servant’s eyes as