I suppose he must have noticed the hurt look on my face. “You don’t understand,” he said hastily. “I was waiting for the right moment for you to meet my father and to tell him about us. This would be a disaster. He’d resent your being there, seeing him in a position of weakness, and he’d take an instant dislike to you. And I’m afraid he’s like my namesake, Darcy in Pride and Prejudice: his ‘good opinion once lost is lost forever.’ He is famous for harboring grudges.”

“How did such a disagreeable person manage to produce such a wonderful son?” I said, gazing up at him with love in my eyes.

“My mother, I suppose. She was a lovely person in all ways, inside and out. She made my father behave himself and she turned him into a better person when she was with him. And then she died. And he lost hope, I suppose, and reverted to his former crotchety self. I wish you could have met her, Georgie.”

“I wish that too. But we have to accept things as they are, don’t we? My father died, as did your mother, and we’ve both been left to fend for ourselves. But the good thing is that we have each other. I’ll do what you want, Darcy. Whatever makes it easier for you. Why don’t we drive together to Holyhead and I’ll see you onto the ferry and then take the car back to London if that’s what you want.”

He touched my cheek. “You’re a wonderful girl, Georgie. I’m so sorry it all went wrong and my lovely surprise didn’t work out and we never got to Gretna Green. But I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll get married soon, when this horrid business is all sorted out. We’ll have a big fancy wedding. And we’ll invite your father.”

He nodded. “Yes.” As if he was trying to believe it.

“So we should get going. It’s a long drive to Holyhead.”

“I don’t want to put you through all that, Georgie. The train is much simpler and probably much faster. There is bound to be snow on the moors between Yorkshire and Lancashire and the roads could be closed there too. No, we’ll drive together into York. I’ll take the train and you’ve got a straight shot into London down the Great North Road. Knowing you are home safely will give me one less thing to worry about.”

“All right. If that’s what you want,” I said flatly.