And no doubt getting redder. Joan cursed her cousin and shook her head stiffly, not daring to look in Alex’s direction. “It’s a bit warm, that’s all.” With as much dignity as she could muster, she forced herself to meet Alex’s gaze. “If you’ll excuse us, my lord, my cousins and I were just about to get some refreshment.”

She was being rude, and they both knew it. But all she wanted to do was get away. She sensed he felt the same—which didn’t necessarily make her feel any better—but he looked behind them, frowning. “Where is your escort?”

Joan pointed to the young squire kicking the dirt with boredom a few feet behind Alice. “Right there.”

“The lad?”

“My husband’s squire,” Alice interjected, looking back and forth between Alex and Joan with a slight furrow between her brows.

Joan nearly groaned. Wonderful. Was it so obvious that her oblivious cousin was noticing it? Whatever it was.

Alex turned to Alice and gave her a gallant bow. “Please, allow me to accompany you. The crowds can sometimes get unruly, and I cannot in good conscience let you go without proper escort.”

“No.” Joan’s objection came immediately, which is probably why he’d directed the request to her cousin in the first place. Aware of the three sets of eyes on her, she hastily explained, “I mean, thank you for your generous offer, but it isn’t necessary. Charlie is quite capable of looking after us.”

She looked in the squire’s direction only to see that he wasn’t paying attention to them at all. No longer bored, he was enthralled with a pair of young lasses who were standing a few feet away whispering and giggling behind their hands at the handsome young squire. Joan and her cousins could have had their purses cut—or throats for that matter—and he wouldn’t have noticed. Both young girls were rather generously proportioned in the breast area.

“Aye, I can see that,” Alex said dryly.

“We do not want to take you from your duties,” Margaret said.

Joan could have hugged her.

But Alex didn’t bite. His jaw was locked. She sensed a steely tenacity in him that would not be easily dissuaded. Which was exactly why she needed to avoid him.

“My duties can wait,” Alex said.

Joan sensed he would rather they not, but apparently chivalry took precedence.