Alexis regarded her ecstatically.
“They match your hair exactly. But alas, I am not Jupiter. I cannot pour myself upon you in a golden rain.”
His eyes met hers with a new audacity. “But I’ll dissolve into tears, which will amount to the same thing, if you look at me like that!” he added hastily.
Anne hated herself for flushing. She averted her head.
“You absurd boy! Come, we must hurry, or Regina’s lunch will be spoiled. It’s so nice and warm today, she promised to serve it on the porch. Won’t that be jolly? It’s supposed to be a great surprise, but I suspect a risotto à la Milanese.”
She led the way to the house. A puzzled frown between his straight brows, Alexis followed.
“You are in a great hurry,” he said, in hurt tones. “You forget the baby is still learning to walk!” His voice was plaintive in the extreme.
She turned about in quick repentance. His laughing eyes were roguish.
“Changeling!” she murmured. She disdained the arm he held out in feigned weakness. “What shall I do with you, you are incorrigible!”
There was a note of triumph in his laugh. Taking her arm masterfully in his, he looked down upon her teasingly.