He couldn't stop her without causing even more of a scene than she probably already had, and while he was worried that something might be deeply wrong with Jo he wasn't convinced enough of it to try and restrain her in the park and drag her off to the hospital against her will. She hadn't shown any indications of — whatever this was — when he'd seen her last month, had she? But maybe he wouldn't have known if she had, because it was hardly as though they'd had time to talk about anything while they were in the middle of the Thames dodging dragons. He felt suddenly very guilty about having let her onboard at all, even if nothing had happened. If she was off, and she'd been off then, his invitation could have gotten her killed.
"Alright, fine," he said, putting his hands up on either side in a defensive gesture. "If you're sure. Just —" He didn't know what he wanted to say here; he was already scrambling to think if he recalled her beau's full name so that he could send him a letter once she left asking him to check in on her more fully. "Be well, Jo," was what he settled on. What he really wanted to say, and what he hoped his expression conveyed: I won't hold it against you. I know you didn't mean it.
Or at least, he certainly hoped she hadn't meant it.
"Alright, fine," he said, putting his hands up on either side in a defensive gesture. "If you're sure. Just —" He didn't know what he wanted to say here; he was already scrambling to think if he recalled her beau's full name so that he could send him a letter once she left asking him to check in on her more fully. "Be well, Jo," was what he settled on. What he really wanted to say, and what he hoped his expression conveyed: I won't hold it against you. I know you didn't mean it.
Or at least, he certainly hoped she hadn't meant it.
MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER