Alfred had no idea how to take her response. Double negatives were supposed to mean positives in proper English, but that didn't mean that was always the way people used them. There was a very big difference in her saying she didn't dislike something and saying she liked it. Of course, he wasn't sure what he'd been expecting her to say about a forced kiss underneath a piece of enchanted mistletoe. Certainly not that she had enjoyed it, when she likely would have wanted to be anywhere else, given the chance.

His cheeks and ears stayed red. He didn't know how to respond, and wondered if he'd already said too much. Had she interpreted him saying it was nice as him enjoying it? Not that he hadn't enjoyed it, but he also didn't want to come across as some sort of a creep or a pervert. If she'd taken it that way, though, it was too late for him to do anything about it. He hardly had the sort of social grace to pull himself out of a pit he wasn't even sure he was standing in.

But now she was talking about her father, anyway. "Oh," he said, taking a small step back. "I suppose you should get home, then."