Meg blushed to the roots of her hair at Lord Pemerton's words. She looked uncertainly at Sedge, who grinned, then turned her gaze to her brother, who scowled.
"I commend your clever reasoning in unmasking that scoundrel, Meggie," Ashburton said. "But why couldn't you have told me about your suspicions? Why did you have to come barreling straight into the middle of a duel, for God's sake?"
"I couldn't have told you before, Terrence. I only just put it all together this morning."
"But what were you thinking, girl?" Ashburton's voice rose in consternation. "Charging onto the field like that. You might have been killed yourself. Why would you do such an idiot thing?"
Meg's eyes moved to Sedge, then to Ashburton, then back to Sedge. "Because I love you both," she said.
Sedge's breath caught in his throat as he gazed into those beautiful eyes. She loved him. By God, she loved him! He reached out a hand and she placed hers in it. He tried to convey with his eyes all the things he would have said had they been alone. Elated by her bold declaration, Sedge was still confused by all that had happened between them. "Meg? Why?"
She squeezed his hand and he knew she understood his question. "I thought that—"
Ashburton interrupted her by pushing himself between them. He turned his back to his sister and glared menacingly at Sedge. "I am sorry about the villainy of your cousin, Sedgewick, but there is still this other matter between us. I will have your apology, sirrah. How dare you offer my sister carte blanchel"
"But, Terrence—"
"Carte blanche? But I never—"
"She is a gently bred female," Ashburton went on, ignoring both their protests, "and you have dishonored her. I will not allow my sister to be so grossly insulted. Perhaps you ought to join your cousin and leave the country for a time. It would be most unfortunate if news of her dishonor were to spread."
And so the puzzling nightmare was not yet over. Sedge dragged a hand through his hair in confusion, wondering if he might have suffered another blow to the head when he fell. It was the only explanation for such incredible events and outrageous accusations. He shook his head slowly back and forth, wondering how things had ever gone so wrong. "I only wanted to marry her," he muttered.
"You what?" Ashburton said.
"Marry me?" Meg squeaked.
"Well, yes," Sedge said, looking at each of them with a bewildered expression on his face. "Of course. Don't you see? That is why Albert was so upset. He knew I wanted to marry you, Meg."
"Marry me?" she repeated, suddenly dumbfounded at this unexpected turn of events.
"Of course," Sedge said, his eyes narrowed in surprise at her reaction. "Did I not ask you that day at Thornhill?"
"No!"
His head jerked back on his neck. "What do you mean, no?"
"You never said anything about marriage," Meg said.
"But I must have," Sedge said, thoroughly confused. "I must have. What else would I have been talking about?"
All at once, Meg realized that she had somehow misunderstood his intentions from the beginning. She burst into laughter at the comedy of errors that had resulted from that single, misinterpreted conversation.
"I thought you offered me carte blanche," she said, still chuckling.
"Yes. That's what I heard you tell Gram," Terrence said.
Meg smiled at Sedge. "You talked about houses and jewels and carriages and"— she could not mention the part about making love to her day and night—"all the other. But you never mentioned marriage."
"Good Lord," Sedge said, eyes wide with astonishment, "is that true?" He reached up and ran his fingers through his hail again. "But I'm sure I mentioned marriage. Didn't I? I must have mentioned it." When Meg shook her head, he looked thoroughly flabbergasted. "I certainly intended to mention it. Truly, I did. That was my sole purpose, after all. I... I must have been overcome by ... by the moment." He looked straight into Meg's eyes, and she knew he referred to the passion of their kiss. "No wonder you rejected me out of hand," he said.
He smiled at her, and Meg's knees began to quiver. She had forgot all about Terrence and his seconds standing only a few feet away.
"But I finally decided that you were the only man I would ever love," she said in a soft voice. "I could not bear to be without you."
"Ah, Meg." Sedge's voice held a note of such tenderness Meg thought her knees might truly buckle this time. He reached out and took both her hands in his.
"I... I was ready to accept you on any terms," Meg continued, discomfited by the warm look in his eyes. "Even carte blanche. That is why I so brazenly threw myself at you."
"You did what?" Terrence's angry voice brought Meg back to the situation at hand.
Still holding Sedge's hands, she tilted her head over her shoulder in her brother's direction. Smiling broadly, she said, "I offered to be his mistress."
"You what!" Terrence's voice had become a roar.
Meg looked at Sedge and they both began to laugh. Terrence looked at them and clapped a hand to his head in apparent disgust. "Good Lord."
"And he actually had the temerity to refuse my offer!" Meg said in mock outrage before collapsing in laughter against Sedge's good shoulder. She felt a gentle hand stroke the back of her head and knew in that moment that everything would be all right.
"Of course I refused," Sedge said as she ran his fingers against her silky hair, warm from the morning sun and smelling of wild violets. "I am a gentleman, after all. I would never dream of treating a woman so dishonorably." He nudged Meg away from his shoulder and held her out so he could look into her eyes. "Especially the woman I love."
"Oh, Sedge."
Their mouths moved inexorably toward each other, but were interrupted by the sound of a clearing throat. Sedge smiled at Meg and shrugged in resignation, then moved her to his side, keeping an arm around her shoulders as they faced her brother.
"It seems I owe you an apology, Sedgewick," Terrence said.
"That is not necessary," Sedge said. "I understand completely. I would have done the same for my sister, if I thought some bounder had offered her a slip on the shoulder."
"Sorry about your shoulder," Terrence said.
Sedge laughed. "Just another one of those unfortunate mishaps on the road to happiness," he said, tightening his good arm around Meg.
"Well," Terrence said, "I suppose we had better arrange a meeting of a different sort. Am I right, Sedgewick?"
"Absolutely." He removed his arm from Meg's shoulders, and held out his hand to her brother. Terrence grasped it without hesitation and pumped it vigorously.
"I shall look forward to that conversation, Sedgewick," Terrence said, smiling for the first time. "I trust you will take good care of her. I am quite fond of her, you know."
"Thank you, Terrence," Meg said as she threw her arms around her startled brother and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for defending my honor. And," she said, her eyes darting to Sedge, "for everything else."
"Come along, Ashburton," Lord Skeffington said, taking his friend by the arm. "I believe we are decidedly de trop."
"You will see Meg home, Sedgewick?" Terrence asked as both his friends tugged him up the slope.
"Of course," Sedge replied, taking Meg's hands once again and pulling her close.
"Don't be long, Meggie."
"No, Terrence," she said absently as she lost herself in the deep blue of Sedge's eyes.
Sedge and Meg stared silently at one another—studying, admiring, loving—until they heard the sound of the carriages leaving. Only then did Sedge pull her into his arms. He crushed her to his chest and set his mouth to hers. She gave a small sigh of pleasure beneath his lips as the kiss became deep, lush, and resonant with new understanding and love.
When they separated at last, Sedge leaned his forehead against Meg's and smiled into her eyes. "What a pair of prize fools we've been, Meg," he said.
"Yes."
"All those ridiculous misunderstandings."
"Yes."
"And senseless heartache."
"Yes."
"Let me see if I can get it right this time," he said. He stroked her jaw with his thumb, the gentle caress causing Meg's heart to quicken with impatience. Finally, he tilted her chin up. "I love you, Meg. Will you marry me?"
"Yes," she said, and then covered his mouth with her own.
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