The wind was high on Hampstead Heath as the racers and their audience gathered on Thursday afternoon. Although she hadn’t yet had a chance to ask Lucy to stop matchmaking, Meg had arrived at Lucy’s prompting. Well, not only Lucy’s prompting. More specifically because Lucy had sent a coach to fetch her, and, true to her word, the duchess had also sent servants to Meg’s parents’ house to assist with the packing. A circumstance that had not pleased her mother. When Lucy swept into the foyer and asked for Meg to accompany her to the heath, Mother had had no choice but to allow her to go or risk offending the duchess.
The coach had taken Meg to Lucy’s house, where she had yet another fabulous new gown waiting, this one of navy blue with white dots, a matching dark blue reticule, white kid gloves, and a navy-and-white-striped bonnet. Meg felt like a dressed-up doll yet again as she accompanied the duchess to Hampstead Heath, where either Hart or Sir Winford might break their necks. It would serve either or both of them right.
Sarah also accompanied the two. She and Meg had determined it would be the perfect time for Meg to ask Lucy to cease her matchmaking efforts. Meanwhile, Lucy’s husband, Derek, and Sarah’s husband, Christian, had accompanied Hart in Christian’s coach.
“Who do you think will win, Lucy?” Meg asked as the coach jostled to a stop along the heath.
Lucy peered out the window at the bright, sunny afternoon. “My money is on Hart.”
“Are you serious?” Sarah asked, looking nonplussed. Her voice was high with surprise.
“Entirely. I have fifty pounds on the matter.” Lucy grinned.
“Have you ever seen Sir Winford ride?” Sarah asked.
“Of course not, but Hart is a superb rider and Goliath is certain to best whatever animal Winford brings.” Lucy adjusted her bonnet. “Who you want to win is the more interesting question,” she added to Meg, her different-colored eyes sparkling.
“It makes no difference to me. I only hope they both live through it.” Meg crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the window.
“Liar.” Lucy shook her finger at Meg. “You want Hart to win.”
“He could use a bit of modesty,” Meg replied, lifting her nose in the air.
“Give me an arrogant man over a modest one any day,” Lucy said with a wink.
“Yes, well, Lucy, we want to tell you something,” Sarah began, glancing at Meg who sat beside her. She settled her hands in her lap. “Meggie and I have been discussing her marital prospects.”
Lucy blinked at them. “Yes?”
“It came to my attention the other evening at your dinner party, that you might have conspired to put Meg and Hart in a”—Sarah cleared her throat—“compromising position.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Lucy continued to blink at Sarah innocently.
Sarah sat up even straighter. “Do I need to point out that any one of your servants should have been searching for silver polish before Meg was sent after it?”
“Meg volunteered!” Lucy interjected.
“You could have refused her,” Sarah countered.
Lucy flourished a hand in the air. “Why in the world would I refuse her when it became immediately clear to me that the sticky silver closet door was the perfect excuse for Meg and Hart to be found together in a compromising position? Obviously.”
“So you admit it?” A look of astonishment swept across Sarah’s features.
“Of course I do. What is your point, dear?” Lucy sniffed.
“My point is that you’re doing Meg a disservice,” Sarah replied. “And I—”
“No, Sarah, allow me.” Meg cleared her throat. It was high time she spoke for herself. “Lucy, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me to date, but I see now that I’ve been going about it all wrong. Hart and I would make a terrible match. I would, however, appreciate your help in bringing Sir Winford to heel. I have resolved to stop trying to catch Hart.”
“Yes,” Sarah added. “It’s a fruitless pursuit. It’s cruel to poor Meg. My parents will disown Hart if he marries her. Most important, I think he’d make her a poor husband. He’s charming as the day is long, but he’s a complete rogue.”
“My dear Sarah,” Lucy replied, a perfectly serene look on her face. “I absolutely adore you, but you are woefully ignorant of how matchmakers work. We don’t make matches based upon dowries and parents’ preferences, as I hope you’ll recall from your own match with Lord Berkeley. We make matches based on love and only love. Let me assure you, reformed rogues make the very best husbands. Besides, I seem to recall you being worried about your parents disowning you if you didn’t marry the Marquess of Branford, and you appear to still be a member of the family.” Finishing her little diatribe, Lucy sat with her hands folded primly in her lap, a catlike half smile on her lips.
Sarah sat in dumbfounded silence for several moments. “I’d never thought of it that way.”
Meg glanced back and forth between the two ladies. Was Lucy actually changing Sarah’s mind?
Lucy lifted a hand and smoothed one dark eyebrow. “Well, you’d best begin thinking of it that way, because as the bard said, love and only love makes the world go round. That’s all I’m concerned with. I know Meg loves Hart and I have reason enough to believe Hart may love her back. He certainly is interested in her.”
“How do you know that?” Sarah asked, glancing uncertainly at Meg.
“He’s kissed her … twice,” Lucy replied.
Sarah swiveled to face Meg, astonishment on her face. “What? Is that true?”
“Yes,” Meg squeaked, her face heating.
“Why in the world haven’t you told me?”
“It’s not exactly like that,” Meg replied.
“It’s exactly like that,” Lucy retorted. “I think they have an excellent chance at finding true love together.”
Sarah leaned forward in her seat and searched Lucy’s face. “Do you really think so?”
Meg continued to glance back and forth between them. Had the world gone mad? “Sarah, are you allowing her to talk you into this?”
“I want to hear what Lucy has to say,” Sarah replied.
Meg fell back against the velvet squabs and covered her eyes with her hand.
“Do you truly think it’s possible that Hart loves Meg back?” Sarah repeated.
“I do. I truly do,” Lucy replied. “Now may I suggest that instead of thwarting your friend, you help her become your sister-in-law? She’s already got quite the Romeo and Juliet plot to overcome, and I for one want to see this end in a happy marriage and laughter instead of poison and tears.”
Sarah turned to Meg. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Oh, Meggie, I’ve known you loved him forever. I never meant to be so thoughtless.”
Meg couldn’t help it. She sat up straight and let her hand drop away from her face, renewed hope coursing through her. “It’s not your fault, Sarah. It’s not as if he’s always loved me back.”
“No, but as Lucy says, perhaps he could. If given the right circumstances to get to know you.”
“Precisely,” Lucy said. “Which is why I’ve been trying to put them in each other’s paths. This race is the perfect venue to do so yet again.”
“But he’ll be racing,” Meg said. “Not paying attention to me.”
“Both men are racing to impress you if I don’t mistake my guess,” Lucy replied.
“No, that cannot be true.” Meg shook her head, afraid to believe, but desperately hoping Lucy was right.
“What if it’s true, Meggie?” Sarah wore a hopeful smile as she tugged on her gloves.
“I’m certain it’s true,” Lucy said as the coach rolled to a stop on the heath. “Now, Sarah, let’s join forces as ladies always should and go see to it that your brother falls madly in love with your closest friend.”