Page 103 of An Unexpected Pleasure

“Bloody woman!” Coffey burst out, shifting his arm to get a better hold of her.

As he did so, his other hand moved away from her throat. Megan seized the moment, thrusting up and back with her head as hard as she could. She connected smartly with Coffey’s chin, snapping his head back and sending pain bursting through her own skull.

Theo threw himself the last few feet at Coffey, and the three of them went down with a crash. The air whooshed out of Megan’s chest as she hit the floor, Theo’s weight half on her and half on Coffey. Struggling for air, she tried to squirm away as Theo grappled with Julian.

A hand grabbed her arm and jerked her away from the men. She looked up to see Dennis. He pulled her to her feet and thrust her away toward their father, then turned back to go to Theo’s aid.

But even as he turned, Theo’s fist thudded into Julian’s face, knocking the golden mask back and exposing his chin. Theo took advantage of the target by slamming his fist into Coffey’s chin, and the man went limp.

Megan’s beleaguered lungs began to work again, and she drew in a grateful gasp of air before Theo jumped up from Coffey’s prostrate form and whirled, pulling her into his embrace.

“Megan! Thank God!”

If she was smothered in Theo’s embrace, Megan did not seem to mind. She clung to him tightly as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I was so scared! I thought I’d lost you!” He rained kisses over her hair and face. “I love you. I love you.”

“Theo…” Megan sighed, burrowing against his chest, warmth spreading through her. She was, she thought, home at last.

* * *

DENNIS’S DAUGHTER, to everyone’s relief, awakened a few hours later from her drugged sleep, groggy and frightened but physically unharmed. She threw herself into her father’s arms and let loose a torrent of tears of joy and relief. She did not move from her position in his lap for the entire time that they sat and related the adventures of the evening to the Moreland family. Megan, sitting beside Theo, with her hand firmly clasped in his the whole evening, could understand how the girl felt.

Not surprisingly, the duke and duchess took everything in stride, undismayed by the sudden addition to their household of a group of strangers. A large collection of cheeses, cakes, cold meats and breads soon appeared on the sideboard in the breakfast room, and the participants in the evening’s raid remembered suddenly that they were starving.

Much later, after the tale had been told and retold many times, and Reed and Barchester had returned from the police station with the news that Julian Coffey was languishing in a cell, charged with a variety of crimes ranging from extortion to kidnapping to attempted murder, the party began to break up.

Dennis and his children left with Deirdre and Frank Mulcahey, and the various Morelands began to make their way toward their own beds. Even the twins were at last calmed down enough to agree to sleep. But Theo, instead of starting toward the stairs, took Megan’s hand and led her toward the conservatory and the door into the garden.

They went down the steps, and he curled his arm around her shoulders. Megan leaned into his side, resting her head against his chest. She would not think about the future, she told herself. She would just revel in the present. Theo had said he loved her, and for the moment that was enough. It would have to be enough.

“Do you think Coffey will get out of jail?” she asked.

Theo made a scornful noise. “Not any time soon. The Morelands may be considered odd, but our word still carries weight. And Barchester told the police the whole story, even the parts that made him look rather foolish. All the followers are now scrambling to shift the blame for their actions onto Coffey, claiming that they were all drugged and unwitting.” He shrugged. “Who knows? It may even be true.”

He bent and kissed the top of her head. “He will pay, believe me.”

“Good. When I think of what he did to Dennis and to you…Of the way he lied—and all those years that we thought you had killed Dennis! I don’t think he could possibly pay enough.”

“What about Dennis?” Theo asked. “Is he going back to South America?”

“Yes. He loves Tanta too much to remain here. But he said he would stay with us for a few days. Not long—his wife is at home, not knowing what has happened or if her daughter is dead or alive. He can’t let her remain in suspense. But he has promised he will visit us in New York and bring his children, too. He believes that it is important that they come to know the outside world, as well as the beauty of their village. We will just have to work very hard to keep their village a secret from the world.”

“Megan…” Theo stopped and turned to face her, taking both her hands in his. The light of the full moon slanted across his face, washing it with pale light.

“Yes?” Megan’s heart sped up at the serious look on Theo’s face, and suddenly her stomach tightened. She was not at all sure that she wanted to hear what he was going to say. Surely he could not send her away, not after what had happened tonight!

“Wait,” she said quickly, holding up a hand to forestall his words. “I want to tell you something first. I love you.”

“I love you, too. That is why—”

“No, let me finish. Loving you is enough for me. I understand you have responsibilities and…I can accept that. I am not saying I like it, but I can—I want to be with you in whatever way I can. I don’t care about your title or my reputation or any of that. All I care about is you.”

“Are you finished now?” he asked patiently, a smile lurking at the corners of his mouth.

She nodded.

“Good.” He bent to kiss her lips quickly. “I am glad you don’t care about my title, because, frankly, I don’t, either. But I do care about your reputation. And mine. Most of all, I care about you and our life together. Megan, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He paused, then went on, “Will you marry me?”