considerable pain, and I suppose I will not be able to leave for some time. I can only hope that you are satisfied with this and do not contemplate any further mayhem. What are you doing here, by the by? I would have expected you to seize the opportunity to flee.”
Stung, her cheeks hot, Margaret retorted, “I wish I had left you on the road. But since my shooting you was an accident, I of course summoned help and brought you to the nearest shelter. And if you think so little of me, I wonder that you came after me at all. Why did you not simply let me be?”
“Would that I had.” Keighley shifted his weight and winced. “I must have taken leave of my senses to let a woman like your mother maneuver me into pursuit.”
“M-mama?”
“Yes. I can see now that it was just what she hoped for. Of course she would have sent someone else if I had not taken the bait.”
“She is not coming after you?”
He laughed shortly. “Oh, no. Your parents have abandoned you to your fate, according to her.”
Some of Margaret’s color faded. “She was very angry with me.”
“With good reason, no doubt.”
Her chin came up. “I did not think so. And I must tell you, Sir Justin, that I still refuse to marry you. I will stay here until you are better, but then—”
“ You refuse to marry me ?”
She looked confused. “Yes. That is why I ran away. But you know that. Mama said I must, and I…I won’t .”
Keighley was silent for a moment, frowning, then his mouth hardened. “I don’t suppose you’re joking? No, I can see you are not. Miss Mayfield, your mother is a scheming, shameless woman.”
She stared at him.
“Let me inform you,” he added, “that I absolutely refused to marry you when taxed with the obligation.”
“You…but…”
“Precisely. And I was told that you had run away from home because of that refusal, because I would not have you.”
Margaret sprang to her feet, scarlet with rage and embarrassment. “What?”
“I promise you it is true.” He frowned again. “Let us begin at the beginning. There is a great deal I do not understand. As far as I recollect, I met you for the first time at your parents’ dinner party. Had we met previously in London? I am abominably forgetful.”
“No,” answered Margaret curtly.
“Indeed. So we did not speak until I suggested a stroll in the garden, to which you, at least tacitly, agreed.”
She started to protest then noticed that the conversation appeared to be tiring him. His face was paler, and his hand shook a little on the counterpane. “Should we talk now?” she wondered aloud. “You are still very ill.”
“Thank you, but I should prefer to understand. And I am perfectly capable of speaking. We walked in the garden then, and I attempted a few polite remarks, to which you failed to respond. And then, for no reason I could discern, you appeared to run mad, clawing my coat and flinging yourself over a table to end unconscious on the ground. When I went to see what could be the matter, your parents came up and accused me of assault. Could you, Miss Mayfield, explain your behavior to me?”
His sarcasm made Margaret forget her scruples about his health, but it was still difficult to tell him what she had thought that night. She saw now that she had been mistaken. “I…I thought you were taking me to the summerhouse,” she murmured, looking at the floor. “My father had locked it up because…because there had been…”
“The usual escapades in a summerhouse,” finished Keighley. “I see. And what led you to imagine I would do such an idiotic thing? I am not famed for my polished manners, but I do retain certain remnants of decency.”
Margaret wondered how to explain that she had been given such a derogatory picture of him that she expected any evil. “I…I had been given to understand,” she stammered, “that…that you were not a proper person for me to know.”
“Ah. Your mama again, I suppose?” She did not respond,
Stung, her cheeks hot, Margaret retorted, “I wish I had left you on the road. But since my shooting you was an accident, I of course summoned help and brought you to the nearest shelter. And if you think so little of me, I wonder that you came after me at all. Why did you not simply let me be?”
“Would that I had.” Keighley shifted his weight and winced. “I must have taken leave of my senses to let a woman like your mother maneuver me into pursuit.”
“M-mama?”
“Yes. I can see now that it was just what she hoped for. Of course she would have sent someone else if I had not taken the bait.”
“She is not coming after you?”
He laughed shortly. “Oh, no. Your parents have abandoned you to your fate, according to her.”
Some of Margaret’s color faded. “She was very angry with me.”
“With good reason, no doubt.”
Her chin came up. “I did not think so. And I must tell you, Sir Justin, that I still refuse to marry you. I will stay here until you are better, but then—”
“ You refuse to marry me ?”
She looked confused. “Yes. That is why I ran away. But you know that. Mama said I must, and I…I won’t .”
Keighley was silent for a moment, frowning, then his mouth hardened. “I don’t suppose you’re joking? No, I can see you are not. Miss Mayfield, your mother is a scheming, shameless woman.”
She stared at him.
“Let me inform you,” he added, “that I absolutely refused to marry you when taxed with the obligation.”
“You…but…”
“Precisely. And I was told that you had run away from home because of that refusal, because I would not have you.”
Margaret sprang to her feet, scarlet with rage and embarrassment. “What?”
“I promise you it is true.” He frowned again. “Let us begin at the beginning. There is a great deal I do not understand. As far as I recollect, I met you for the first time at your parents’ dinner party. Had we met previously in London? I am abominably forgetful.”
“No,” answered Margaret curtly.
“Indeed. So we did not speak until I suggested a stroll in the garden, to which you, at least tacitly, agreed.”
She started to protest then noticed that the conversation appeared to be tiring him. His face was paler, and his hand shook a little on the counterpane. “Should we talk now?” she wondered aloud. “You are still very ill.”
“Thank you, but I should prefer to understand. And I am perfectly capable of speaking. We walked in the garden then, and I attempted a few polite remarks, to which you failed to respond. And then, for no reason I could discern, you appeared to run mad, clawing my coat and flinging yourself over a table to end unconscious on the ground. When I went to see what could be the matter, your parents came up and accused me of assault. Could you, Miss Mayfield, explain your behavior to me?”
His sarcasm made Margaret forget her scruples about his health, but it was still difficult to tell him what she had thought that night. She saw now that she had been mistaken. “I…I thought you were taking me to the summerhouse,” she murmured, looking at the floor. “My father had locked it up because…because there had been…”
“The usual escapades in a summerhouse,” finished Keighley. “I see. And what led you to imagine I would do such an idiotic thing? I am not famed for my polished manners, but I do retain certain remnants of decency.”
Margaret wondered how to explain that she had been given such a derogatory picture of him that she expected any evil. “I…I had been given to understand,” she stammered, “that…that you were not a proper person for me to know.”
“Ah. Your mama again, I suppose?” She did not respond,
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