An array of footmen met them at the entrance, followed by Lucy’s terrified mother and Lady Blackinstore.

“Lucy!” her mother exclaimed, her eyes wide with fright. “Where have you been? Where is Edward? What on earth is going on?”

“I am well,” came Edward’s thin voice from within the carriage. He had opened the door to make himself visible to his mother. “Although I think I might need some assistance to come inside.”

Lucy could not move, could not speak, her hands frozen to the reins as she sat up in the driving seat, her heart slowly calming its frantic pace. She had made it back safely with Edward. She was not about to lose him, nor was she in mortal danger. That realization filled her with relief, although her body was growing colder by the minute.

“Come down, Lucy!” her mother exclaimed, reaching up for her. “Come in, you must come in!”

“I—” Lucy opened her mouth to try to explain that she could not do as her mother asked, only for her mother to grasp her skirts and tug gently at them. It was the fear and worry on her mother’s face that finally allowed Lucy to let go of the reins and make her way down from the carriage, sagging against her mother the moment her feet touched the ground.

“Oh, my dear,” Lady Withington whispered, pulling Lucy into a tight embrace. “You had me so terribly worried.”

Lucy did not know what to say, slowly realizing that her mother truly did care for her. All this time, Lucy had thought her mother only really cared about one thing: for Lucy to marry. But it appeared that she was, in truth, deeply concerned over her daughter.

“I did not know what to think,” her mother continued, her voice wavering. “The footman appeared to tell us that you had seen a carriage. Your father immediately raced after him, leaving myself and Lady Blackinstore to follow behind.”

“Where is Papa?” Lucy asked, pulling back from her mother’s arms in search of her father. “He is safe, I hope?”

“I cannot say,” her mother replied, glancing around as though he might appear out of the gloom somewhere.

Lucy leaned heavily against the carriage for a moment, drinking in the fact that she was safe and well. Two footmen helped Edward out of the carriage, and although he was leaning heavily on one of them, he opened his free arm towards her. Lucy did not hesitate to move towards him as quickly as she could, exhaustion flooding her.

“My wonderful Lucy,” he whispered, wrapping an arm around her waist as she rested her head on his shoulder, with one hand wrapping itself around his neck. “I cannot believe what you did. Incredible, wise, brave Lucy. I would have been at the bottom of the Thames if it had not been for your quick thinking and courage.”

“The bottom of the Thames?” Lady Blackinstore repeated, her voice growing faint. “Whatever are you talking about, Edward?”

Lucy could not reply and neither, it seemed, could Edward. Instead, they remained as they were for a good few minutes, simply clinging to one another as though they needed reassurance that they were truly still alive, still together. Lucy felt tears clog her throat as she looked up into his face, seeing the makeshift bandage still in place. What horrors had Hutton planned for him?

“None of that,” he whispered, apparently able to read her thoughts. “I can tell from your face that you are worrying about Lord Hutton. Do not fear him. Come, we must go inside and rest.”

“And the guests,” his mother interrupted, drawing herself up tall. “What of them?”

Edward retorted, shaking his head at his mother. “After what we have been through this evening, I cannot think of festivities, nor do I have the strength to even stand for one dance!”

“But what shall we tell them?”

Lucy, keeping her arm around Edward’s waist, began to walk with him towards the house.

“Why not tell them the truth, my lady?” she suggested. “That way, your ball will be the talk of the town for weeks and months to come, and since this one was so rudely interrupted by Lord Hutton attempting to dispose of your son, I should think that you might throw another one in its place!”

Lady Blackinstore opened her mouth to reply, but slowly closed it, her eyes growing thoughtful. One more glance at Edward and her mind was settled.

“You are right,” she said, walking with them back towards the house. “It was rude of me to consider the guests before your own well-being, Edward—and yours too, my dear Lucy. You must forgive an old woman’s foibles.”

“Of course,” Lucy replied as Edward said just the same thing.

“I shall speak to our guests and return to you in the drawing room as soon as I am able,” she finished, giving them both a quick smile before rushing ahead back into the house.

“Are you sure you can manage, my dear?”

Lucy smiled and nodded to her mother, knowing that the footman was taking most of Edward’s weight but unable to physically separate herself from him. The memory of how she had first seen him—lying across the carriage seats, his skin so cool and damp to the touch—reminded her of just how close she had come to losing him forever.

“Almost there,” Edward murmured as the door to the drawing room was held open and he was gently placed down into one of the seats. Lucy took her seat next to him at once, still troubled by his weakness.

“I am sure I shall be quite all right,” Edward reassured her while Lucy’s mother gave rapid instructions to one of the footmen. “In truth, I am only a little dizzy, my love. Do not look so frightened.”

“I am not frightened,” Lucy replied, a little more loudly than she had intended. “I am tired, that is all, and worried about you.”

“Come here,” Edward mumbled, pulling her towards him. Despite the presence of her mother, Lucy leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder whilst he kept one hand around her shoulders. Lucy saw her mother glance at them, but to her surprise, there was only a small smile and a softness in her features that told Lucy she did not mind in the least.

One hour later, the doctor had only just left Edward’s side, having cleaned the wound and giving him something to help him sleep, although Edward declared he would not drink a drop of it.

Lucy had been refreshed with tea and cakes, and Lady Blackinstore came in to announce that the news had thrown everyone into a whirlwind of excitement and that she expected the rumors to continue for weeks. She seemed quite happy at this news, too, although her smile faded slightly on seeing Edward’s wounded head.

“I am well, Mama,” Edward insisted, catching her hand. “You do not need to worry. Just a small concussion.”

Lucy’s father, who had entered some time ago with a look of satisfaction on his face, cleared his throat loudly.

“I thought we had better discuss what occurred this evening,” he said once everyone’s attention had been caught. “I do not even know what happened to Lucy, nor Edward, although I am glad to see you both back safely.”

Lucy looked to Edward, feeling tiredness seep into her muscles and down into her bones. “Lord Hutton was to blame, Papa.”

Edward squeezed her hand gently. “I have been a little concerned over Lord Hutton of late, I must confess, but I had stationed the footmen to ensure he did not set foot on the grounds. However, he somehow managed to make his way inside, and with the help of one of the ruffians he has under his control, he took me by surprise. That is all I remember…”

“I did wonder where you had gone when you did not return,” Lucy added, glancing at him.

“It was Lucy who sounded the alarm,” Lady Blackinstore interrupted, smiling fondly at her. “And it was she who told the footman that she had seen the carriage.”

Lucy felt herself blush at the admiration in Lady Blackinstore’s voice. “I did think it was strange for someone to be leaving the ball so soon, and I could not waste time in returning to the drawing room to fetch Papa.”

“It is just as well you chose to come at once,” Edward replied. “Although I am still not quite sure how you managed to end up in the carriage?”

Every eye was suddenly on her and Lucy’s cheeks grew even hotter. Briefly, she sketched out the details of what had happened and the decisions she’d made, hearing her mother gasp on occasion as she continued with the description. “I do not know what happened with Lord Hutton,” she finished heavily. “When I pushed him from the carriage, I saw him attempt to rise, but he may well have escaped.”

To her surprise, her father let out a guffaw. “He was trying to, that oaf, but he twisted an ankle and, given his excessive weight, could do nothing but crawl.”

A spiral of hope rushed through Lucy. “You mean, you found him?”

“He is with the constable as we speak,” her father replied, looking more than a little satisfied. “He will feel the full extent of the law, have no doubt about that.” His mouth drew into a thin line. “I will make sure of it.”

Lucy swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, relief sending tears to the corners of her eyes. “Thank you, Papa,” she whispered, hardly able to speak.

He shook his head. “I should never have pushed him towards you,” he said quietly. “I am sorry, both to you and to Edward. I can see now that you are well-suited for one another. Your thirst for knowledge helped you tonight, I can see that now. In truth, my dear, I consider you quite remarkable.”

“She is unlike any other woman of my acquaintance,” Edward added, his thumb rubbing the back of Lucy’s hand. “I know that might seem like a bad quality to some, but to me, it is more than I have ever hoped for. I cannot wait to make Lucy my wife. Without her, I might not have returned home tonight. She has proven her strength and courage, her mettle and fortitude. I could not be prouder of her, nor love her more.”

Lucy could hardly breathe. As she looked up into Edward’s eyes, the rest of the room faded away, leaving only her and her betrothed. How much she loved him, how much her heart yearned for him when he was apart from her. Smiling through her tears of relief and joy, Lucy leaned up and pressed her lips lightly to his, not caring that others were present.

“I love you with all of my heart, Edward,” she breathed, seeing the answering love resonate in his eyes. “I could not bear to see you harmed. I swear that I will always stay by your side, support you and love you in all that you do.” Remembering how they had first met, she gave a slight shake of her head. “After all, you saved me from Lord Hutton once, and now it was my turn to save you.”

Edward lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss against it, shooting sparks of heat up her arm. “I did not know how lucky I would be when I made such a promise to you, Lucy,” he murmured gently, so only Lucy could hear. “That night in the arbor, I considered it simply an easy solution for us both, but look how quickly I fell for you. No one in the world can compare to you, and I consider myself the luckiest gentleman in England to have you by my side. Our wedding cannot come soon enough.”

Lucy’s heart burst with happiness. As she settled herself against Edward’s side, her eyes closed with a combination of contentedness and exhaustion. She had never imagined that the man she had met that night in the arbor would turn out to be the answer to all her prayers, the man who would love her as much as she loved him.

“I love you, Edward,” she whispered, safe by Edward’s side.