It took Alexander a few minutes to react to this statement, as he was nearly incapable of assimilating such a declaration. When he finally realized what she had said, he turned to her in disbelief. “Then why, my girl, did you refuse me? Didn’t you love me enough to marry me believing me to be a curate? I would have married you had you had been a scullery maid in your mother’s house.”

“I do not believe that.”

“Well, maybe not a scullery maid, but had we both been as poor as church mice, I would have still married you, even if we had to wait years before it was possible. I cannot believe that you did not feel the same.”

“I did not refuse you because you were a curate. Believe me, if I had thought you to be something as respectable as a curate, I would have accepted you gladly.”

“I do not understand. What did you think me to be if not what I said I was?”

“I thought . . .” Emily paused, and looked away, unable to meet his eyes. “I thought you were the highwayman,” she said finally, so softly that Alexander was not sure he had heard her correctly.

“Did you say you thought I was the highwayman?” Alexander asked incredulously, to the satisfaction of his audience, who had been unable to hear Emily’s remark and were pleased to have it repeated.

Emily nodded, looking up at him to observe his reaction. To her relief, he appeared more amused than angry.

“Is that why you asked all those questions about the source of my income?” he asked, smiling.

“Yes. And you must admit I had reason to be suspicious. You were attempting to hide your identity as Lord Wesleigh, and, as it was obvious you were hiding something, and I had no way of knowing you were really Lord Wesleigh, I assumed you were someone else. The only person I knew of whose identity was as yet undiscovered was the highwayman. I think it was a very logical conclusion to arrive at, under the circumstances,” Emily said defensively.

“My poor girl,” Alexander said, putting one arm around her and squeezing her gently. “You must have had a horrible time of it, and all the while I was accusing you of being heartless and mercenary.”

Emily just nodded her head, which had somehow found its way under his chin, to rest on his chest. “It’s all my fault for being such a romantic fool,” Alexander told her. “I wanted to know that you loved me for myself and were not just interested in my fortune.”

“Why, if that were all I was interested in, I would have made up to Sir Marcus while he was posing as you.”

“You forget, I accused you of that as well. And if you did not make up to him, why did he propose to you?”

“I have no idea. It came as a complete surprise to me.”

They sat quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the comfort of their embrace, while Alexander thought over the events of the past week in the light of this new information.

“So why did you follow Sir Marcus and me the night we went to catch the highwayman?”

“I had to convince myself my suspicions about you were correct. I thought you were out on another stealing spree.”

“With Sir Marcus?”

“I did not quite understand why he was present, and hoped that it signified I had made a mistake about you. Or, alternatively, I thought he might have been joining you for a lark.”

“Why did you not tell me after I rescued you that you had thought me the highwayman?” Alexander asked.

“I was afraid you would be horribly insulted. I did not realize you would think it so amusing, or you may be sure I would have told you immediately. However, after I found out the next day that you were actually Lord Wesleigh, I deeply regretted not telling you of my suspicion. I thought that you would never believe me after that, suspecting me of lying because I wished to marry you for your fortune.”

“And do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Wish to marry me, for any reason other than my fortune.”

“Is this a proposal? Because I must say, I enjoyed your first one far more, even when I suspected you of being a highwayman. And Sir Marcus, although he got a bit off the subject, interspersed his insults with a few compliments as well.” Alexander did not answer, intent instead on kissing the spot on her shoulder where he had been watching a curl bounce the last ten minutes. Emily, although pleasantly diverted by the tingle down her spine, was distracted by some noises that appeared to be issuing from the bushes to her left. She thought she heard someone complaining that they could not see what was happening, and opening her eyes, she saw her mother’s head appear from around the hedge. At first she was embarrassed to have been observed by her mother in a gentleman’s embrace, but as the duke and then Lydia and Sedgwick joined her mother, she began giggling. Alexander, oblivious to everything but his rising passion, looked at Emily in disapproval.

“You promised me, my girl, that you would attend to your next proposal with the gravity of a pallbearer,” he reminded her.

“Forgive me, my lord,” she replied demurely, “but once again the Bellingham Ladies Academy has failed me.”

“In what respect?” Alexander asked, a little impatiently.

“They failed to instruct me on the proper way to react when embracing a gentleman and then discovering my entire family observing me from behind a hedge.”

“What are you talking about?” Alexander asked, and Emily told him to take a look behind him. He did, and saw his father, Lady Smithfield, Lydia, and Sedgewick standing there, all of them looking a little sheepish. His father was the first to regain his savoir-faire and, approaching his son, asked if he could be the first one to wish him happy.

“I would be happier were I allowed some privacy with my betrothed, but thank you,” Alexander said. “How long have you all been standing there?”

“Only a few seconds,” the duke replied.

“Yes, I believe they were behind the hedge before that,” Emily said, very tongue-in-cheek.

Lady Smithfield felt the wisest course would be to change the subject, and ran to embrace her daughter. “Emily, I could not be happier for you,” she said, pulling her up from the bench. Alexander rose as well, and found himself being clapped on the back by Sedgewick.

“Congratulations, old man. It appears we’re going to be brothers.”

There was an excited jabber of congratulations, and questions about who would be married first and where, while Alexander and Emily exchanged a look of disbelief. It appeared no one was going to offer an explanation for the family’s presence behind the hedge.

“Excuse me,” Alexander said, cutting into all the babble. “While Emily and I are overjoyed that we have everyone’s approval of our engagement, we feel that an explanation is in order.”

There was a long silence, while all in the group stared guiltily at the ground, and then the duke spoke. “I know I promised not to interfere, but, dash it all, you were sniffing around that yellow-haired chit like a dog in heat. Didn’t want you making a mull of everything.”

“And Lady Abernathy implied that your engagement to Lady Cynthia was imminent. If that had occurred, I would never have been able to hold my head up again,” Lady Smithfield chimed in.

“Don’t see what you have to complain about,” Sedgewick said, huffily. “You and Emily meddled in our courtship enough.”

“We only wanted to see you happy,” Lydia added.

“Well I, for one, am quite pleased at your interference,” Emily announced into the slight pause that had occurred after the rush of excuses.

“You are?” Alexander asked.

“I am. Knowing your propensity for assuming false identities and leading innocent females on to expect marriage, I am quite relieved that there were witnesses to your proposal. There will be no weaseling out of this engagement, my lord,” Emily said sternly.

Oblivious of his audience, Alexander caught Emily up in his arms and kissed her soundly. “The same holds true for you, my girl. No throwing me over for Mr. Watkins, or some other young puppy.”

Emily sighed, and attempted to look sorrowful. “But he tells the most amusing stories about horses,” she said, and began giggling.

While the engagement had not yet been formally announced, it was pretty well acknowledged when Emily and Alexander returned to the ballroom and danced every dance together. It was also impossible for Lady Smithfield to keep the news to herself, and Lady Abernathy was among the first to know. Lady Cynthia realized Alexander was a lost cause, and, as Sir Marcus was the second wealthiest man in the room, began flirting outrageously with him. Sir Marcus was able to palm her off on Mr. Watkins for a dance, and tracked down Alexander and Emily in the refreshment room.