to please his boss.
“Meg,” Harrison said. “I struggled for a time with feeling betrayed by you. Your decision to enter the competition with a new partner was difficult for me to accept at first.”
My mouth fell open. “I betrayed you?” I echoed. “It was difficult for you to accept?”
“Yes, but I’ve forgiven you. I realize it was a mistake. I made one, too, not realizing Lacey’s intentions. You’ve got to forgive me too, now.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
“We can both blow off this competition,” Harrison continued. “Let Migel win. I don’t care anymore.” He covered the distance between us and dropped to one knee, pulling my free hand into both of his. “I know we hadn’t planned this until the holidays, but I bought you a ring today. Will you marry me?”
My breath caught in my throat. Was this really happening? Was Harrison really proposing to me in the middle of an alley in Bath after all that had happened?
I didn’t even get a look at the ring. A noise behind Harrison caught my attention. I looked up to see Jeremy standing there in the moonlight in his full ball attire. He looked so handsome that he took my breath away. How much had he seen? Harrison was still on one knee. It was obvious what was happening.
“Excuse me for interrupting.” Jeremy’s voice was clipped. He turned on his heel and stalked away, back toward the front of the assembly rooms.
My heart was beating a rumba in my chest. Kneeling in front of me was everything I thought I’d ever wanted, security, a Ph.D., a husband who could intelligently discuss the Luddites. Walking away from me was Jeremy, a man who had memorized lines from a book for me, who’d remembered that I got car sick, and who’d traveled across an ocean to dress up in fancy pants for me. And damn it, he was right. My planner did have a matching eraser. A really cute one.
Harrison stood, my hand still clasped in his. “We can be married next June. It’ll be perfect.”
Perfect? I used to put so much stock in that word. But at the moment it meant nothing to me. I stared up into his handsome, familiar face. “Oh Harrison, perfect’s not what I want anymore. The last couple of weeks have taught me just how much prejudice I have, in addition to pride. I’ve been an awful snob and a stuck-up tight ass. But now...” I smiled from ear to ear. “I just want to be happy.”
Harrison’s smile crumpled into a frown. “What? I don’t understand.”
It started to rain. Of course it started to rain.
“I know you don’t.” I shook my head. “But I do. We need to break up. But don’t worry. No hard feelings. We can still be friends.” I pulled my hand away from his and shifted my planner to my newly freed arm. Then I lifted my skirts, pushed past Harrison, and raced down the alley after Jeremy.
When I got to the front of the assembly rooms, Jeremy was nowhere to be seen, but Patsy was leaning against one of the columns drinking a high ball. I hurried over to where she stood under the portico, beneath the columns out of the rain.
“Patsy, have you seen Jeremy? Did he go back inside?” I moved to enter the building.
“I saw him,” she drawled. “But he didn’t go inside. He’s gone.”
“What?” I froze.
She took a drink and nodded out into the darkness. “He left.”
“In the rain?” I stared into the darkening, rainy sky, completely confused.
Patsy shrugged. “Didn’t seem like he even noticed the rain, if you ask me. Love will do that to a bloke.”
“Love? What? Did he say anything?” I lifted my skirts with my free hand. I was frantic to find him, but I wasn’t entirely sure which way to go.
“He said you were ditching the contest for Dr. Macomb. Said he heard Dr. Macomb say that you were going to let Migel win.”
My heart pounded. Oh, God. Had he decided I was going to abandon him for a proposal from Harrison? “No, I’m not. Is that all he said?”
“Just now, yes, but earlier he had a lot more to say.” Patsy took a healthy swig of her drink.
I turned to her and searched her face. “Earlier? What else did he say?” The woman was speaking in riddles. I wanted to shake her. Even if it would mess up her beehive.
Patsy took a long, slow sip of her drink. “I talked to