Page 36

The judge came over to make certain MacIntosh was down. When Dr. Tetford agreed, the judge counted down from ten. Then, “The winner of this bout is the Honorable Mr. Alexander Stapleton! Viscount Wexley has won the prize purse as well as bragging rights!”

Dear God, I’ve won.

Nearly a half hour later, he’d finished with all the well-wishers, and as the crowds thinned, he stumbled over to his corner.

His thoughts weren’t on the victory, but on Lydia.

He frowned. “Where is Miss Tetford?” Damn, but his whole body hurt, and all he wanted to do was seek out his bed and lay in one spot for the next few days.

Lewis shrugged. “She left when you went down. Said she couldn’t bear watching two ridiculous men in a ridiculous fight, and that she was going to her father’s carriage to compose herself and get away from the crowds.”

Odd. She promised to stay with me until the end.

“Did she go over to talk with MacIntosh?” He reached for his shirt, and damn if it wasn’t the most painful thing to don that garment.

“As far as I know, she did not. She spoke briefly with her father, then took her bag and left.” Happiness and pride mixed in his older brother’s eyes. “Congratulations, though. That was magnificent.”

“Thank you.” In some agony, he shoved a foot into one of his boots. “Where’s Duncan?”

“Where else? Working the crowd as well as titled men he might hook as investors in the salon.” He glanced across the ring. “Dr. Tetford is trying to get my attention. Will you be all right here by yourself?”

“Yes.” A groan left his throat as he tugged on the second boot. “I’m going after Lydia, for I wish to speak with her, quite urgently.”

Lewis snorted. “You need the doctor.”

“ She’s a doctor.” Once he took up his waistcoat, he removed the ring from its pocket. “Bring home the remainder of my clothes, hmm?”

“Aren’t you returning to London?”

“Yes, but I can’t guarantee when.” With another groan, he ducked under the rope.

“But what about claiming the prize purse?”

He waved a hand. “Go in my stead. This is more important.” Then he narrowed his eyes. “And don’t think to steal the coin. That is going toward a townhouse and my future.”

While Lewis made a crude gesture, Alexander strode off in the direction of where all the vehicles had been parked.

A few men in the crowd going that way congratulated him, and he acknowledged them with friendly nods or a grin.

Eventually, as he winded his way through a veritable sea of black coaches and carriages, he spied Lydia with her back against one of them.

Her eyes were closed, and as he drew closer, it was apparent she’d been crying.

Moisture and silvery tracks of tears stained her face.

“Lydia.”

She startled at the sound of his voice. Her eyes flew open. “Alexander!” When he thought she might throw herself into his arms, she took hold of his shirt instead and then shoved his back against the carriage. “I was beside myself with fear and worry! You could have been killed.”

“But I wasn’t.” Though he wanted to grin, he didn’t want her to think he made jest of her. “In fact, I won the bout, sweeting. I won!”

“What?” Shock shadowed her eyes as they rounded.

“I won.” He nodded. “Once I got Colin down on the ground, he pounced, just as I knew he would, but then I employed some jujitsu on him, choked him with my forearm until he’d almost passed out, and finished him with a punch.

” As he grinned, pain went through his face once more. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Yet she’d left before the bout had ended.

“Oh.” She lifted a hand, danced her fingertip along the side of his face, frowning when he winced. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I couldn’t bear to see you being hit any longer.” Then she put her hand on her chest. “It hurt my soul.”

“I can appreciate that.” When he tried to move away from the carriage, she was quick to pin him against the side once more. “Lydia?”

The emotions in her eyes and reflected on her face made him catch his breath. “Is that all you would say to me? After everything?”

Confusion temporarily took hold of his brain, then he shook his head. “No, it’s not. In fact, I left the ring amidst all the celebration, even before I was given the prize purse, so that I could come and check on you.”

She bit her bottom lip, and that had the capacity to drive him wild. “You did?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“You look a fright.”

“That is to be expected, and I feel like the very devil has had his way with me, but what I need to say to you is more important, for you are all I can think about.” Knowing he couldn’t move forward with his life until he’d secured her promise, he offered his palm and smoothed out his fist, revealing the silver filigreed ring on his palm.

“I do not have the necessary brain capacity or the stamina to come up with a bunch of poetic words or an elaborate speech.”

“Alex?” She bounced her gaze from his palm to his face.

“Quite frankly, I doubt you would appreciate any of that nonsense anyway, for you are the most stubborn, maddening, determined, truthful and boldest woman I have ever met.” When she remained silent, he sighed.

Even that hurt. “Marry me. I’m tip over tail for you, sweeting.

Yes, in a mere two weeks, I’m in love with you. Sometimes a man just knows.”

“Oh.” Tears welled in her eyes. The drops fell to her cheeks, and she sniffled. “Yes.”

“What?” In all honesty, he assumed he’d have to fight much harder to convince her. “Is that all you would say to me ?”

She chuckled and cried all the harder. “What is there to say, Wexley? Like you, I have unexpectedly fallen in love with you, even when I fought this inevitability every step of the way.” Shaking her head, she took the ring from his palm and held it up, caught between her forefinger and thumb.

“I was terrified for you at the start of this bout, afraid you would be either maimed or killed, and I couldn’t bear it because I only just realized I love you, couldn’t imagine not having you in my life. ”

Dear God. He drew in a shuddering breath and let it out. “Does this mean…?”

“Yes.” Lydia nodded. She took the ring and slipped it onto the fourth finger of her left hand.

“I will marry you, and not only to keep you from making horrible decisions, but because you are the part of my soul I’ve been missing all these years.

” When he would have embraced her, she put a palm to his chest and held him steady.

“But this doesn’t mean I’m giving up my dreams. I still intend to work as an uncertified physician in my father’s clinic, and I will not become the woman that society thinks I should be merely because we’ll marry. ”

“I want you just the way you are, Lydia. The woman who stole my heart, or rather, bossed it out of me.” He grinned, and his busted bottom lip protested the movement.

“If you decide to lead me around by my nose for the rest of my life, you’ll find no protests.

” He shrugged. “Who you are is refreshing; we complement each other, and I don’t know of any other woman who could encourage or support or push me to be a better man than you. ”

“And I don’t know of a man more in need of guidance than you.” She continued to laugh through her tears as he feigned outrage. “Whatever man you want to be, I’ll stand behind you and dare anyone to tell you nay. As long as we are together, there is nothing we can’t tackle.”

“I agree.” He took her hand with its new adornment. “Is all well, then?”

“Yes, and I would advise you to kiss me now to make it official,” she said in a choked whisper. “To convince that you are true, but then I’m going to give you a full examination, because I don’t trust that you haven’t truly broken yourself.”

“Ah, sweeting, life is going to be quite interesting, I think.” Then, with a gentle tug, he reeled her into his arms and tenderly kissed her.

Even that brought him pain, but he didn’t care.

Finally, he’d won her, and she would soon be his wife.

With a groan, he pulled away. “I’m in a considerable amount of pain just now, but that in no way reflects how I feel about you. ”

“Don’t be an arse, Alexander.” After she opened the door to the carriage, she assisted him inside the vehicle.

“There will be other times to show me how you feel. In this moment, I’ll clean you up and you can recline on one of the benches, for I asked my father to ride back to London with your brothers.

” As he settled on one of the well-squabbed benches, she instructed the driver to return to Town and her father’s house.

Once she joined him, she shook her head and tsked her tongue.

“So much blood. It’s a wonder you survived. ”

“Agreed, but I did, against the odds.”

“Well, you are a Stapleton.”

“Perhaps, but I rather think it is thanks to you.” Perhaps that was all a man needed—the support and love of a good woman who believed in him no matter what. “In the end, it wasn’t a boxing opponent who knocked me on my arse. As soon as you came into my life, I went down swinging… for love.”

With a sigh while the pain sank into his battered body, he closed his eyes as she rummaged in her bag and the carriage lurched into motion.

No longer did he have no path, and he looked forward to every step he would tread upon it.