Chapter Twenty-Five

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The Cartwrights' Midsummer Night's Ball

M eredith burst through the doors of the ballroom wearing a bright pink satin gown. She'd chosen it because it resembled the one she'd worn the night Griffin had first proposed to her…all those years ago.

She'd barely allowed Martha to dress her properly tonight. She'd been so impatient to find him. They couldn't turn back time, and they couldn't change the past, but they could start anew. If only Griffin would forgive her for being the biggest fool in the land.

"Where is the Duke of Southbury?" she demanded of the Cartwrights' butler, who was staring at her as if she'd drawn a pistol on him.

"The Duke of Southbury," she repeated in a louder, even more urgent voice. "I must find him immediately."

After looking for Griffin at his town house earlier, she'd been told that he had come here tonight with his sister. Had she been given the wrong information ?

"I'm sure His Grace is enjoying the festivities in the ballroom," the butler replied, looking affronted by her rudeness.

So he was here. Thank God .

Meredith breathed a sigh of relief before thanking the butler and hurrying down the stairs. Once she made it into the crowded ballroom, she stopped at every group of partygoers. "Have you seen Southbury?" she asked, not caring one whit if the entire bloody lot of them knew how desperate she was to find him.

Suddenly, Gemma emerged from the crowd. "Meredith, what is it? Are you all right?"

Meredith grasped Gemma's forearms. "Where is your brother?" Gemma had to know where Griffin was.

"I believe he went out on the balcony for some air," Gemma reported, a concerned look on her face.

That's all Meredith needed to hear. Releasing Gemma, she lifted her skirts and ran toward the French doors at the far end of the ballroom. All of the ballroom's occupants turned to stare as she passed them. She was making a scene, but she didn't care.

When she made it to the doors, she pushed through them and flew out onto the balcony. Turning her head from side to side to search, she expelled her breath in relief when she spotted Griffin standing alone on the far side of the space.

"Griffin," she called.

He turned to look at her. His forehead wrinkled into a frown as she ran toward him.

By the time she reached him, she was out of breath.

"What are you doing here, Meredith?" Griffin asked. Skepticism lurked in his eyes. He was obviously guarded, careful. She couldn't blame him.

"I'm an idiot," she said between gasps for air. "I should have said yes all those years ago when you asked me. I should have told my father and Maxwell to go to hell. I should have run off to Gretna Green with you."

Griffin searched her face. His eyes narrowed. "Meredith, I don't understand. What's changed?"

"Maxwell and I… We never… In bed, we—" She still struggled to catch her breath.

Griffin sharply turned his head away. His jaw clenched. "I don't want to hear any more about Maxwell."

"You don't understand," she panted. "I thought I was barren, but now I know that when you and I made love, I was actually a virgin."

Griffin snapped his face toward her and stared at her in wonder, his eyes widening. "What?"

"It's true." She nodded. "I didn't know enough to realize that Maxwell was never…er…competent." She was blushing, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was the truth and that neither of them wasted one more second without each other.

Griffin was still watching her carefully. He took a step back. "That isn't the only issue, Meredith. You've told me many times that we were only friends. You've denied your feelings for me time and again."

She shook her head. Oh, God. She had to convince him. She had to make him believe the truth. "I know. And I'm sorry. I was confused. I was hurt. I was wrong ."

His face remained a mask of stone as his eyes narrowed on her. "What are you saying now?"

Meredith's heart ached. He was trying to resist her. He was trying to show her that she couldn't just come running back to him and be forgiven. After what she'd put him through, she didn't blame him. Not one whit. But she had to convince him. Because she would die without him.

She picked up her skirts and dropped to one knee.

Griffin's eyes went wide.

"Marry me, Griffin. Please say yes. I love you madly . "

He closed his eyes. He was warring with himself. She could tell. Oh, God. He had to still love her. He had to give her another chance. He had to .

"Please forgive me," she begged. "I don't know how to be in love. My only excuse is that I didn't want you to lose your only chance at having an heir. You were right. I pushed you away because I didn't want to feel anything. But I do. I do, Griffin. I love you so much ."

She knew the moment he'd made his choice. His eyes opened and he stared down at her with that look he'd always had for her. The one that made her feel safe and special. The one she always should have recognized meant that he adored her.

Her breath left her lungs in a solid rush as relief spread through her veins. She'd convinced him. Oh, God. She'd convinced him.

Griffin fell to his knees too. "I didn't care about an heir, Meredith. All I care about is you."

"I always knew you would say that," she said between smiling sobs. "And now I realize that we can have a baby. At least there's no reason to not think so."

He stood and pulled her up into his arms and spun her around. "I'm going to marry you because I love you and have since I was young. I can only hope we have a baby as well."

He lowered her to her feet and kissed her then, and the applause that came through the French doors startled them both. They looked over to see the entire crowd from the ballroom standing inside the glass wall clapping for them.

Meredith bit her lip and lowered her voice to a whisper. "You don't think they heard any of what we said, do you?"

"It's quite far away and the doors are closed," he assured her, his smile as bright as the sun. "I think they're clapping because we kissed. "

Meredith breathed another sigh of relief. "So, you'll marry me?" She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"Yes." He pulled her hands from around his neck and pressed his thumbs to the tops. "But first, I owe you an apology. I should have told you how I felt all those years ago. I should have been there for you when you were forced to marry Maxwell. I shouldn't have left. I couldn't bear to see you with him, but that doesn't matter. I was selfish. I'm sorry."

"And I'm sorry I wouldn't admit I loved you as more than a friend. I was scared."

"And I'm sorry that?—"

Meredith put a finger to his lips. "Let's not waste any more time on recriminations, Griffin. We have each other now. Now and forever."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again.