A.N.: Kat—If I knew what planet that offer was good on, I WOULD IMMIGRATE! :)
Oh, it gives me a warm, giggly feeling inside to see reviews in my inbox. I got TWO while I was out for one class! It was WONDERFUL! I LOVE YOU ALL! (But not as much as Romeo loved Juliet. Sorry.)
Okay, back to the actual story... :)
Henry took the chair by Sara's bed. "How are you?" he asked.
"Getting better. Thank you for rescuing me." Sara smiled at him. "Becky told me all about it."
"It was nothing," Henry said, "Lottie was rather brilliant as Locksley."
"Locksley?"
"From Ivanhoe," Henry explained. "Your faithful nurse Rebecca watches over you in the tower, while Locksley and her band of merry girls attack the castle from below!"
Sara laughed. "And the Black Knight rushes in to save me! Only luckily, there was no madwoman in the attic setting the seminary on fire." Henry laughed with her. Sara's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Henry, I'm so sorry."
"What for?" he asked gently, taking her head.
"For letting my pride run away with me. I didn't want to marry you because I was afraid it would wound my pride—I didn't want your pity." She said it all in a rush, to get it over with. "But I should've known you loved me too much to pity me, and I'm sorry." She gulped. "I do love you."
Henry's eyes shone. He didn't say anything for a moment. Then he said softly, "Does this mean you'll marry me?" A teasing smile brushed his cheek.
Sara couldn't speak, but she nodded emphatically. Henry folded his arms around her and they both began to laugh again.
000
Sara's first visitor the next day was Lottie.
"I think Miss Minchin's frightened of me," she said calmly over her teacup. "She won't scold me for anything." Lottie grinned impishly. "She's too afraid I'll stage another coup."
"Did she write to your father like she threatened?"
"No; I did." Lottie set the cup down. "I told him what happened, and he wrote back that at the end of term I should come home and he would hire a tutor for me. A good number of the older girls wrote their parents about it as well. And the ones that didn't—they may very well hear of it soon anyway."
"What do you mean?" Sara asked, setting down her own cup and saucer.
Lottie looked very serious; her blue eyes were rather dark. "When Mr. Eshton carried you here—well, it was morning, but there were plenty of servants in the street at that hour. I'm afraid it's going to be all over town soon."
"Oh dear," Sara said.
The thought of gossip occupied Sara's mind even after Lottie had left. A story like that could completely ruin her reputation—and it wouldn't be too great for Henry's, either. Here she was, a female servant, carried by a gentleman into the house in which he was staying, when the owners of the house didn't even know her. Furthermore, they had often been seen walking together on the street. It would look highly ineligible. She would forever be a servant girl of low morals to London society. It was bad enough that she would have to bear this, but to ask Henry to bear it as well was terrible. Her resolution to marry him did not waver: Henry had made the choice to turn his back on rumors long ago, and she would never mistrust him again. But she couldn't help wishing it were otherwise.
She spoke briefly with Henry on that topic later that afternoon. "You know what people will say about us?" she queried.
Henry nodded. "We'll get through. For one thing, we'll say that we were betrothed before I took you from there. That will dismiss the fact that you were brought here—after all, this is my uncle's house, not my own. There can be no objection to me bringing my betrothed to visit my family."
Sara felt a little better about it after that. And anyway, she wouldn't be facing conjecture alone.
000
Sara was feeling so much better that evening that everyone retired to her room after dinner. She enjoyed chatting with her hosts and watching Maria tease Mr. Carrisford. Henry had pulled his chair up to the left side of Sara's pillow, and during a lull in the conversation, he announced, "Tom, Maria, we have something to tell you." He smiled over at Sara, who took his proffered hand. "Sara has agreed to marry me."
Maria clapped her hands together, threw back her head and laughed. Then she ran to hug the young couple. Tom shook their hands warmly, saying, "Well done! Well done indeed! Very happy for you both!"
When the exuberance had died down a little, Mr. Carrisford paused and addressed Sara. "You know, I feel a terribly neglectful host, but I don't think I've ever heard your surname, my dear. I'll have to print it when we publish the banns."
"Crewe," Sara replied immediately. "Sara Collette Crewe."
Mr. Carrisford went very still and his face visibly paled. He struggled to find his voice. "What was your father's name?" he choked out.
Sara looked at him, alarmed and bewildered. "Captain Ralph Crewe," she said.
"Good God." Tom sunk his face in his hands. "Lord, forgive my blindness!"
AN: 11/1/04 Added some stuff on the gossip
