Explosion
A few moments later, they heard a distinct throat clearing at the end of the hallway and realized Jonathan was waiting for them. Pulling themselves apart, Meg brushed the tear streaks from her face, and Charlie looped his arm through hers and led her down the hall, as if they were walking to the firing squad instead of a group of alleged friends.
Once they reached the end of the hallway where Jonathan stood, the liegeman whispered sharply, “Your sister is about to have a conniption thinking you’ve snuck off somewhere.”
“We are just slow walkers,” Charlie assured him, amused.
“I’ll let you explain yourself to her. She assumed you were right behind her.”
“We were. Right behind her—far, far behind her.” Charlie looked at Meg, a twinkle in his eyes.
“I believe you will need the ring back if you’re to give her the ring in front of everyone,” Jonathan reminded them.
Meg shrugged and let go of Charlie’s arm so she could work the ring off and hand it back. The diamond wasn’t nearly as large as the ostentatious one on Stella’s finger, but it was lovely with a princess cut diamond in the center surrounded by dozens of smaller stones, and Meg was reluctant to take it off.
Jonathan nodded his approval and began to slowly back toward the exit. While she noticed he smelled a bit like alcohol, she was glad it wasn’t nearly as overwhelming as it was the other night, and she assumed it was because he was technically working.
Once Charlie had the ring back safely in his pocket, they went on their way to the back garden where Meg thought she’d be forced to pretend she was somewhere else for a while in order to keep from hyperventilating with every wealthy eye in New York City on her. Unfortunately, she had plenty of practice with the art of being somewhere else.
“There you are!” Grace proclaimed, a fake smile plastered to her face. Her satin and lace blush gown caught the flicker from the gas lights and seemed to dance around her as she approached them.
Mr. Hill was standing in an open area in front of most of the guests, and Grace led the couple over. Looking around, Meg was relieved when she saw Kelly’s reassuring smile in the crowd, Daniel beside her, his casted arm yet another reminder of what they’d been through.
As they approached the Master of Ceremonies, he made a loud announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen, what we’ve all been gathered together this night to witness….” He held up his arms, and Meg was reminded of the one visit to the circus she’d made as a little girl with her father and her mother, the latter having been almost as unhappy then as Meg felt now. Charlie looked almost as lost as Meg was, but once his sister guided him into precisely the place she wanted him to stand, and Meg followed, he looked at her, and the rest of the people became much less important.
Grace and the rest of the family stood off to the side with Mr. Hill, as Charlie cleared his throat and momentarily glanced out at the sea of anxious faces. He looked back at Meg, and she was tempted to make a silly face at him to make him feel less nervous, but she didn’t do so, only gave him a knowing smile.
Charlie glanced down at the ground and Meg prayed he wouldn’t bother to get down on one knee again, since they were standing on brick pavers and she knew it would be difficult for him to get up and down again. Nevertheless, he did so, and she offered her hand to steady him, since she realized he’d need it anyway. There was a loud “oooh” from the crowd as they cooed over the romantic gesture.
“Mary Margaret Westmoreland, we’ve been planning our wedding for years, but now it is time to make it official.” He reached into his pocket and pulled the ring out, leaving the box inside. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she said quickly, pulling him up to his feet even before he had the ring completely on her finger. She was thankful that he’d kept it short and to the point. No one need know the other sweet words of affection he’d shared with her earlier in the hallway, or the professions of love he’d made when he’d originally asked her to be his wife aboard Carpathia.
The crowd seemed surprised at the hastiness of the moment they’d been waiting all evening to witness, but once they realized it was over, they broke into applause, and Charlie leaned down and kissed Meg’s cheek. Over his shoulder, she saw Grace give some sort of signal to someone on the other end of the yard, behind the bushes that surrounded the pond, and a split second too late, she realized what was about to happen.
The first explosion was so loud and nearby, if Meg hadn’t had that moment to prepare, she was certain she would’ve screamed. Instantly, she was back on the water in the lifeboat and a flare split the night sky in half with a loud crack. Fighting the panic, Meg reminded herself it was only a firecracker and tried to keep from running. However, Charlie didn’t have the benefit of seeing his sister’s secret gesture, and his first reaction was to leap and spin around in the air so quickly, he nearly flung Meg into the pond. She kept her grasp on him as the explosions continued to fill the air above them, but his eyes were wild, and she knew she must have help if she was going to get him to safety before he managed to hurt himself or someone nearby.
Jonathan reacted much the same way Meg did. She could see the panic in his eyes as well, but he moved toward Charlie quickly and precisely, grabbing his friend by the shoulders firmly, and even though Charlie’s first instinct was to throw him off, Jonathan held resolutely. Between the two of them, they were able to calm him enough to make him realize the noises were simply fireworks and nothing to be alarmed about.
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