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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.
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Most of the crowd was so absorbed in staring at the bright, colorful lights overhead, they likely didn’t even notice their host and his bride-to-be had been transported to another time. It wasn’t until Meg and Jonathan began to guide Charlie back toward the house that some of them seemed to see something was the matter as the trio had to pass through many of the guests in order to get inside. As she approached the door, her arm around Charlie’s midsection as Jonathan held him from behind, Meg realized she’d collected Kelly and Daniel who looked just as frightened as Meg felt.Once inside, Meg kept right on walking, headed toward the parlor where she thought guests might leave them be and the firecrackers might not be so loud, though the popping sound followed them through the house, and each time another burst, all of them jumped to some degree or another.Meg led Charlie over to the sofa and forced him to sit as he began to stammer out some sor
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“We were so relieved to hear that you weren’t harmed, particularly when we learned of the disaster at sea. Such a tragedy. Thank God you were all safe.”Meg cleared her throat. “Would it be possible for Bertram to join us? I want to say what I have come to tell you only once.”“Well, as I said, he’s resting….”“Wake him,” Charlie said, and his tone was enough to make Mildred recoil slightly, something Meg didn’t think she’d ever seen before.“Very well,” Mildred said. “Just a moment.”Charlie stood as her mother rose from her chair to go find her uncle, and Meg felt ill. He reclaimed his seat as soon as it was polite to do so and rested his hand on her arm. “It will be all right, darling. You’ve nothing to be afraid of.”“I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to smell him. I don’t want to hear the s
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That explanation made the rage well up inside of Meg again. “She needed help—so you dropped everything to help her? Where were you when my uncle was carrying me up the stairs?” She was shouting now, and she glanced back at Charlie to see he’d taken a few steps in her direction. She shook her head at him to let him know she was all right.“I tried to follow him, I really did,” Ezra said, moving closer to her himself. “Your mother stopped me. She said… she said if I did anything to intervene, she’d let my father go. Meg, what was I to do? My father was so ill. He needed the money he earned here to pay for his medication. Now… he’s on his deathbed, Meg. If I had tried to stop your uncle, my father would be out on the streets and likely dead.” He had tears in his eyes; his voice was imploring. He looked the picture of a son in misery, unable to help his father.“So you chose to leave him behind
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