She peeled off his somber black eye patch and moved around behind him to tie on the new kilted one. “Red looks very good on you. I’m not offended that you know why I married you; I’m offended that you think those things still matter to me. Once I managed the feat of falling in love with you—no easy task, considering your temperament—everything changed. A woman in love doesn’t care about money or looks.”

She returned to his front, trailing her fingers down his lifeless arm until she caught his fingers in hers, bringing their joined hands to her mouth. She kissed each of his fingers.

“And does a woman in love not care about standing or titles?”

“Titles, no,” she answered with dimples flying. “Standing…well, women in love reserve the right to retain their standing so as to better further their husband’s successes. I really do think I’ve had as much of your self-pity as I can stand, Alasdair. Therefore, I will take Dr. Milton’s advice and give you an intermatum: You will decide right here and now that you wish to continue living. You will realize that despite the loss of your eye and the diminished strength of your arm, you are still a vital, important man. You will remember that you swore before God to cherish and honor me, and you can’t possibly do that if you are dead or moping around in darkened rooms. I very much deserve to be cherished and honored. For that reason, you will kiss me and hug me and touch me in those womanly parts that tingle when you are near, and then you will bed me. Every night. Possibly two times a night once you regain your stamina. In short, husband mine, you will return to the Dare I knew and loved, and you will do so this very minute!”

Dare looked as if he wanted to smile, but was afraid to. Slowly the fire died out in his eye as he reached up to rub his thumb against her shoulder. “The word is ultimatum, not intermatum.”

“I know,” she said softly, allowing her eyes to fill with all the love she felt for him. “I just liked the sound of intermatum better. It’s more forceful.”

His lips twitched. “My beautiful wife. My beautiful Charlotte who deserves better.”

“Yes, I do,” she agreed, rubbing her cheek against the back of his hand. “I deserve a husband who is not a coward, a husband who doesn’t know the meaning of surrender. I deserve a husband who loves me enough to fight for me.”

“You deserve a husband who can give you want you want,” Dare said softly, his shoulders slumping as his hand dropped from her shoulder. “What have I to offer you? I’m penniless, crippled, and half-blind. My title is in question, and our one means of salvation lies in a heap of twisted metal. You deserve far more than what I can offer you, Charlotte.”

She refused to let him back away, wrapping both her arms around his waist, rubbing his nose with hers. “You told me once that appearance wasn’t everything; I’m telling you the same now. Crippled and half-blind you may be, but you’re still you, and that’s all that matters. And as for the other things…you’ll have more money than I’ll possibly be able to spend once you sell your engine. Your title might be lost—although Crouch is working diligently on the matter—but you still have standing in the ton. You might have lost one eye, but you have another, and Dr. Milton is convinced that you’ll regain at least some use in your right arm if you set your mind to it. And as for your engine, I have every confidence that if you dedicate yourself to it, you could have it ready in time for the scientific exhibition.”