Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
This was a round sapphire surrounded by diamonds.
He slipped it on my finger.
It was too loose.
“Not that one either,” he said, sliding it off and nabbing yet another.
“Battle,” I whispered.
The massive emerald-cut emerald fit snug over my knuckle, but it went and then fit perfectly at the base.
He caught my eyes. “That one?”
My heart was beating like a mad thing.
“Are you asking me to marry you?” I whispered.
“Yes, and no,” he said curtly. “Yes, we shall be getting married. Yes, I will eventually ask for your hand in a far more romantic manner. Yes, when we apply for a fiancée visa from the Home Office, we will share we’re engaged. No, between you and me, my sisters, Hamish and Bartie, this is a place keeper until you and I are ready for the real thing. And that means, until I can phone my jeweler and set her to finding the ring you’ll wear to your grave, which in turn means we’ll be official sometime next week.”
I stared at him even though he was wavy through the tears in my eyes.
“So, darling, will that one do?” he asked a lot more gently.
“I—”
“Vivi!” Prue cried urgently.
I turned to her.
“The ring,” she said.
“What?”
“Ravenna!” she nearly yelled. “The ring! Choose the ring wisely.”
Holy crap.
The ring.
I looked down at the scattering of expensive jewelry (seriously, they could cull this lot too, and even Noble and Fury’s children would have a still-healthy Fund).
“What’s this?” Battle asked.
“I do hate when I’m wrong about something, and with that woman, it seems I’m wrong,” Tempie said.
But I saw it on the table.
Like when Indiana Jones picked the proper Holy Grail, there it was amidst all the decadence, wealth and splendor.
A little white-gold engagement ring, art deco style, stacked, with a small round diamond embedded in a radiating stamp of art deco square, two tiny diamonds set on each side.
I reached to the ring and felt it for the first time since the first day I was there.
A bolt charging through me.
Oh God.
I handed it to Battle. “This one.”
He didn’t look fond of my choice, but he took off the emerald and slid that ring on my finger.
It fit perfectly.
I nearly burst into tears.
I didn’t, though not due to any iron will over my emotions.
But because, right at the moment Battle settled that ring at the base of my finger, we all heard Chassie scream.
CHAPTER 28
THE LETTERS
Battle and Hamish were out of their chairs like a shot.
The rest of us got up, even Bartholomew, and raced after them, even Bartholomew, and he did this barking.
Surprisingly, with Bartholmew’s bulk and Prue’s short legs, they took the lead, because I was mildly hobbling and Tempie was on high heels.
She eventually stopped, took them off, chucked them and sprinted up the stairs a lot faster than I’d ever guess she could move.
This meant I was the last one to get to Chassie’s room.
By the time I made it there, skidding to a halt beside Tempie, Christian, in nothing but boxers, was laying Chassie, in nothing but a cute, girlie but sexy nightie, on the bed.
Bartholomew was pacing beside it.
“We need ice,” Christian stated, thankfully moving to his jeans. “She turned her ankle.”
But one must say, it was interesting to know botanists worked out.
Chassie was scrambling to pull the covers over her, and her face was so red, it was gleaming.
Christian hefted his jeans up and prompted, “Ice?”
Prue squeaked then dashed from the room.
I turned to Battle, Tempie and Hamish.
Hamish was studying the ceiling.
Tempie was grinning broadly at her sister in the bed.
Battle looked homicidal again.
Though, I noted, even though Chassie seemed okay (outside the ankle) none of them appeared prepared to leave.
I shambled to my man, just in case I had to be close for a lockdown, asking Chassie, “What happened?”
Her eyes got big, and she pulled the covers up over her nose.
“She got out of bed and the floorboard went,” Christian answered, crouching down. “I was in bed, she was too far away, I couldn’t grab her.”
I looked down at the floor.
The rug was disturbed, pushed through a hole.
“Took a step, she went right through,” Christian finished.
“I must have walked on that spot on the floor a million times,” Chassie said from behind the covers. “It’s so crazy it went this morning. I didn’t even feel it was loose.”
First things first.
I looked up at Battle. “Why don’t you, um…”
He carefully guided me aside, and I thought he wanted me out of the way because he was going to bum rush Christian.
But he squatted down and slapped the rug back.
He then walked to Christian calmly, they both stared down at the displaced floorboard, then Battle squatted again, shoved it fully aside, reached into the floor and came out with a thick stack of letters bound in a faded green ribbon to what looked like four volumes of journals.