Smiling, Dominic knelt in front of her, theatrically clasping a hand to his chest. “Charlotte, will you marry me?”
She paused, mostly to pay him back for winding her up, and then she laughed and said, “I will.”
Dominic stood and gently cupped her face with his palm, his eyes soft. The warmth of his touch seemed to fill her, and she felt as though she would burst. She leaned into the feel of his hand against her cheek, her lips parted.
He was so close to her that she could feel his breath against her lips.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered back.
And then he kissed her. His lips pressed against hers, stealing her breath and making the world seem to spin. For a moment, nothing else existed, and she lost herself in him.
When they broke apart, she was breathless, and he smiled at her.
“You know that my grandmother will be most displeased if you do not have an engagement ring when we next see her.” Dominic gestured to Charlotte’s hand.
“Then we should pick it up from Mr. Mosely before we do.”
“As luck would have it, I went to his shop yesterday. It is part of the reason I was so delayed in coming here.” Dominic pulled out a small box.
Charlotte gasped when he opened the lid. The ring was not the one they had picked out together; it was the beautiful sapphire that had caught her eye.
She felt tears fill her eyes, and she looked at Dominic in wonder. “How did you know?”
“I have eyes to see. Your face lit up when you looked at the rings in that case, and when I looked through them, the sapphire was the only one that made me think of you.” His face softened as he spoke. “Besides, I wanted you to have a real engagement ring, and the one we picked out would never have felt like that.”
“No, it would not have,” Charlotte agreed.
“Are you going to try it on?”
Charlotte nodded, and Dominic slipped it on her finger. It fit perfectly. She saw how pleased he looked with himself and could not help but laugh at the satisfaction clearly etched on his face.
Before either of them could say another word, the door burst open and her stepmother, father, and sisters strode into the room.
“Are you engaged?” Evelyn asked excitedly.
Charlotte nodded and showed them the sapphire on her left hand. “Yes. Yes, we are!”
Evelyn and Philippa let out delighted squeels and enveloped Charlotte in their embrace. Her father held out a hand to Dominic, who shook it.
“A pleasure to see you again, Earl Bellmore.” Dominic said.
“And you, Duke Verimore,” her father replied.
“May I have your consent to marry your daughter?” Dominic asked.
“I suspect if I did not give it, my wife would make my life a living hell. As would my daughters.” Her father smiled. “And from what my wife says, it would seem my daughter loves you a great deal.”
“I do father.” Charlotte stood beside Dominic and rested her head against his chest. “More than I could have imagined.”
“Then I give you, and your union, my consent and my blessing.” The Earl beamed at them.
“Thank you.” Charlotte threw her arms around her father.
“My pleasure,” her father replied.
She left the embrace and glanced at Dominic, who was smiling at her.
