“Of course, My Lady, it is not often one gets to make an engagement ring! Although, the Duke’s extended family is certainly trying to make them the fashion.” Mr. Mosely laughed. “Have you thought about what kind of cut you would like? The metal?”
Dominic saw Lady Bellmore open her mouth but before she could say anything Charlotte said, “Nothing too extravagant. Something small and simple will suit me best.”
“Not diamonds?” Mr. Mosely asked.
Charlotte shook her head. “No, to be honest, I do not really like diamonds.”
“How very unusual,” Mr. Mosely nodded to himself, and Dominic recognised the man’s rising excitement.
He had been coming to the jeweller for years with various members of his family, and the man loved nothing more than finding a piece to suit a lady perfectly. He loved when they had unusual tastes even more.
Dominic smiled.He will make her feel like royalty before we are done.The thought of Charlotte being spoiled was immensely appealing. The softness in her green eyes when she was surprised tugged at something within him. As delightful as their verbal sparring was, the way her entire body softened when her defences were lowered seemed to steal his breath away.
“Do not worry about the price. Pick anything your heart desires.” Dominic gestured around them.
Charlotte’s eyes widened, and Dominic realised she was looking at his hand. Or specifically, she was looking at the faint white marks upon them where his rings used to be.
For a moment, he thought that Charlotte would say something; her lips parted, and she glanced at Mr. Mosely who was beaming at them.
“The Duke is a generous man,” Mr. Mosely said. “Let us start in this section — no, do not worry, dear lady, there are no diamonds in any of these.”
Dominic watched as Charlotte followed Mr. Mosely around the store. He noticed that Charlotte tended to skip over anything large or gaudy which did not surprise him. She seemed a much more understated woman.
But the rings that she would try on were always the cheapest of the lot. They were beautiful, of course — Mr. Mosely did not make ugly things — but they were plain, and many of them only had small stones.
“Are you sure?” he asked when she showed him the ring she had picked, shame at his mingled relief and embarrassment flowing through him.
“Yes, quite sure. This is the one,” Charlotte insisted, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.
“You can choose any you desire,” he repeated, feeling his cheeks redden.Does she pity me?
Charlotte met his gaze, a gentleness in her expression as she said, “This is the ring for me. I do not think I could justify anything more.”
“Charlotte I —” Dominic murmured.
“You have done me a great kindness. Consider this me doing the same for you. It is beautiful and simple. Much more practical than anything else. Especially once we…” Charlotte’s voice was so soft Dominic could barely hear her.
Once we part ways.He felt a hollow stab in his chest. It was probably just embarrassment. He smiled at her, feeling that it was shaky at best.
“Thank you.”
Dominic looked down at the ring on her finger. “It will need to be resized. It is too big for you.”
Charlotte nodded. “Yes, I am sure Mr. Mosely will be able to resize it for us.”
“Of course, he will,” Lady Bellmore agreed.
“Well, let me see about settling up with him.” Dominic walked towards the counter, but out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Charlotte lingering near one of the display cases.
For a moment, her entire face lit up, and she reached towards one of the rings. Dominic waited a moment and then turned around. He walked towards her, the other ring she had chosen in his hand.
“Are you really sure you want this one?” he asked again.You can tell me the truth.
Charlotte nodded. “Yes. That is the one I want.”
But Dominic saw her eyes dart to the display case and back again. He forced his face into a neutral expression. “Very well. Let us talk to Mr. Mosely about resizing it.”
As Charlotte and Mr. Mosely took measurements to get the ring resized, Dominic wandered over to the display case Charlotte had been standing at moments before. There were three rings in the case.
