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Star had married Khalif in a stunning ceremony in Duratra’s capital, where the celebrations had lasted for days and Katy had been treated like a little princess and loved every minute of it. Star had worn the Soames diadem and the interlocked necklace in honour of both Catherine and Hâtem. The joining of the two families felt fated.
But Summer’s wedding to Theron had been a little closer to home.
Two years ago today, Summer had walked down these very same stairs in a wedding dress of oyster-coloured silk. The design had been similar to that of the yellow dress she had bought all those years ago in Athens. And although everyone proclaimed her to be the most beautiful bride they’d ever seen, she only had eyes for Theron.
In front of their families, those of blood and those of friendship, Summer had sworn to love her husband for eternity and a day and Theron had promised to be by her side and never leave. The glint in his eye as he’d finally made the promise that had terrified him so much was more than Summer could have ever asked for.
In a mixture of Greek and English, wreaths and rings, their love had been celebrated and cemented in the estate in Norfolk that had been in her family for hundreds of years, and Summer couldn’t shake the feeling that Catherine had been watching over them that day.
Before she could round the corner, Theron appeared at the bottom of the stairs and Summer couldn’t help the burst of arousal from deep within her at the sight of her husband dressed in a suit that fitted him to perfection.
As if he were feeling the same way, his eyes flashed for just a moment before he blinked. But while the intensity in his gaze had been banked, in the last five years and all their years to come his thoughts and feelings were never hidden from her again.
To her surprise, he bent to one knee.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Asking you to marryme.’
‘But—’ she broke off to laugh ‘—we’re already married,’ she said as she drew closer and closer to him.
‘I know. I just want to be able to promise you that I’ll never leave your side in front of our family and friends as many times as possible.’
‘We don’t need a lavish ceremony just for that.’
‘Justfor that?’ he demanded in the same way he’donce demanded what ‘just a kiss’ was supposed to mean. ‘If I want, I will have a hundred ceremonies to tell you how much I love you and to make unending promises to the most beautiful wife a man has ever had.’
‘Theron, don’t let Lykos hear you say that, or he’ll be offering athousandceremonies to his wife.’
Theron laughed, standing to his full height. ‘I still can’t quite believe that he actually ended up with a castle,’ he said, fitting her to his side and placing his hand between her shoulder blades as he liked to do. He guided her to a stop and took her hand in his, pulling her round to face him.
He slowly inched forward, his lips hovering a hair’s breadth from hers, pleasure and anticipation rising within her as she held onto the tease, waiting to see which one of them broke first this time.
The moment was broken by the peal of the doorbell.
Theron smiled and whispered, ‘You owe me a kiss,’ into her ear before he turned and braced himself against the screams of her sisters and nieces as they rushed the couple with hugs, laughter and love. Through the chaos Summer saw Benoit following through the entrance, talking to Khalif about the incredible memorial project for his brother andsister-in-law and she couldn’t help the tendril of professional curiosity getting the better of her. Theron caught her eye and understood her desire, enticing her sisters and nieces away to meet Katy, so that she could catch up on how the bridge and conservation area between two kingdoms in the Middle East was coming along.
Before long, Katy came running to find her and pull her back to the living room, where piles and piles of presents were being unloaded to her mounting horror.
‘I thought we said only one present each,’ Summer said, feeling a little worried.
Star laughed gently. ‘We did. And we stuck to it. But we wanted to take some gifts to the children’s ward at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. The boys are going to take the girls there this afternoon.’
Understanding dawned in her eyes and she nodded, feeling a spread of love for the generosity they were able to share, but also the tug of a promise they had made when Mariam had first started her treatment.
Five years on and Mariam had received the all-clear and was officially cancer-free. The celebration planned for that evening, after Mariam and Kyros flew in from Greece, would be incredible. But no less important than the personal moment the sisters had planned for that afternoon.
Over a leisurely late brunch, that Skye argued with Theron was more lunch, and Lykos, who had arrived with his wife, rolled his eyes and complained about, saying the English didn’t know anything about food, which Theron wholly agreed with, Summer felt love for her family rise up around her and fill the house completely.
In her wildest dreams she couldn’t have imagined such a future. And it was all thanks to Catherine Soames. She caught her sisters’ eyes and, as if they all felt and thought the same way, they quietly excused themselves from the table. Their husbands, understanding, kept the children distracted and soon Summer heard the entire group getting into their respective cars and heading out to the hospital for the family tradition that had started the year after Skye’s little girl had spent a terrifying three months in hospital over Christmas. She could see that Skye was torn, wanting to go with them, and Summer put a hand on her arm for comfort.
‘It’s okay,’ Skye insisted. ‘There will be plenty more years for that.Thisis something I want to do.’
‘It’s something we all want to do,’ insisted Star, and Summer led them to a section of wood panelling beside the master bedroom that they hadn’t seen before. ‘Wait...what...?’
Summer smiled and shrugged mischievously. ‘Well, we were renovating so many of the areas and I thought that just because they were secret passageways doesn’t mean they have to begrimpassageways.’
Skye’s eyes grew round, staring at the panelling and finally seeing the faint impression of a secret door. ‘You didn’t! Benoit didn’t say anything,’ she chided.
