Page 67 of A Housekeeper for the Earl of Drinkwater
His heart stopped when she called him by his given name. He laced his fingers through hers and grinned.
“You thinkIam beautiful?” he asked, grinning in disbelief.
She, however, remained serious. Her eyes were smoldering, and her lips parted.
“You have no idea,” she said, sitting up and wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him.
He studied her eyes, a slow smile forming. For just a moment, he thought he really could see himself the way she saw him. Or, perhaps, he was just seeing her in such a way that he thought he could. Either way, he knew right then what he must do.
He slipped the gold signet ring off his finger. He promptly got down on one knee and took her left hand in his.
“I know I love you more than any man has ever loved a woman,” he said, taking his turn to be serious. “And I see no reason to postpone this one second longer, because I know I always will. Serena White, will you marry me?”
The innocence of her gasp and the sparkle in her eyes flooded him with intoxicating love for her. He kissed her hand, looking up at her with longing, letting his lips linger on her skin for an extra second.
After a moment, she nodded, tears filling her eyes.
“I cannot wait to marry you, Edward,” she said.
He steadied her trembling hand as he put his ring on her finger. Fortunately, it was not so big that it would slip straight off.
“Do not fret, my love,” he said, kissing the ring that now belonged to his fiancée. “This is a temporary substitute for the big diamond ring that I am soon going to buy you.”
She shook her head, cupping his face in her hands and kissing him again.
“I do not care if you merely paint a circle on my finger,” she said. “You love me, and you have asked me to be your wife. No diamond in the world could ever be more precious to me than that.”
Edward’s heart swelled with pride, reminding him of another important point he had recently learned.
“You really should have told me that you are a baron’s daughter,” he teased. “Why did you not?”
Serena bit her lip, so he took her hand to show her that he was not unhappy with her.
“Well, I actually thought that I had, during my interview,” she said, her cheeks turning the shade of pink he loved so much. “I was so nervous that I am surprised that I did not tell you at what age I lost my first tooth.” She laughed, then took a deep breath before continuing. “I know I did not intend to tell you because I was afraid that you would not hire me.”
Edward nodded thoughtfully.
“Fair enough,” he said, smiling slyly. “Though, I thought it was me who was nervous. Perhaps you did tell me and I just didn’t hear what you said because I was so busy admiring your beauty.”
She giggled again and squeezed his hand.
“Would it really have mattered?” she asked.
Edward shook his head.
“Not at all,” he said. “I think, even if I had known, or realised later, I would have still hired you. I can’t imagine that I could ever have let you walk out of my home, never to see you again. I fell in love with you as a humble housekeeper, but to me, you were always a queen.”
His delighted fiancée blushed as she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, sending a wave of delicious tingles through him.
“And I don’t think I could have left, even if you had begged me to,” she said. “I fell in love with Chimneys from the first moment I laid eyes on it. Just as I did with you. I just knew this was where I belonged. And I am so glad I trusted my intuition.”
Edward could not stop smiling at his bride-to-be.
“Now, let us spend our lives trusting our hearts,” he said. “And the hearts of one another.”
Serena nodded, giggling like a young girl.
“I shall be delighted,” she said.
