‘It’s got the perfect outlook,’ she said. ‘And you’re right. That wall of glass will give a spectacular view of the lake.’
On the way back to the house, he took her on a detour into the rose garden.
‘Oh, now this is pretty,’ she said in delight. ‘And I’ve never smelled anything so lovely.’
‘You’d need Philly to talk you through all the names and their history,’ he said. ‘But.’ He paused by the sundial. ‘You’ve met my family now.’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you like them?’
She smiled. ‘They’re lovely. And they remind me a lot of my family.’
‘Good.’ He paused. ‘I know I said I’d give you time to think—but I really hate waiting. I’m sure that my life with you will be good. And, now you’ve met my family, I hope all your fears are set to rest, too.’
‘They are,’ she said.
He took something from his pocket and dropped to one knee. ‘Grace. I love you. Will you marry me?’ He opened the box and held it out to her.
Set on a bed of purple velvet was the prettiest ring she’d ever seen: a solitaire diamond set in a star-shaped mount.
‘A star,’ he said, ‘because you’re ma belle étoile. And I really, really love you.’
Grace swallowed hard.
She’d asked him for time. But she didn’t need it any more. ‘I love you, too. Yes,’ she whispered.
He slid the engagement ring onto her finger, then stood up, picked her up, whirled her round, and then kissed her until she was dizzy.
‘I hope you’re prepared for what happens next, because my family have a really bad habit of taking over,’ he said.
‘I’m with you, so I can be brave.’ She smiled. ‘Bring it on.’
It took Matilda all of five seconds to spot the difference when they walked in. ‘Your hand—it’s all sparkly!’ she said in delight. ‘Oh—it’s a ring. And it’s like a star!’
And Roland slid his arm round Grace’s shoulders, clearly enjoying the spectacle of seeing his closest family stunned into silence. ‘This has to be a first,’ he said, laughing.
Everything suddenly went high-octane, with everyone talking at once.
‘So when’s the wedding? And it has to be here—every Devereux gets married here,’ Will said.
‘I have a friend who makes amazing dresses,’ Susie said.
‘Croquembouche. We need a proper croquembouche wedding cake,’ Henry said. ‘With sparklers. Lots of sparklers.’
‘The flowers are mine, all mine,’ Philly said, rubbing her hands together. ‘I can’t wait to make you the most beautiful bridal bouquet in the world.’
‘And I can be the flower girl and have a sparkly tiara with butterflies!’ Matilda crowed happily.
‘Wait,’ Joanna said, walking into the middle of the room and holding her hands up for silence, for all the world like a headmistress in the middle of a noisy assembly hall.
Grace felt her stomach drop. Had she made the wrong decision? Would Joanna feel the same way that Cynthia had—that Grace wasn’t good enough for her son?
‘Listen, you lot. I know this is the best news ever, but we have to remember that it’s Grace and Roland’s day,’ Joanna said quietly. ‘They’re the ones who make the decisions, not us. And we are absolutely not talking wedding plans without Grace’s family being part of those discussions.’
So very unlike the way the Suttons had seen things, Grace thought with relief.
‘OK. We’ll have a planning meeting tomorrow—or as soon as Grace’s family can get here,’ Will said.
Roland coughed. ‘Did you not hear what Mum said? And I agree. It’s Grace’s choice.’
Everyone stopped and looked at her.
They all wanted to be involved in her wedding, Grace realised. Not because they wanted to take over, the way that Howard’s family had, but because they wanted to be part of it and make her and Roland’s day truly special.
She knew without a doubt that, unlike Cynthia, they’d be more than happy for Bella to be her bridesmaid. Just as Grace would be very happy to ask Philly and Susie to be her bridesmaids and Matilda to be the flower girl—complete with her sparkly butterfly tiara. And butterfly wings, if she wanted them.
‘My parents are in Italy right now,’ she said, ‘but they’re due home next weekend. A planning meeting sounds good to me. And your house is beautiful. I can’t think of anywhere nicer to get married.’