Barely a Bride (Free Fellows League 1)

“We have to stop.” He forced himself to end the kiss.

“You’re the second person today to tell me to stop doing what I want to do,” she complained, brushing his lips with hers.

Griff buried his nose in her hair. “You smell of roses,” he replied. “Fields of roses. And lavender.”

“Much better than the sulfur and peacock feathers, don’t you think?”

“Much,” he murmured. “What were you doing? Bathing in the essence of roses and lavender?”

She shook her head. “Distilling it.”

Griff blinked.

“You spent the afternoon closeted with my father while I spent the afternoon making rosewater.”

Griff stepped back. “I didn’t spend the entire afternoon closeted with your father. Believe it or not, I somehow managed to work in a bit of shopping at Dalrymple’s Jewelers.”

“Prove it,” she challenged.

Griff reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a ring. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Alyssa gasped at the beauty of the ring as he withdrew it from its velvet drawstring bag and offered it to her.

The delicate gold ring contained a large purple center stone surrounded by a ring of smaller green

stones, and accented by several diamonds. It looked like a purple flower blooming in the midst of bright green leaves sparkling with droplets of rain or dew. Alyssa instantly adored it.

“It isn’t the traditional Abernathy betrothal ring,” Griff told her, “but this one is unique. I thought you might like a betrothal ring no one else has ever worn. And with your love of gardening, I thought this one was particularly apropos.” He slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her left hand. “Besides,” Griff grinned, “I like amethysts, peridots, and small, tasteful diamonds. But if you prefer otherwise…”

“It’s beautiful!” Alyssa exclaimed. “And it fits perfectly.” She held out her hand to admire the ring. “However did you manage it?”

“I’m afraid you’re missing a pair of gloves, my lady.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, indeed.”

She pursed her lips. “I don’t remember dropping them.”

“That’s because I asked your butler to appropriate your gloves for me to take to the jeweler’s.”

“Then I’m happy to sacrifice them,” Alyssa said, wiggling her fingers, admiring the way the light reflected off the stones in her betrothal ring.

“Prove it,” he challenged.

And Alyssa did, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him to show her pleasure in his gift.

“Ahem.”

Lord Tressingham cleared his throat in polite warning as he and Lady Tressingham reentered the library.

Alyssa dropped her arms from around Griff’s neck and would have moved completely out of his reach, but Griffin stopped her by catching hold of her wrist and interlacing his fingers with hers.

“That’s not the Abernathy betrothal ring,” Lady Tressingham complained the moment she caught sight of the ring on Alyssa’s finger.

“It is now, Mama,” Alyssa said, “for I’m about to become the new Viscountess Abernathy.”

“The original Abernathy betrothal ring contains a priceless yellow diamond,” her mother retorted, “and that isn’t it.”