I pushed my food around on my plate, gave up, and went after my coffee.
When I was putting the cup back in the saucer, Battle returned.
And he was carrying two thin…
Drawers?
He balanced one on the other, shoved my plate aside, his, then he upended both drawers on the table.
Tinkering flashes of precious jewels scattered all over the surface in a manner both Prue and I had to act fast so none fell to the floor.
“Looks like someone has been to the vault,” Tempie murmured.
“Pick one,” Battle ordered after he set the now-empty drawers on the sideboard.
Tempie chuckled deeply.
I stared in shock at the plethora of rings all over the table.
I took too long doing this, because Battle sat beside me, grabbed a random ring, then grabbed my left wrist.
Carefully, he put it on my ring finger.
Oh my God.
It didn’t go over my knuckle (which was good, it was a huge ruby in a not-very-attractive setting).
“Not that one,” he murmured.
Tossing it aside like it was plastic, not gold and a big-ass ruby, he grabbed another one at random.
This was a round sapphire surrounded by diamonds.
He slipped it on my finger.
It was too loose.
“Not that one either,” he said, sliding it off and nabbing yet another.
“Battle,” I whispered.
The massive emerald-cut emerald fit snug over my knuckle, but it went and then fit perfectly at the base.
He caught my eyes. “That one?”
My heart was beating like a mad thing.
“Are you asking me to marry you?” I whispered.
“Yes, and no,” he said curtly. “Yes, we shall be getting married. Yes, I will eventually ask for your hand in a far more romantic manner. Yes, when we apply for a fiancée visa from the Home Office, we will share we’re engaged. No, between you and me, my sisters, Hamish and Bartie, this is a place keeper until you and I are ready for the real thing. And that means, until I can phone my jeweler and set her to finding the ring you’ll wear to your grave, which in turn means we’ll be official sometime next week.”
I stared at him even though he was wavy through the tears in my eyes.
“So, darling, will that one do?” he asked a lot more gently.
“I—”
“Vivi!” Prue cried urgently.
