Her footsteps echoed softly as she reached her bedchamber and pushed the door open.
She froze.
Something enormous sat in the center of her bed. A huge box, with two smaller ones resting beside it, perfectly arranged.
Diana stared, rooted to the threshold. Her mind struggled to catch up with what her eyes were seeing, the sight so unexpected that it left her momentarily frozen in the doorway. Slowly, cautiously, she stepped forward, the soft rustle of her skirts the only sound in the quiet room.
Her fingers reached for the smallest box first. The lid lifted easily beneath her touch.
Inside rested a delicate diamond necklace. The soft sparkle of the stones caught the fading sunlight streaming through the window, scattering tiny glimmers of light across the pale silk lining.
Diana inhaled softly.
Her hand rose instinctively to touch her throat as she imagined the necklace resting there. The design was simple and graceful,the sort of quiet beauty that did not need extravagance to be noticed. And it matched perfectly with the earrings she had purchased earlier while shopping with Lady Salford.
Her chest tightened as the realization settled slowly over her. He had noticed.
She opened the second box with trembling fingers.
Inside lay a collection of ribbons. Not ordinary ribbons, but the most beautiful she had ever seen. Soft silks in shades of cream, pale rose, and deep blue were carefully arranged inside the box, each one finer than the last.
Diana touched them gently, her fingertips sliding across the smooth fabric.
Her heart began beating faster.
Slowly, she turned to the largest box. For a moment, she hesitated before lifting the lid, as though she already sensed that whatever waited inside might undo her composure entirely.
Then she opened it, and for a moment she simply stared.
A dress lay inside. Deep sapphire silk, rich and luminous like midnight water beneath the moon. The fabric spilled through her hands when she lifted it, impossibly soft, the cut elegant and flattering in a way that made her breath catch in her throat.
Exquisite.
Diana felt something warm and unfamiliar rise slowly in her chest.
This was not simply generosity. It was attention. Thoughtfulness.
He had listened. He had noticed the things she liked, and he had chosen each piece with that knowledge in mind. Her eyes stung unexpectedly.
A knock sounded at the door, but she barely registered it.
“Come in,” she said absently.
The door opened, and Alexander stepped inside.
He paused when he saw her standing beside the bed, the dress draped across her hands, the open boxes scattered around her. For a moment, he said nothing, his gaze lingering on her face as though reading the quiet storm of emotion written there.
Then slowly, his mouth curved.
“Well,” he said quietly, “you found them.”
Diana looked up at him, and for a moment she could not quite find her voice.
“Do you like them?” he asked.
The question sounded almost casual, but his eyes betrayed uncertainty.
She nodded. “Yes.”
