Page 46 of Adoringly, Edward
One by one, guests approached to offer their congratulations, and when Edward finally recovered from the shock, he conversed with them excitedly as if he’d been locked in a tower for most of his life, and he’d only recently escaped for a breath of fresh air.
Oh wait…
Vivienne remained close, often touching his arm or hand, shoulder or waist, reflecting the truthful appearance of how happy she was. Nothing could take away her joy of the moment. Absolutely nothing.
At least until Duke Hastings approached. No mask or polite decorum could hide the fiery glint of anger in the man’s eyes. His fists clenched. His nostrils flared.
“This was supposed to bemyengagement party,” the man hissed, pointing a menacing finger in Edward’s face.
The entire room quieted. Tension thickened in the air until it became difficult to breathe.
She caught onto Edward’s hand and gripped his fingers when she feared a fight breaking out in the middle of the ballroom. He couldn’t possibly win a brawl. Especially not in his condition.
But to his credit, he remained calm as he gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze. “Duke Hastings, leave some engagement parties for the rest of us.” He then dipped his head. “Your Grace.”
The entire room burst into nervous laughter as if unable to hold back their amusement at Edward’s ribbing jest. The duke had been married two other times, and relief washed over her at the thought of narrowly avoiding being his third.
“I will never forget this, Beaumont,” he seethed. And just when Vivienne feared he might strike Edward, he turned abruptly on his heel and strode out of the room.
Silence ensued the moment the doors slammed closed.
“Well,” Mother cut in with a bright smile, effectively slicing through the thick tension in the room. “Let’s enjoy the music and refreshments, shall we?”
As the quartet struck up soft background music from the corner, everyone crowded closer around the two of them, gossipping whispers already circling through the crowd.
“Lord Beaumont!” Lady Whitaker called. “Why would you race the duke to propose first?”
Everyone within the immediate vicinity leaned closer as if to hear his response.
“I had no idea he was going to propose,” he likely answered honestly. “I’ve been planning to propose to Vivienne for weeks.”
“Then why have you waited until now?”
“Because I was waiting for the right moment.” He smiled in a self-deprecating manner as he glanced down at her. “I don’t think I quite pulled off the execution.”
Another rumble of laughter flitted through the crowd. And oh, how she wanted to steal him away to the balcony and kiss him tenderly, away from watching eyes.
One of the next people to approach was Edward’s uncle Maxwell. The man smiled and heartily shook Edward’s hand andgently cupped hers. “V.W.,” he said, chuckling as he shook his head. “Vivienne Winfield. I should have known.”
She glanced at Edward from the corner of his eye but he only shrugged sheepishly.
The man continued, “I am so happy my nephew has found someone. You make him happy. So very happy.”
Her father approached next and handed Edward a red and blue jewel-encrusted dagger within a golden sheath. Her eyes smarted at the meaning behind the gift. It was an heirloom, staying within the family for many generations.
“Your parents were good friends of ours,” her father said with a suspicious croak to his words. “There is no one I would rather give her to than you.”
Edward’s tense shoulders visibly relaxed, though his hand shook as if he found the task of holding onto his cane difficult. “I will take care of her. I promise you.” And then his eyebrows shot up as he patted his breast pockets, until finally, a glint of something small caught onto the candlelight in the room.
“I remembered the ring,” he called out as he held up a small black ring with red rubies that looked like roses surrounded by black, metal leaves. A chorus of laughter echoed through the audience while her hand flew to her heart. It looked just like…
Her wonderful fiancé slipped it onto her finger, and she could have wept at how perfectly it fit, as if it were made just for her.
“Oh, Edward, it’s lovely,” she said as she held out her hand to admire the ring. And then more quietly, she said, “It greatly resembles the dress I wore to the masquerade…”
“How could I forget?”
She lifted her gaze, the audience chattering excitedly to lend them a small measure of privacy in their conversation. “You couldn’t possibly have acquired this within the space of a few days.”
