‘No, I don’t think she is after his money,’ Sadie says eventually, ‘she does kind of light up when she talks about him and it’s pretty hard to fake that.’
‘But don’t you think…’ Amanda breaks off, laying the knife she’s using back down on the counter gently. ‘Don’t you think she’s the absolute spitting image of Caro?’
As I rush along the hallway, Amanda’s words echoing in my ears, I almost collide with Miles.
‘Oops. Steady on, old girl.’ He reaches out to stop me from tripping, snagging my empty wine flute as he does so. ‘This needs topping up, doesn’t it? Rupert is waiting for you, out by the pagoda. Hurry along and I’ll bring this out.’ He carries on towards the kitchen without giving me a chance to respond.
As I cross the lawn to the pagoda, I see Rupert standing waiting, his own glass of champagne in one hand, the other shoved into his pocket. I resist the urge to rush to him, to beg him to take me home, instead stepping lightly across the grass keeping a smile fixed on my face. Will stands next to him, and there seems to be a small cluster of people around them. Slowing my pace, I frown in confusion at Rupert as I approach him, but he just beams back at me, pulling me into his side as I reach him.
‘Have you had too much to drink?’ I force out a laugh, as he kisses me in front of everyone. Rupert doesn’t give in to public displays of affection very often from what I know of him, and I shrug off a sense of awkwardness as I feel the eyes of all Rupert’s friends on us.
‘Absolutely not,’ he says, before pulling away. I watch as he digs in his pocket, and then in front of all the partygoers, all of his family and friends – all of them strangers to me – Rupert goes down on one knee.
‘Emily…’ A gasp ripples through the small crowd, and I find I have pressed my hands to my hot cheeks, my breath sticking in my throat, as my heart rate takes on the speed of a galloping horse. ‘Emily Belrose… I know this has been a bit of a whirlwind, and we’ve both been a little swept off our feet, but, Emily… will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’
For a moment the word sticks in my throat, and I can’t help it, tears spill over my cheeks, before Rupert nudges me, announcing into the shocked silence that I have to say it out loud.
‘Yes, yes I will,’ I say, and he slides the ring onto my finger. It’s a perfect fit.
Chapter Eight
Rupert was drunk on something last night, and he’s not one hundred per cent convinced that it was just champagne. He hadn’t mentioned his plans to propose to Emily to anyone, not even Will, just in case things didn’t pan out – in fact, he wasn’t even a hundred per cent sure himself that he was going to do it – but once he’d seen Emily with his friends, the way she’d smiled and chatted, even though he knew that she probably felt a little overwhelmed, he knew the timing was right. She fits, the way he used to fit with Caro before. He fights to keep the smile from his lips now as he glances across the pillows in Miles and Sadie’s spare room, to where Emily still slumbers on. Once she had said yes, the party had really started, and he’d had far too much to drink to be able to drive them both home. He stretches, thinking about the previous evening.
On one knee in front of the pagoda, Rupert looks up as Emily says yes, letting him slide the ring onto her finger before she smashes her mouth against his and after a pause that is heavy with its silence, Miles starts to clap and the others join in. Miles comes over to them both, leading Sadie by the hand, and kisses Emily on the cheek before pumping Rupert’s hand in a brisk handshake.
‘Congratulations,’ Sadie says with a tight smile.
‘Mate, this is brilliant – sudden, but still brilliant. You kept it very quiet – worried she might say no, eh?’ Miles nudges Rupert with a wink, his cheeks florid and ruddy with booze. Rupert hates it when Miles gets like this.
‘Well, more a case of wanting to do it at the right time – without any of you lot giving the game away.’ Rupert forces a laugh, relieved when Will approaches, Amanda not far behind him.
‘Congratulations, bro. And err… welcome to the family, I suppose, Emily.’ Rupert watches his brother kiss Emily awkwardly on the cheek, Emily – his fiancée, it feels strange to say that after Caro – flushing pink with what Rupert hopes is joy. ‘Bit of a shock but we’re pleased for you, aren’t we, Amanda?’ Will lowers his voice, and steers Rupert slightly to one side as Sadie and Amanda coo over the engagement ring. ‘Wow, Rupert, this is a bit unexpected. I can’t believe you never mentioned anything – I mean, we only knew you were dating someone a couple of months ago. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re happy then I’m over the moon for you. It’s great that you’re moving on after what happened to Caro, and Emily seems like a nice girl, but it’s just a bit of a… shock.’
‘She is great.’ Rupert lets his gaze wander back to Emily, her hand outstretched to show off her ring. ‘She’s exactly what I was looking for; I just didn’t know that until I found her.’
Will looks at him for a moment without speaking, before he draws in a breath. ‘I am pleased for you, Rupert, honestly… but it’s a bit sudden, isn’t it? You’re definitely sure you want to do this?’
Rupert resists the urge
