He was looking right at her, and she could feel the question in the air.
Her hand was trembling as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. ‘Harry, what you told me about your father? That you’d never told anyone else? It makes my heart break for that five-year-old boy. It takes a lot to admit that you still wanted that connection—after everything that happened. That no matter how much he’d hurt you, you still wished for something different.’
He shook his head and closed his eyes. ‘Five minutes. A five-minute conversation to see if he would ever have changed his mind. Regretted how things had been. But it wasn’t to be. And I’ll always have to wonder.’
She pressed her hands on either side of his head. ‘But you don’t have to wonder. Because I can tell you. You’re worthy of love, Harry. I love you so much I think my heart might burst. I have never, ever loved anyone the way that I love you, and I never, ever will. Because you have my heart, Harry Beaumont. You have all of it.’
Now she saw tears swimming in his eyes as he bent his head towards hers.
She held her breath. ‘Everything’s such a mix-up right now. I have so much work to do here. To help my mum, to get back on our feet.’
‘Is that a no?’ he asked in a quiet voice.
‘No. It’s not.’ She said it so quickly it surprised even herself. It was completely instinctual and straight from the heart.
He stood up and pulled her towards him. ‘Tell me what you want, Esther. Tell me what you need.’
Here it was. Everything she’d ever wanted.
That was the laugh. She’d never even known she wanted this. She’d never even dared to dream she would be the Cinderella girl. It hadn’t even occurred to her—not for a second. Her dreams had always been about earning money and living independently, and part of her was still that girl.
‘I need some time,’ she breathed. ‘I need some time to sort things out.’ The keys were clenched in her hand. ‘These are a godsend. Thank you. It means my mum can have a roof over her head until I try and see if I can sort the insurance out.’
‘Or you could let me sort the insurance out.’
She pressed her lips together and looked up at him with her blue eyes. Her heart was swelling in her chest as if it would burst. ‘If I said yes, I wouldn’t be me. And my heart would be sad forever.’
His face broke into a wide smile and he slid his fingers through her hair. ‘I wouldn’t love you any other way.’ He closed his eyes for a second and gave a slow nod. ‘How about, if you didn’t say yes. How about, if something just happened that allowed your mother to rebuild her house?’
Her hands were on his arms now. He was treading so carefully, respecting her space, but still trying to help.
She let out a half-laugh. ‘What on earth could happen?’
‘A lottery ticket. A windfall. A forgotten pension of your father’s. An old insurance policy that everyone had misplaced and now secretly pays out.’
She held her breath. He knew her pride would never let her accept direct money from him. He guessed her mother would be exactly the same. Now, he was giving her a get-out clause. A way that she could sort things for her mother, with a little help from Harry.
‘Where did I find you?’ she whispered, her hand reaching up to thread through his hair.
He was doing this for her. To let her save face. To let her pride stay intact. To stop her feeling as if everything was outside of her control, and that everything was hopeless.
He leaned forward and murmured in her ear. ‘You found me in a scary place with tiny babies. It’s where I’m most at home—and where I think that you’re most at home too.’
Tears brimmed in her eyes. She’d started this day thinking the man she loved had betrayed her, and she’d have to pack up and leave the job she loved in London to help out her mum.
Now, he was right by her side and offering her an opportunity to stay, with both him and the job she loved.
‘I have something else to tell you,’ he said quietly. ‘And I hope it’s what you want to hear.’ He tightened his arms a little around her. ‘I’ve said yes to something else.’
‘What?’
He breathed slowly. ‘I’ve said yes to a permanent position at the Queen Victoria with my own team. I said yes because I’ve found the place I want to be home for me. And that’s with you. I’ll help you sort things with your mum. Because you don’t need to do this on your own. You don’t need to carry the load on your own. I’m right here, Esther. And I plan on staying.’
She leaned back but stayed in his arms. ‘Harry?’
He put a gentle finger to her lips. ‘I know there are a hundred questions. Maybe even a thousand what-ifs. But let’s start with the most important one. I love you, Esther. Whether things are good or bad, I want to be by your side. I can’t imagine loving anyone else the way that I love you.’
Nerves made her interrupt. ‘Is that a question?’
He smiled. ‘I know it’s soon. I know you might think I’m crazy, but I guess now I’ve found somebody to love, I want to tell the world.’ His words were soft, quiet and straight from the heart. ‘So, after we’ve sorted everything for your mum, how do you feel about making things more permanent between us? Will you move in with me, Esther?’ His gaze fixed on hers. ‘Will you marry me?’
Every part of her body rejoiced. ‘You want to get married?’ She laughed.
‘Yes.’ He nodded. Then he looked at her. ‘Wait, why are you laughing?’
Esther didn’t stop. ‘You think someone like me should be the Duchess of Montrose?’
He picked her up and spun her around. ‘I think someone like you should be exactly the Duchess of Montrose.’ He lowered her slowly to the ground, letting their bodies brush against one another. ‘What can I say? Scottish.’ He smiled. ‘At least you’ll be the genuine article.’
She wound her arms around his neck. ‘Oh, so was it me you wanted, or was it any old Scottish girl?’
His lips lowered towards hers. ‘Don’t doubt for a second, it was definitely you.’ Then he stopped, as if he’d just realised something. ‘Hey? Was that a yes?’
She nodded. ‘That was definitely a yes,’ she murmured as her lips touched his.
CHAPTER TWELVE
‘HE’S SUCH A nice young man,’ sighed Esther’s mum from her prime position on the sofa. She hadn’t taken her eyes off him since they’d been introduced in the hospital and Harry had put all the arrangements in place to get her back to her new temporary home.
She ran her hand along the yellow sofa. ‘This place is so nice. It was lucky you were able to get it at such short notice.’ She lifted her chin and looked out of the window. From here she could see right along the coastline to Leith. ‘I’ve never had a sea view,’ she murmured.
‘Do you like it?’ asked Esther curiously.
‘Of course I like it.’ Her mother smiled. ‘It’s my dream house.’
Harry walked up behind Esther with some papers in his hand. ‘Then it’s lucky you don’t have to move out.’
Esther blinked. ‘What?’
Harry gave her a quick glance, then smiled at her mother. ‘This house was up for rent, with the chance to buy. With the insurance money to fix your home, once that’s done, you could sell your other place and move permanently here if you like.’
Esther reached behind her and grabbed his hand. She knew exactly what he was doing. There was no insurance money, but they’d both agreed not to tell her mother that.
‘But isn’t this place much more expensive than my house?’
Of course it was. But Harry spoke smoothly. ‘This is a flat. Not a house. Esther can take care of things regarding the sale and purchase, but if you like this place best, there’s no reason you couldn’t have it.’ He bent down next to her head and glanced out the window. ‘You’re right, the sea view is nice.’
Now he was bending things a little further. Letting her mum feel as if all of this was being done within her own budget.
Her mum pulled the blanket up to her chest and gave Esther a nervous glance. ‘You know, I wouldn’t need to worry about the garden, and there’s a security entrance here, and a lift.’ She ran her hand back along the sofa. ‘And everything is just so new.’ Esther could almost see her mum’s heart jump. ‘And there’s room enough for you and Harry to stay too when you visit.’
Oh dear. For about the tenth time in twenty-four hours, tears threatened to spill. But these were happy tears. Esther sat on the sofa next to her mum and gave her a giant hug. The lines on her face didn’t seem quite so deep, and she had a little colour back in her cheeks. ‘Leave it with me, and Harry,’ she added as she shot him a smile. ‘We’ll take care of everything for you.’
He gave a nod and knelt down in front of them. ‘There is one final thing,’ he said, reaching into his back pocket.
Esther caught her breath at the sight of the small black velvet box. When on earth had he had time to go shopping for that?
It flipped open, showing one of the biggest emeralds she’d ever seen, with a diamond set on either side. ‘Family heirloom,’ he said. ‘It belonged to the last duchess who had Scottish blood in her veins, my great-great-grandmother, so I thought it might be fitting.’
He pulled it from the box. ‘Esther McDonald. You’ve brought light and life and joy into my life and I hope to do the same to yours. Now, and always. Will you do me the pleasure of becoming my wife?’
She couldn’t speak at first, just gave a nod as she held out a trembling hand and let Harry slip the giant ring on her finger.
Her mother let out a squeal and started clapping as Harry picked her up and spun her round and round and round.
As he set her back down he whispered in her ear. ‘So, Duchess of Montrose, what will be your first wish?’
Her eyes gleamed. ‘That? Oh, that’s definitely for later, and for just you, and me,’ she said as she kissed him once again.
* * *