When Fiona woke late the following morning, she lay for a long while staring up at the ceiling. It almost seemed as though the previous evening had never happened. Chadwick…Edward…had actually kissed her beneath the stars and with so much passion she was surprised she hadn’t melted on the spot. And they’d found the treasure – a collection of items so impressive, she could scarcely credit its existence. Oh, and her sisters were going to get married tomorrow in the small chapel where Kip had spoken his vows to Sarah.

Sighing with the pleasure of it all, she stretched out her arms before letting herself relax into a collection of languid limbs. This visit to Thorncliff had certainly met with success from a number of different angles. Recalling Edward’s suggestion the previous evening that they go for a ride today, she flung the coverlet aside and got up, ignoring the chill that seeped into her feet from the cool floor underneath. A fire would be stoked by a maid, as soon as she called for one to assist. She did so presently, and ten minutes later she was able to warm herself and her toes in front of the fireplace while changing out of her nightdress and pulling on her chemise, stays, and gown. She’d selected a deep blue velvet today since she knew blue was Edward’s favorite color.

Hurrying from her bedchamber, she half walked, half skipped in her excitement to get downstairs and speak with her family about the treasure and spend more time with Edward. He hadn’t mentioned his intentions last night, but she knew he wouldn’t kiss her like that and then simply go on as if nothing had happened. He would have things to say – things she was more than ready to hear.

She rounded a corner, her feet skidding slightly in her haste to reach the dining room, and immediately collided with a solid surface. “Oomph!”

“Fiona.” Edward’s eyes danced with amusement even as his voice held a note of concern. “Are you all right?”

He’d caught her by the shoulder, his hand still resting there now, and she felt that bit of contact so keenly, it was as if a fire had been struck against her skin. “Yes.” Heavens, she sounded breathless.

Grinning down at her, he removed his hand and stepped back a little. “I don’t suppose I might be the cause of your eagerness this morning?”

She immediately felt herself blush. “And what if you are? Would that please you?”

His eyes seemed to darken a fraction, and she suddenly felt a little unbalanced. They were flirting with each other – an entirely new scenario with which she wasn’t familiar. “Indeed,” he murmured in a low tone that made her insides ripple with awareness. “It would please me a great deal.”

Her heart pitter-pattered like an anxious little rabbit, and yet all she wished to do was fling her arms around him and pull him close. She wanted to return to what they’d had last night with a desperation that made her feel utterly reckless. “Then… er…” Good Lord, she couldn’t think of what to say next, which was most unusual.

“Eat your breakfast and meet me by the front door in half an hour,” he told her seriously. “I’m going to prepare our carriage.”

With this glorious thought in mind, Fiona headed off to endure the longest half hour of her life. But it turned out to be well worth the wait as soon as she saw what he had prepared. “This is quite wonderful,” she said, once he’d handed her up into the carriage and taken the seat beside her. Thick fur pelts had been laid out on the seats, while a heater with hot coals in it sat at their feet offering warmth.

“I’m glad you think so,” Edward said, spreading a thick wool blanket across both of their laps. He slid a bit closer, and she felt his thigh against hers, the scandalous contact blazing a trail along her entire left side. He didn’t seem to notice as he tapped on the roof and the carriage jerked into motion.

Fiona held her breath. She was scarcely able to think, let alone move for fear the slightest action on her part might prompt Edward to add a proper measure of distance. “I like the blue,” he murmured close to her ear.

“I imagined you would. It is, after all, your favorite color.”

He chuckled lightly. “This is the wonderful thing about us, Fiona. We know each other so well that being together like this, in a new kind of way, adds a depth to the experience I think most couples lack.” His hand found hers beneath the blanket, pulling it out so he could place a kiss upon her knuckles. “No gloves?”

“I didn’t want them between us.” She could tell by the slight widening of his eyes he hadn’t expected her to be quite so honest, but she was glad she’d had the courage. It would make things simpler for both of them in the end.

“There will never be anything between us, ever again, Fee.”

She drew a sharp breath, and his mouth descended once more, this time upon her own. His lips were as warm and soft as they’d been the evening before, but the taste of champagne had since disappeared, replaced by the smooth aroma of coffee. She turned more fully toward him, her hands rising to hold him close by the nape of his neck and the back of his head, her fingers reveling in the silky caress of his hair. A growl rose from somewhere deep within his chest, and she instinctively caught it with her mouth, loving the way it hummed through her body. His arms reached around her, and he leaned in, pushing her back against the corner of the squabs, his mouth hard against hers while he gave and took in equal measure.

“Fiona.” Her name was spoken like a breathless benediction, the word stroking at the edge of her soul and leaving her desperate for more. He leaned in, pressing closer, so close she could feel the strength and vitality rippling through him, the hard planes of his body in a snug embrace with her much softer curves.

“Yes?” she whispered while he kissed his way along the curve of her neck.

“I want you so much it hurts,” he confessed before playfully scraping his teeth against her flesh in a way that sent sparks of pleasure spiraling through her. “Forgive me, Fiona…Christ, I’m making a hash of this.”

“Of what?” She could scarcely speak.

He buried his face against the curve of her neck, his breaths coming fast and ragged, like he was struggling to regain control. Eventually he drew back, and the expression on his face made it clear he did so with great difficulty.

“I love you, Fiona. I’ve loved you for quite some time now.” He blurted the words as though fearing he might lose his nerve. It afforded him with a degree of hesitance that went straight to her heart. “I love you with a soul-wrenching desperation that makes me feel mad most of the time. The desire to be with you, to share every fine detail of my life with you, is so acute it makes me tremble to think you might not feel the same. But the way you returned my kiss last night and now makes me dare to ask the most important question of all: if you will have me, my heart, my love. Marry me, Fiona, and—”

“Yes!”

“Yes?”

“Most assuredly, yes.” Her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, her fingers reaching for his hair, tunneling through it in an almost crazed determination to touch every part of this man who’d come to mean so much. “I love you too, Edward.” She whispered the words and drew in his scent – that familiar blend of sandalwood, musk, and coffee that made her feel safe, comforted, cared for.

He blew out a shuddering breath and returned his lips to the side of her neck, kissing her there until she sighed and arched, wishing they were already married and anywhere other than in an impractical carriage. He must have felt the same, for his arms shook with self-imposed restraint while he held her and quietly said, “Let us hope your parents had the foresight to procure a special license for us as well. Because honestly, I cannot imagine having to wait three weeks in order to make you mine. As long as you agree, of course.”

She pulled him back for a kiss, telling him without words that her need for him was equal to his need for her. Even a day seemed like an insufferable amount of time to wait. Which was why she asked that they cut their ride short and return to Thorncliff immediately. “I want to inform Mama and Papa right away and ensure that marrying tomorrow is indeed a possibility.”

Edward didn’t argue. He even held her hand the entire way back and was still holding firmly onto it when they burst through the door to the green parlor where the rest of their party was gathered. All conversation ceased, and everyone turned to acknowledge their abrupt arrival. Fiona felt her cheeks flush as she tried to calm herself – her breaths had quickened when she’d leapt from the carriage and half walked, half run the necessary distance.

“You look as though you blew in on a gust of wind,” Lady Duncaster remarked from her position in one corner.

“I…We…” Fiona stared at her family’s expectant faces.

Fiona’s mother raised her eyebrows. “Yes?”

“I have asked Fiona for her hand in marriage,” Edward said, his hand tightening around hers with the sort of masculine possessiveness that made her feel incredibly cherished. “And she has accepted.”

A momentary hush fell over the room, and then Lord Oakland was suddenly on his feet and striding toward them. “About bloody time,” he declared with a grin and then immediately apologized for his language. He stuck out his hand to Edward who gave it a firm shake, the relief he felt coming off him in waves.

Fiona hadn’t realized until that moment how nervous he’d been about telling her parents, which was silly, of course. She’d had no doubt in her mind they would be pleased to make him a more permanent part of the family.

“It took you long enough.” Laura grinned. She came to give Fiona a hug. “If I’d had to place a bet, I would have said with confidence that the two of you would become engaged long before any of us.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Emily said.

Rachel nodded. “Considering how close you have always been, marriage did seem like the next logical step.”

“You are aware, my dear,” Belgrave said to Rachel, “that the heart cannot be dictated by logic. Though I must confess that where you and Fiona are concerned, Chadwick, we were all surprised by how long it took you to get to the point.”

“The important thing is, he got there in the end,” Lamont said as he too came to shake Edward’s hand.

“Felicitations to you both,” Montsmouth said, “and to you, Lord and Lady Oakland. You may now consider all of your children settled.”

“I trust you will want to say your vows tomorrow as well?” Fiona’s mother asked with a smile.

“If doing so is possible.” It was difficult for Fiona to hide her eagerness.

Her father chuckled. “Of course it is. In fact, your special license was the only one I had no doubts about procuring, which made it all the more surprising when your sisters announced their engagements first.”

“I’m sorry, Papa,” Fiona said. She smiled up at Edward who met her gaze with enough love and affection shining in his eyes to last her a lifetime. “We were both stubborn, I suppose, and too afraid of what the other might feel. I didn’t want to risk our friendship, and neither did he. Thankfully, the universe had different plans for us, and a bit of conveniently located mistletoe nudged us in the right direction.”

“Thorncliff does have a tendency to help things along like that,” Lady Duncaster said, a twinkle in her eyes. “Personally, I have to tell you all that I couldn’t be more pleased with the way everything has turned out. I do so love a good romance, and as I’ve said before, I believe everyone deserves a happily ever after.”

Fiona couldn’t agree more. She’d certainly found hers. And as she spoke her vows the following day, surrounded by the people she loved most in all the world – save for Kip, Chloe, and Richard, who would likely expire from shock when news of the quadruple wedding reached them – she’d never been happier.

Dressed in a pretty lace gown and with her great-aunt’s tiara adorning her hair, Fiona felt a comforting connection to a generation that was no longer with them. If only her grandmother could have seen her four granddaughters now, each carrying a piece of Marveille jewelry when they entered a new phase in their lives. The sentimental thought brought a tear to her eye while bright rays of sunshine illuminated the stained glass windows at that exact moment.

“Merry Christmas,” Edward murmured. He dipped his head with the clear intention of sealing their union with a kiss.

“Merry Christmas,” she whispered back, right before his lips touched hers. She was vaguely aware of her parents and Lady Duncaster cheering, along with Lamont’s nieces and the servants, who’d been invited to witness the joyous event. They would walk back to Thorncliff together through the soft sprinkling of new-fallen snow. There they would enjoy a wedding breakfast, followed by games and the exchanging of gifts. It would likely take several hours before Fiona would manage to get her husband alone, not that she minded terribly much. The important thing was, they’d gotten this far and that they were as fortunate as they were to be surrounded by love for Christmas.