“What a day,” Elle muttered as she jogged up the castle’s front steps. And it wasn’t even half over yet. Yesterday, the team from Modern Home and Gardens had arrived for their interview and photoshoot. Later tonight, the charity ball would take over the castle.

Theo wasn’t back from London. She hadn’t even heard from him since yesterday. And she was trying to be mature about it, but she was hurt. And pissed. She really wanted to go to her room, curl up in bed, and cry about it, but the florist had just arrived, so she bit her lip and directed vases and pots and sprays and possibly more flowers than she’d ever seen in her whole life. Why had they ordered so many? She didn’t even remember doing it. Maybe Megan had.

A car pulled up in front of the castle, and Elle swallowed a groan. She wasn’t expecting anyone for hours. She didn’t have the time or energy to deal with an early—or unexpected—guest.

The back door opened, and for a moment, Elle just stared. And then the tears she’d been holding back all morning broke loose, coursing over her cheeks as she rushed down the steps to pull Megan into her arms.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, clutching her friend as tightly as she dared.

“My parents kind of insisted I get off my butt and come party with you guys.” Megan smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“You look good.” Elle pulled back to look at her. “Really good.”

Flesh-toned bandages ran the length of Megan’s cheek and jaw, concealing her wounds. Up close, Elle could see the residual bruising her friend had dabbed makeup over, but from a distance, she doubted any of it would be visible.

“I look a bit like Frankenstein, but I’m here.”

“I’m so glad.” Elle held her tight again, careful to avoid the bandages on her left arm. “And you don’t look even remotely like Frankenstein. I’ve been sick all day about hosting this party without you. I mean it, Megan. It hasn’t been the same.”

“I missed you too,” she said, and her voice caught.

“Let’s go tell Ruby.” Elle tugged at her hand, leading her up the front steps. “And we’ve got to get you a dress. Oh my God.” When would they have time to go shopping? There was so much to do!

“I have a dress,” Megan told her, nodding toward the garment bag the driver had taken out of the trunk. “Theo called my parents, told them to take me shopping and charge it to the castle, on the off chance I felt like coming today.”

Elle swiped at another tear. “He did?”

Megan just nodded. Then Ruby was dashing down the steps toward them, and they were all hugging and crying until everyone’s mascara was a streaky mess. “Come on, ladies, let’s go get cleaned up before our big night,” Megan said finally.

Elle and Ruby carried her bags as they made their way into the castle.

“Miss Perl,” Colin said, offering Megan a warm smile. “It is so good to have you back.”

“Good to be back, Colin,” she responded, and Elle was relieved to see that her smile was more genuine this time. The longer she stood here with them, the more comfortable Megan seemed to feel.

They went upstairs together, laughing and talking as they caught up on everything they’d missed in each other’s lives over the last week and a half. After retouching makeup, they attacked the day’s to-do list together, and Elle found her spirits buoyed infinitely by her friend’s return. Even Theo’s absence didn’t sting quite as badly.

Not surprisingly, every room in the castle was booked tonight. Most of their guests had checked in yesterday, but there were enough new arrivals today to add to an already hectic afternoon. Around two o’clock, Elle saw the guests she had been nervously anticipating all day approaching the castle’s front steps. Gulping a breath, she hurried down to greet them.

“Hi, sweetheart.” Her dad pulled her in for a warm hug.

“Hi, Dad. It’s so good to see you. And you too, Delilah.” She turned toward her step-mother, who was gazing up at the castle with an awestruck expression.

“The pictures don’t do it justice,” she said.

Elle grinned. “That’s exactly what I said the first time I saw it.”

“It’s something, all right,” her dad said.

Elle had been completely caught off guard when her dad called last week to say he and Delilah wanted to attend the ball to get a first hand look at all her hard work. She wasn’t sure whether to feel flattered or terrified. “Let me show you guys to your room.”

She got them settled and hurried back downstairs to greet the next guests. Before she knew it, it was time to get dressed. The team from Modern Home and Gardens would be here shortly, and Elle was so glad Megan would be in at least some of the photos for their feature spread. They brought their dresses up to Ruby’s room, which was by far the largest, and dressed together, helping each other with zippers and buttons.

“You guys look like fairytale princesses,” Megan said when she saw Elle’s and Ruby’s dresses.

“Well, it’s only fitting for our Fairy Tails Ball that we look like princesses, right?” Elle twirled in her golden dress, feeling the part.

Megan’s dress was black, floor-length satin with a full skirt that pleated with endless folds. The color didn’t quite suit her ordinarily bubbly personality—although Elle thought it might represent her mood over the last week—but the dress was absolutely gorgeous, and Megan looked stunning in it. She paired it with the coral necklace and pumps Elle and Ruby had sent her.

They spent the next hour in the bathroom doing each other’s hair and makeup and taking silly selfies in front of the mirror. Elle held her phone overhead as Ruby and Megan pressed in on either side of her. Megan turned her head to the left, hiding her bandages behind Elle’s hair, but she pursed her lips, giving her best sultry look as Elle snapped the photo.

“I’m glad I came,” Megan admitted with a smile as they left the bathroom. “I don’t think I would have if my parents hadn’t given me a kick in the pants…and Theo buying my dress. Why isn’t he here?”

“He’s been in London all week on business,” Elle said. “He’d promised to be back for the event tonight, but I’m not sure he’s going to make it.”

“I think he will.” Megan gave her hand a squeeze. “All right, ladies, are we ready to do this?”

Hand in hand, they descended the stairs toward their big night.

Theo doublechecked his appearance in the mirror, fighting a smile as he remembered telling Elle about the identical tuxes he kept in each residence. Tonight, he was wearing his American tux, and he was exhausted as hell. He’d meant to return from London days ago, but the changes he’d set in motion this week had snowballed on him, keeping him much longer than he’d expected. Now, thanks to the time difference, it felt like three a.m. to him, and the party at the main castle was just getting started.

Giving one last tug at the bowtie around his neck, he left the guest house and began the walk up to the castle. Here and there, guests milled about, walking and talking, enjoying the pleasant summer evening. Lights twinkled from almost every window in the castle, and lanterns flickered along the pathways, illuminating the night.

He had no doubt the women had outdone themselves tonight. They seemed to outdo themselves at just about everything they did, Elle especially.

Elle.

A fire blazed through his chest, burning away his fatigue at the thought of seeing her. It had been a long, lonely week without her. He climbed the front steps, greeted by strains of music from the ballroom in the rear of the castle. Almost immediately, several women approached, cell phones in hand, and before he knew what was happening, he was surrounded by party guests eager to meet the Earl of Highcastle.

It felt like an eternity before he was able to break free, striding toward the ballroom. And suddenly, there she was, looking like a vision out of a fantasy he’d never even realized he had. She wore a gold dress that glittered like it was made of jewels, her hair pulled back in front with loose blonde curls tumbling over her shoulders and down her back.

“Theo?” A smile broke over her face like the sun coming out after days of drizzly gray London skies.

“Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner.” He took her hands in his, pulling her in for a kiss. “You are the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of gorgeous women in fancy dresses.”

“Thank you.” She blushed adorably, another smile toying with her lips. “And you’re wearing the same tux you wore the last time we went to an event like this, just like you said you would be, not that you look any less handsome in it tonight.”

“Would you do me the honor?” He held out his elbow, and she took it demurely, tossing him another coy smile. “I’m quite curious to see this party you’ve put together.”

“I bet you’ve never been to a party with dogs in the ballroom before, have you?”

“Can’t say that I have, but you’ve always been full of firsts for me.” He led the way into the ballroom. He wasn’t really one to appreciate the details that went into party planning. He’d been to so many events that he was mostly immune to the finer touches.

But the ballroom looked really nice tonight. The tables were draped with flowers and lit with candles. The band played a lively tune, and the dancefloor was packed. In one corner, several people he assumed were employees of the shelter had dogs on leashes, allowing the guests to interact with them.

“What do you think?” she asked, sounding a bit breathless.

“It’s great, Elle, and I mean that. It’s not stuffy like the functions I’m used to. People look like they’re having fun. I have a feeling you and I are going to enjoy ourselves tonight too. Quite a bit, I hope.” He winked at her.

Her grip on his elbow tightened. “I hope so. Megan’s here.” She gestured to where her friend stood at a nearby table in a long black dress, talking to Sean.

He spotted Tucker and Jake by the bar with a few other guys he knew. “I’m glad.”

“Thanks for helping to nudge her in this direction,” Elle said softly. “She needed this. It’s good for her to be here and feel like her old self again.”

“I think so too.”

Elle turned toward him, her eyes gone suspiciously glossy. “It felt so wrong without her, and without you. I thought the party was going to end up making me sad. It felt like the wrong way to end our time here. But now, everything’s right, and I’m so happy I could burst.”

He had a lot of things to tell her tonight, but he didn’t want to rush right in with them, especially after he’d left her hanging for a week, so instead he said, “Care to dance?”

“I’d love to.” She led the way toward the dance floor. Her skirt swirled around her ankles as she walked, revealing gold heels that matched her dress.

“You look so gorgeous, I don’t know how I’m going to be able to take my eyes off you all night.”

“Who says you have to?” She tossed the words over her shoulder playfully, and he caught them, yanking her in for a kiss that only added to the fire already burning in his gut.

“Going to be the death of me tonight in that dress, I’m telling you.”

Elle hadn’t been able to catch her breath since Theo showed up, looking so dazzling in his tux that he’d stolen the air from her lungs. Who cared if he wore the same tux to every event if he looked so deliciously perfect in it every time? There was something about him tonight, an intensity in his eyes that seemed to sear in to her, warming her from the inside out every time she caught his gaze. It was doing all kinds of things to her heart…and various other parts of her anatomy.

But mostly her heart.

God, she loved him so much. How was she ever going to let him go? How was she supposed to let go of any of this? The ball that had once felt like everything around it was unraveling had spun itself back together in the last few hours. The music was lively. The food was delicious. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and the guests couldn’t get enough of the adoptable animals brought here by the shelter. The silent auction had already raised more money than she’d expected, and it wasn’t nearly over yet.

The team from Modern Home and Gardens milled about, interviewing a handful of guests and photographing the event for their spread in the magazine. Elle couldn’t help feeling that everything was going well…too well?

“This is quite a party,” her father said, coming to stand beside her as she sipped from a glass of wine. “You, Megan, and Ruby did all this yourselves?”

She nodded. “Our grand finale.”

Monica Jackson from Modern Home and Gardens approached with a polite smile. She wore a bronze-colored dress that brought out the warm tones in her mahogany skin and sparkled in the muted lighting of the ballroom. “Excuse me, Elle. I just wanted to let you know that we’ll be heading out shortly. We’re confident we’ve gotten everything we need for our piece.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks so much for everything, Monica,” Elle told her, giving the woman an impromptu hug. If this was Elle’s Cinderella moment, then Monica was her fairy godmother. “You’ve given us the opportunity of a lifetime, and we’ll never forget it.”

“You’re with the magazine?” Elle’s father asked.

Monica nodded. “Monica Jackson from Modern Home and Gardens.”

“Tom Davenport. I’m Elle’s father.”

“It’s a pleasure, Mr. Davenport. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in giving us a quote for our piece? Your daughter and her friends are the cover story for our January issue.”

Elle cringed internally, imagining what he might say. “This was a nice summer activity for Elle, but I hope she’ll be enrolling in college this fall so that she can find a more sensible job like my other daughters.”

“I’d be glad to,” her father told Monica.

She pulled out her recorder and pressed a button, indicating that she was ready.

“I had my doubts when Elle told me she and her friends had won a contest from a magazine,” her father said. “But my wife and I came tonight to see her in action here at Rosemont Castle, and to say we’re impressed would be an understatement. The girls have pulled off something really special tonight, and it’s easy to see all the work and commitment they’ve put into their time here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my daughter look happier or more in her element than she does right now, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

“That’s lovely,” Monica told him. “Thank you so much, Mr. Davenport.”

She excused herself and made her way toward the exit as Elle swiped at the tears pooling in her eyes.

“Dad…” Her voice came out more like a croak.

“It’s true,” he told her earnestly. “It troubled me over the years that you seemed to meander between jobs without any real idea of where you were headed, but I can see you’ve found your calling now. If you guys want to keep your bed and breakfast business going after you leave here, you have my full support.”

“Thank you. That really means a lot.” Her heart felt like a piece that had been torn for longer than she could remember had just mended itself.

“Now when do I get to meet Theo?”

“Um, right now if you want,” she said, catching Theo’s eye as he walked across the ballroom and waving him over.

Theo approached with a smile she recognized from their weekend in London—the one he wore when he greeted donors at the Langdon charity event.

She tucked her hand around his elbow. “Theo, I’d like you to meet my dad, Tom Davenport. Dad, this is Theo Langdon.”

“The Earl of Highcastle,” her father said, extending his right hand. “It’s a pleasure.”

“The pleasure’s all mine, sir,” Theo told him, shaking her father’s hand.

Elle zoned out a bit while Theo and her dad got to know each other, still tripping over the things her father had said. Everything tonight seemed impossibly better than she’d been expecting. She wasn’t sure whether she should be waiting for the other shoe to drop.

After a minute, her father excused himself to find Delilah. Elle turned to Theo, eager to feel his lips on hers to ground herself in this amazing moment.

“Could I steal you away for a few minutes?” he asked as he laced his fingers through hers, bringing them to his mouth.

“Of course,” she answered automatically. She’d follow him anywhere, but the look in his eyes told her this was important.

“Let’s take a walk through the garden,” he suggested.

“Okay.” This might explain the intensity about him tonight. It was time. They were finally going to have the big conversation he’d been putting off ever since she told him she loved him. Oh God, after everything else tonight, she wasn’t sure she was ready for whatever he was going to say.

Theo led them down a quiet path, away from the other party guests who’d come outside. The night was warm, the sky clear overhead. Perfect weather. A gentle breeze rustled the air, carrying with it a mixture of floral scents from the blooms flowering around them.

“I took this place for granted, growing up here,” he said as they walked, something contemplative in his tone. “You helped me see it through fresh eyes and made me realize how long it had been since anyone really appreciated Rosemont Castle, anyone other than my grandfather, that is. I thought I could fix that by selling to the Greenbaughs. I was giving the castle a new family to love it.”

She squeezed his fingers. “And I’m sure they will.”

“I backed out of the sale a few days ago, while I was in London. I’m keeping Rosemont Castle in the family. Permanently.”

She stopped in her tracks, stumbling over her own feet. “You…you’re not selling?”

“I’m not selling.” He turned to face her.

“I…I don’t know what to say.” Her heart was beating so fast, and tears welled in her eyes. She was afraid to look at him, afraid of what she might see—or what she might not see—reflected back at her. Her gaze drifted to the fountain behind him. How had they ended up standing in front of it?

“You can stay, if that’s what you still want. All of you. You can keep running your inn and your Fairy Tails program. I hope you will.”

“Okay.” She nodded through the tears blurring her vision. “But—”

“An interesting business opportunity came up recently for Langdon Fine Furnishings,” he said, and her head was spinning, because what did his business opportunity have to do with her staying here in the castle, while he moved home to London? It was everything—and nothing—that she’d wanted, all at the same time.

“That’s great,” she managed.

“I’m getting to a point, I promise.” He took her hands and squeezed. “A very important point.”

“Okay.”

“We’re expanding our furniture business into the American market, and I’m going to oversee the new operation,” he said slowly, watching her carefully for her reaction. “I had a long chat with my uncle and the rest of the board, and while they’re not perfectly happy about it, they’re not going to fight me on staying here in America, at least primarily. I’ll be splitting my time between here and London.”

“You…you’re staying?” She shook her head, because surely this couldn’t be happening. After months of reiterating that he couldn’t stay, that he had to return to London… “I don’t understand.”

“Rosemont Castle will be my home, but I’ll travel back and forth between here and London quite a bit to fulfill my duties as the earl. You don’t mind sharing me, do you?”

“Um, no.” Tears were streaming down her face now, because she was staying, and Theo was staying, and was this even real? She wasn’t entirely sure.

“Of course, you’re always welcome to join me when I travel to London. I’d love the company, and you seemed to like it there too.”

She nodded, blinking up at him.

“Remember that thing you told me last week, in the middle of the night?” He gripped her hands, his expression turned even more earnest, maybe even nervous. “Can you tell me again? Please?”

She sucked in a breath, filling her lungs with the scent of gardenias and roses and lilacs, and then she blew it out, raising her eyes to meet his. Here goes nothing… “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He dipped his head, brushing his lips against hers. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it back that night.”

“It’s okay…oh my God, Theo.” She went up on her toes, pressing her forehead to his. “You did a lot of thinking while you were in London.”

“I did. I realized I was trying so hard to do what was expected of me that I’d lost sight of myself. I’m used to thinking about life in black and white, but you’ve made me see all the beautiful colors in between, and Elle, I can’t imagine a life—or even a day—without you in it. This past week in London was dreadfully gray.”

“That’s a really beautiful thing to say,” she whispered, her throat too swollen with tears to find her voice.

“Well, I’m not quite finished yet. There’s one more thing I need to ask.”

Her head spun, and her heart might burst from all the joy swelling inside it. From the first moment she’d walked into Rosemont Castle, she’d felt oddly, inexplicably at home. This place—and this man—had spoken to her on a soul deep level from the moment they’d met.

“Elle Davenport,” he began, and suddenly he was pulling something out of his pocket, and he’d dropped to one knee, and Elle dropped right down beside him, her own knees having turned to the consistency of pudding. He laughed, steadying her with his left hand as he held up a ring in his right. “I love you more than I knew it was possible to love someone, and I would love nothing more than to have you by my side for the rest of my life. Would you do me the incredible honor of agreeing to be my wife?”

“Yes.” The word was out of her mouth almost before he’d finished speaking, and then their arms were around each other, and they were kissing, swaying on their knees on the cobblestone path in front of the fountain where Theo’s grandparents had renewed their vows thirty years before. Talk about romantic…

“It was my grandmother’s,” Theo said as he slid the ring onto her finger. “Alistair had it designed especially for her. You’re a lot like Rose. I think she and my grandfather would be so honored for you to have this and to live here in the house that they built to honor their love for each other.”

“It’s so perfect. I don’t know what to say.” She stared down at the ring on her finger. The large center diamond was flanked on each side by smaller stones, set into a gold band that had been carved to look like the stem and leaves of a flower, with the gemstones as its bloom.

A rose.

“Oh, Theo…”

He kissed her again, helping her to her feet and stooping to brush the dirt and leaves from her dress.

She remembered the night she and her friends had looked down at Theo as he stood in front of this fountain, searching for the missing jewels, and something made her look up. Sure enough, Ruby and Megan were silhouetted in the window of the tower room, watching and waving excitedly.

“I’m going to kill them,” she breathed against his neck, too ridiculously happy and overwhelmed to put any heat into her words.

“Nah, let them live. Besides, you’re going to need their help keeping your program running here at the castle.”

“I can’t believe it.” She looked at him, and then back down at the ring on her finger. “It all feels like something out of a fairytale.”

“Believe it,” he said, his voice low and scratchy, rich with promise. “This is the start of our very own happily ever after.”