The Scotch Series: The Complete Series (Scotch #1-3) - Penelope Sky Page 0,242

a mother to my children. “I intend to marry her, so we can forget Anna.”

Ariel gripped her pen and pressed her lips tightly together. With a look of consternation, she sighed quietly and avoided my look. When she looked up again, she couldn’t hide the annoyance deep in her eyes. “Are you planning to propose soon?”

I hadn’t thought about it until this moment. As time progressed, I began to understand what London meant to me. And now that everything hit me at once, I began to understand what I wanted for the rest of my life. There was no reason to wait. I didn’t need more time to know how well she completed me. “Yeah…I think so.”

Ariel spun the pen with her fingertips.

“I know you aren’t happy about this, but it would mean a lot to me if you could be supportive. Maybe the two of you could spend some time together and find a way to coexist.” London had enough influence to make Ariel stay in the first place, so there was hope they could reconcile.

Ariel held my gaze in silence. Her annoyance was palpable, like heat rising to the ceiling. “I’m sure she and I could work something out.” She looked down at her folder, dismissing the conversation because that was the best support she could offer.

And that was more than enough.

When London was in the shower, I opened the safe behind the portrait and looked through the relics that had lasted hundreds of years. My ancestors had touched the prized possessions, their DNA possibly still on the metal from their oil secretions. Timeless and elegant, the ancient crown reminded me of where I’d come from. I knew the noble thing was to marry someone of equal status.

But I wanted to be happy.

I’d tried to do it the right way by choosing Josephine. She was the best woman at the time, and I’d managed to love her. But that love was never real, so neither was her loyalty. Didn’t it make sense to choose someone for deeper reasons than political gain? I never really knew my mother, but based on stories I heard about her, she would want me to be happy.

I think she’d want me to marry for love.

With the handkerchief, I pulled the artifacts out of the cabinet until I found the ring that had been passed down through every duchess until my mother received it. My father had given it to my mother, and she wore it every single day until she died. She probably would have been buried with it if the custom didn’t dictate it.

Now it was my turn to give it to someone.

I never gave it to Josephine because I intended to give it to her on our wedding day. I proposed with a slender band infused with rare diamonds as a placeholder. Now I was grateful for my decision in the past.

Because this belonged to London.

I dropped it in my pocket and returned everything to the safe before I locked it up again. I corrected the picture then left the room as the water still ran in the shower. Dunbar was downstairs at his post, so I walked up to him and handed the ring over. “Could you call Eleanor to come and clean this? I just want it to shine a bit more.”

He took it in his large hand, examining the diamond before he closed his fist around it. “Of course, sir. When do you need it by?”

“As soon as possible.”

57

London

Crewe went to lunch with a client in town, so I spent the afternoon alone. Even though I was with him every morning and every night, any missed opportunity to spend time with him felt like a waste. I liked having lunch with him in his office or on the terrace. Sometimes we didn’t have anything to talk about, but that was perfectly okay.

I changed into my active gear and walked downstairs to go for a run. I was restless and bored, and exercise was usually the only thing that could cure my jitters. Besides, sitting around all day was making me gain weight. I found myself eating less and less just to prevent that.

I got to the bottom of the stairs when Ariel appeared. “Hello, London.”

Yuck. That’s what I wanted to say. “Hey, Ariel. Is Crewe back?”

“No. He’ll be out for another hour, at least.” She held her folder to her chest and walked me to the office. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

I knew exactly what