by Lauren Smith
He stopped at a small bare patch of the woods, where a grouping of knee-high stones stood in a lopsided circle. Celia hid behind a tree, watching him. He wore dark-gray trousers and a dark-blue button-up shirt, which he’d left untucked. It was a sign of how distracted he was. Normally Carter was dressed immaculately, not a hair out of place, even when he was working on the grounds.
As Carter crouched by the old fairy circle, she admired the lean, muscular lines of his body. He held a small black velvet box.
“I bring a gift to the fairies. If magic still breathes within these woods, please accept my offering.” He smiled, as if remembering something wonderful from a long time ago. “This belonged to my mother, and I made a vow that it would only belong to the woman who owns my heart. She cannot take it, so I offer it to you. In exchange, I ask that you find a way to give her the life, the love, and the joy she deserves.”
He straightened, his gaze still lingering on the circle of stones. Then he turned to leave. Celia waited just long enough for her to retrieve the box and open it unobserved. A sapphire ring wreathed in diamonds was nestled in the black velvet box. She recognized it at once. It was his mother’s engagement ring. She’d seen it long ago as a child when she’d met Carter’s mother. It was beautiful. She couldn’t leave it here in the woods.
“Carter!” She called his name and rushed after him.
“CARTER!”
He heard his name echo through the woods. He was going mad, imagining Celia calling to him when she was still in Scotland.
For a moment he thought the fairies in the glen were real, and that they were teasing him, calling him back to the circle where he’d left his mother’s ring.
“Carter, wait!” Her voice was clearer now, all around him, echoing off the bark of the trees. It couldn’t be his imagination, could it?
Carter turned, his heart pounding as he dared to believe the impossible. There, between the tall trees, a fairy queen stepped out to meet him in Celia’s form.
“You can’t leave this.” She held out the small velvet box that contained his mother’s ring. The one he’d left in the fairy circle.
Magic… The word brushed against his ears. Soft shadows pooled around them as the sun sank below the tops of the trees. There was indeed magic in this place, or perhaps it simply followed Celia wherever she went. There had been magic in Italy, magic in Scotland, and now here. With her.
“You’re really here.” It was all he could say as he took back the box, stunned.
An electric charge built between them as she stepped closer. “I am, and I’m not letting you go.”
She reached up to cup his face and stood on her tiptoes to press her lips against his. The kiss seemed to burn him. The pain of the heart and pleasure of the body warred with each other as he put his hands on her hips. He shuddered as she pulled back.
“We can’t…” He tried not to look at her. He knew why she was here, and he couldn’t let her make that mistake.
She traced her fingers over his lips, and a tingle of desire shot down his spine. “We can.”
“But…” He struggled to stay in control of himself. What about Callum? What about Matthew? What about…?
“Marry me, Carter Martin,” Celia said.
“What?” Was this a dream? It had to be. His world started to spin, and he clung to her.
“I’ve been so foolish,” she said. “Thinking that I can walk away from love, from you. I can’t. I don’t want to.” She brushed her nose against his, teasing him with an almost kiss.
“What…what about Mathew?” he asked.
“We’ll find a way to pay for his school and to pay Callum back. I’ll live in Tristan’s apartment in London to save money. I will come home on the weekends. I’ll find a second job in town when I’m here.” She curled her arms around his neck, pressing close to him, and he almost lost his mind. “I’ll make it work. I swear.”
“If we do this, you’ll have to give up everything. I can’t let you do that.”
She sighed. “Don’t you understand? You are everything. I can’t believe that I’ve been denying the greatest truth my heart has been trying to tell me since the moment we met as children.”
He couldn’t speak. Despite everything she’d said, part of him still felt like he had to refuse her. There was no possible way she was thinking things through. She would regret this, given enough time. He was sure of it.
And yet, how could he say no? She’d offered him the secret wish of his heart.
“So…will you marry me? Uncle Edward gave us his blessing.”
That, more than anything, shocked him out of the dreamlike state he’d fallen into ever since she’d emerged from the trees. “He did?”
“Yes. So…will you?” Celia asked again. He heard the note of fear in her voice. Fear because she thought he’d say no.
“Are you sure you want this?” he asked. Despite all her assurances, he had to ask.
She nodded. “More than anything.”
His heart fluttered wildly. “Then yes. I will marry you.”
Her face lit up, and suddenly they were kissing as if it were their lives depended on it. It was a kiss that set the world on fire. When they finally broke apart, it was growing dark.
Carter smiled. “When I was younger, I had such an amazing proposal planned, one that I knew I’d never get to make.”
Celia smiled back. “Really? Well, you could get on one knee and ask me.”
Carter chuckled. “It wouldn’t be the same.” He grinned down at her. “My original plan involved a flock of doves, fireworks…”
“Doves and fireworks?”
“And a suit of armor.”
“Would you be riding in on a white horse too?”
“Naturally.” He replied so seriously she started to laugh. “I might have even slayed a dragon or two for you.”
“Then I definitely would have said yes.” She clung to him as darkness descended in shades of purple around them.
They gazed at each other for a long moment and then he slowly lowered to one knee.
“Celia…I grew up alongside you, basking in light you cast. It was impossible not to love you. I don’t deserve you, but,” he cleared his throat. “The honor of being your husband would drive me every me to be worthy to you. Will you marry me?”
Celia cupped his face in her hands and kissed him again, her lips trembling as she whispered one word over and over between kisses. “Yes.”
When he stood, he caught her by the waist and swung her around once, until they were both laughing.
“We should get back inside.” He was reluctant to let go as she pressed herself against him. She held him tight for a moment, then stepped back and held out her left hand.
“I think I have earned my fairy sacrifice.”
Laughing, he opened the velvet box and took out the sapphire ring. He slid it over her finger. It fit perfectly. His mother would have been thrilled.
He chuckled. “I suppose you are owed this after all the things Tristan and I got you to give up as a child.”
She wrinkled her nose at the memory. “I’m still planning my revenge, you know.”
“I think the ring makes us even, but feel free to avenge yourself upon Tristan.” They both laughed, and he curled an arm around her waist as they walked back toward the house.
Tristan was there waiting for them, leaning against the open doorway.
“So…,” he said. “You’re going to be officially shagging my cousin?”
Celia’s face reddened. “Tristan!”
“Officially. Forever.” Carter held up Celia’s hand with the ring, and Tristan’s face split into a broad grin. He held out his hand to Carter.
“Welcome to the family.”
Carter took it. They’d been best friends their entire lives. Now they would be family. It all seemed too good to be true.
“Carter.” A deep voice came from behind. Tristan stepped aside to allow Edward Kingsley through.
“My lord,�
�� Carter said, a tad nervous despite having his blessing.
“I will be pleased to have you as my nephew-in-law.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Edward, please. Your family now, even if the formalities have not yet been observed.” There was a soft gleam in his eyes that filled Carter with a strange feeling he couldn’t quite explain. He had wanted approval from this man his entire life, but now, doing what he’d always feared would get him and his father cast out of their home, he’d seemed to win Lord Pembroke over. Life was a strange and wondrous thing.
“Now,” Edward continued, “you’ll want to file your paperwork in the register’s office and post the banns in the church. I assume you will be married in our local parish?”
Carter and Celia shared a glance, then a smile. “Yes, we’d like that. Something small and private, of course.” He wanted to reassure Lord Pembroke that he and Celia would stay within their means.
“Good. Why don’t you both share the happy news with John? We can arrange the wedding after he and I returned from Wales.”
Carter smiled as they headed upstairs to where his father was resting in one of the guest rooms. He was propped up in bed, a newspaper spread out across his lap.
“Carter!” John’s face brightened. “And Miss Lynton? I thought you were in Scotland?”
Celia leaned into Carter’s side.
“Father, Celia and I are to be married. Lord Pembroke has given us his blessing.”
John stared at them, his eyes wide. “Married?”
“Yes. In a month, after you return from holiday.”
“Carter, you’re quite sure…?”
“We are,” Celia said, understanding John’s meaning. “We know it won’t be easy, but we will face the challenges together.”
John nodded to himself. “Well then, you have my blessing as well.”
“Thank you, Father.” Celia and Carter went over and hugged him.
“It will be nice to have a wedding. Tristan will no doubt be following in your steps in a few years. And think of the grandchildren.” John smiled dreamily. “Your mother would have loved to have been a grandmother.”
“She would have,” Carter agreed. He frowned, but only a little. There was not a day that went by that he did not miss her.
“Oh, off with you then. Let a man read in peace.” John sniffed and made a show of ruffling his paper in his lap. Carter came over and hugged his father one more time. His father clasped his shoulder to keep him there a moment longer.
“She lives in you, you know? It’s what made you such a good man. You have her heart. Raising you never made me miss her because I always see her in your eyes.”
Celia hugged Carter’s arm as he fought to keep his composure. He straightened his shoulders and nodded. “Get some rest, and recover your strength, Father. Those fish in Wales won’t catch themselves.”
He led Celia out of the room. They stood in the hall, gazing at each other for a long moment, filled with lingering disbelief.
“We’re really doing this?” he asked.
“We are. But first I need to see Callum. Would you mind if I went to see him tonight? He’s visiting a friend nearby.”
Carter nodded. “Do you want me to go with you?”
She shook her head. “I should go alone. Wait up for me.” She feathered a kiss on his lips, and then she was gone. But she would be back, and soon they would have the rest of their lives to share.
CELIA STOOD in the foyer of an old mansion. It belonged to Bryson, the man Callum was in love with. She had been here once before, but only briefly, when she and Callum had made the arrangement she now intended to break. She stared at the old paintings and the sumptuous furnishings.
The butler returned after having gone to see if Callum was available. “Miss Lynton.”
“Yes?”
“Mr. Radcliffe will see you in the parlor. This way please.” The butler escorted her to a room at the end of the long hall. As she entered, she twisted the engagement ring on her finger anxiously, wondering if she should hide it until she was ready to tell him. Callum stood by the windows and turned at her entrance.
“Celia.” He greeted her warmly, but she didn’t miss the odd look in his eyes. “I suppose it’s time we talked?”
“Actually…” She held her breath and raised her hand to show him her engagement ring. Callum’s eyes fixed on the glinting sapphire. “Please don’t be upset, Callum. I will find a way to pay you back for Matthew’s tuition. I just couldn’t go through with the marriage. I’m so sorry.”
Callum was quiet a long moment and then slowly raised his own hand; a silver band encircled his ring finger. He smiled.
“It seems we both found we had to follow our hearts.”
“You and Bryson are truly going to get married?”
“If you can believe it, yes.”
“I can’t, to be honest. You were certain your parents would disown you.”
“It seems I’m a luckier man than I realized and I love someone who was determined to fight for me.”
“You mean...?”
“Bryson reached out to my parents. Nothing dramatic, simply honest. The man has the soul of a poet, and I think that’s what helped them understand. Yesterday, they called me from Inverness. I had no idea Bryson had already spoken to them.”
“What happened?” Celia asked.
“My mother asked me if Bryson is the love of my life. I feared a confrontation, but in truth it was a confirmation she was looking for. She told me she loves me for who I am. To my surprise, my father said the same. A little reluctantly, perhaps, but he meant it. We’ll have to discuss our options with a surrogate mother when the time comes for an heir, but I believe my parents are open to it.”
“That’s wonderful, Callum. I’m so happy for you.” She hugged him, and he laughed.
“Thank you.” He held up her hand, staring at the sapphire ring. “And you? Carter fought for you as well?”
Celia smiled. “I fought for him. He’s too bound by duty to have ever asked me. But I convinced him. Eventually. He gave me his mother’s ring.”
“And your parents?”
“I haven’t told them yet. That won’t be easy, but my uncle fully supports us.”
Callum gave her another squeeze. “Well, given how they rely on your uncle, I doubt they will cause much fuss.”
“It won’t matter to me if they do, but I don’t want Matthew to feel the sting of their anger.”
“We’re doing the right thing,” he said. “Even if it may be hard at times.”
“Yes, but it will be worth it,” she agreed. “And I promise, I will find a way to pay you back.” It mattered to her that he knew she wouldn’t take advantage of him, but Callum shook his head.
“Celia, you don’t understand. My whole life I’ve convinced myself I had to live a certain way. I was ashamed and afraid to face my family, to face myself. But when you suggested we take a month to live our lives before this, it changed everything. I felt like a man who knew the date of his own execution and was determined to live every moment to the fullest before that. Long before it was over, I knew I couldn’t live without Bryson. He found the courage to fight for us, even when I could not. I have you to thank for that. The way I see it, Matthew’s tuition for the first semester is our wedding gift to you.”
Celia’s eyes blurred with tears, and she hugged Callum again. “I should get back to Carter. Invite me to your wedding, will you?”
“So long as you invite me to yours.”
“I promise.” Celia’s heart was light in a way it had never been. All she had to deal with now was facing her parents and the nearly impossible task of finding a way to pay for the rest of Matthew’s schooling. With the first semester paid for, she at least had time. She had Carter by her side, and that made her feel capable of anything. They would find a way.
When she returned to Pembroke, the house was quiet for the night. She hoped Carter was still waiting up for her. She reached his
bedroom and eased the door open. He lay on his bed, lap covered in papers, and his computer lay on one of his thighs at an odd angle. His glasses were still on, but he was asleep, leaning back against the pillows. She checked her watch, smiling a little. It was after midnight, and he’d had a long and stressful day.
She carefully and quietly crawled onto the bed and eased the papers and computer off his lap and onto hers. She peeked at his work. Another proposal to a studio about using the estate as a filming location. She wanted so desperately for this to happen. But perhaps they’d have to settle for the miracle they’d already been given—each other.
She carefully laid his work on the nightstand and removed his glasses, setting them on top of the papers. She curled against him, breathing in the soft scent of cologne and something else that was just uniquely him.
She’d never told him this, but she’d gotten her revenge on him for the fairy queen stunt years ago. At least in part. She taken one of his sweaters and kept it for months, loving the fact that she could smell him in the warm, dark-colored wool.
Now she would have him for the rest of her life. She nuzzled his cheek before kissing him. He murmured something and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and closed her eyes, dreaming of the wedding she never thought she’d have.
Sometimes there really was magic in the world.
14
Three weeks later
Garrick Kincade sat at his desk, poring over the estimates for the renovation Celia Lynton had provided. They’d arrived in a standard brown mailer, and along with it came a white card-sized envelope. He finally pushed aside the papers and opened the envelope.
A simple, elegant wedding invitation naming Celia Lynton and Carter Martin as the future bride and groom, along with the date and location of the event. No gifts requested, but charitable donations were allowed per the instructions. He chuckled over that as he’d put a call in to Ravenswood and placed a tuition donation toward Matthew Lynton’s second semester just the other day.
Garrick reached for his cell phone, a smile on his lips. The invitation had reminded him of some unfinished business. He made calls to two people: Celia’s boss, and a man he knew who ran a production company in Los Angeles. He was currently in England and would still be around at the time of the wedding.
