He unlinked his arm from Violetta’s and slid his torch into the empty iron holder. “All right. You can look now.”
She opened her eyes and glanced about in wonder.
“Do you like it, love?”
“’Tis beautiful. Very romantic.”
Smiling, he gestured to the monolith, inviting her to sit.
“The first night we met, you encouraged me to sit there.”
“I remember.” He’d never forget that night.
She sat, tucking her cloak in around her, while he took his place opposite her then poured them both wine; he’d asked the servants for the finest in his cellar. He handed a filled goblet to her, and as her fingers closed around it, she murmured, “I recognize this goblet.”
“Your father let me keep them for tonight. I had them cleaned and polished.”
“They gleam so beautifully in the torchlight.”
He held Violetta’s gaze. “I did not think Jacqueline and William would mind us using them.”
“Jacqueline and William might even be with us now in spirit, watching over us,” Violetta said softly.
The fine hairs on Osric’s nape prickled, for he’d wondered the same. ’Twas another thing he loved about Violetta: they often had similar thoughts. “How about a toast to them, then?” Osric raised his vessel. “To our ancestors; sworn enemies who found love together.”
Violetta raised her drink too. “To our ancestors.” They touched goblets then sipped.
With a sigh that sounded like contentment, Violetta rested the goblet on her lap and studied the stars.
“What are you thinking?” Osric put aside his drink to open the basket packed with fare. He set out linen-wrapped parcels, while the scents of roasted chicken and fresh bread wafted.
“I am thinking that I am incredibly happy,” Violetta answered. “That I want to be this happy for the rest of my days.”
As do I. “No regrets about climbing over the wall?”
“Only one.”
“And that is…?”
Violetta fingered hair away from her cheek, a hint of sadness in her expression. “Well, that if Jacqueline was even a fraction as happy as I am now, that she didn’t get to marry her true love. That she was forced to wed another man.”
Osric stilled in setting out the last of the food. The drumming of his heartbeat filled his ears. He’d decided to wait until they’d enjoyed their picnic, but now seemed the ideal moment to do as he’d planned. “Regrettably, their chance at forever-after love was lost. Ours, however, is not.”
Her eyes widened.
Osric rose, reached into the bag at his hip then knelt on one knee in front of her, his cloak spreading around him on the ground. She’d set down her goblet, and he gently took hold of the fingers of her left hand.
His hand shook. Damnation, he hadn’t anticipated being quite so nervous.
Violetta’s fingers curled inward around his, a gesture of comfort and reassurance.
And love, he hoped: the same precious, consuming love that he felt for her.
“You and I can ensure the Seabrook and Molineaux families are never enemies again,” he said, “if ’tis what we both want.”
He opened his right hand to reveal a gold ring.
She gasped.
“Will you agree to spend the rest of your life with me, Violetta? Will you…marry me?”
Tears glistened in her eyes as she gazed upon the ring he’d commissioned from a local jeweler. Osric had spoken with her father first, not just to get her sire’s permission to marry her, but to be sure she’d like a betrothal ring shaped like a rose in full bloom. “’Tis exquisite,” she said.
“It pleases you?”
“It does. It pleases me, even more, that you wish to wed me. Days ago, I would never have thought….”
“Aye?”
“That so much could change, and for the better. But, it has.”
He had to know her answer. “So? Will you…?”
Smiling, she kissed him on the mouth. “Osric, my love, I am honored to become your wife.” She kissed him again. “Aye.” Kiss. “Aye.” Kiss. “Aye.” Kiss.
A growl rumbled in his throat, and he quickly slid the ring onto her finger. Then his hands were burying into her hair, and he kissed her with the hunger burning within him. She matched him kiss for kiss, and only long moments later did their mouths part. He rose to sit beside her on the stone and wrapped his arms around her.
She set her head against his shoulder. “I love you,” she murmured.
He kissed her hair. “I love you, too. May we never grow weary of watching the stars together in this ancient place.”
“Or kissing.”
He chuckled. “Or kissing.”
About Catherine Kean
Bestselling, award-winning novelist Catherine Kean is a Kindle Unlimited All-Star author of medieval romances. Her love of history began with visits to England during summer vacations, when her British father took her to crumbling medieval castles, dusty museums filled with fascinating artifacts, and historic churches. Her love of the awe-inspiring past stuck with her as she completed a B.A. (Double Major, First Class) in English and History. She completed a year-long Post Graduate course with Sotheby’s auctioneers in London, England, and worked for several years in Canada as an antiques and fine art appraiser.
After she moved to Florida, she started writing novels, her lifelong dream. She wrote her first medieval romance, A Knight’s Vengeance, while her baby daughter was napping. Catherine’s books were originally published in paperback and several were released in Czech, German, and Thai foreign editions. She has won numerous awards for her stories, including the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Her novels also finaled in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the National Readers’ Choice Awards.
When not working on her next book, Catherine enjoys cooking, baking, browsing antique shops, shopping with her daughter, and gardening. She lives in Central Florida with two spoiled rescue cats.
Connect with Catherine Kean
Website
Facebook
Book Bub
Goodreads
Books by Catherine Kean
A Knight’s Desire
A Knight to Remember (Novella)
A Legendary Love (Novella)
Bound by His Kiss (Novella)
Dance of Desire
Her Gallant Knight (Novella)
My Lady’s Treasure
One Knight in the Forest (Novella)
One Knight Under the Mistletoe (Novella)
One Knight’s Kiss (Novella)
That Knight by the Sea (Novella)
Knight’s Series Novels
A Knight’s Vengeance (Knight’s Series Book 1)
A Knight’s Reward (Knight’s Series Book 2)
A Knight’s Temptation (Knight’s Series Book 3)
A Knight’s Persuasion (Knight’s Series Book 4)
A Knight’s Seduction (Knight’s Series Book 5)
A Knight’s Redemption (Knight’s Series Book 6)—Available Soon
Boxed Sets
The Knight’s Series: Books 1-4
Table of Contents
A Knight and His Rose
Copyright Details
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
About Catherine Kean
Connect with Catherine Kean
Books by Catherine Kean
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