by Leslie Chase
“What’s up?” she asked as she followed Steven, happy that the man had made a full recovery after her kidnapping. Sir Daniel’s men had hurt him, but working for Maxwell did mean getting excellent health care amongst other perks. Still, she hadn’t expected him to be back at work so soon.
“Nothing at all, Miss,” he assured her. “Mr. Walters just asked me to take you to him.”
Curious, she followed along. It wasn’t like Maxwell to send the staff for her, not when he knew exactly where she was.
Steven led her to the ballroom, throwing open the doors with an unexpected flourish, and Lenore stopped on the threshold, staring. The air was filled with beautiful classical music played by a live orchestra in the far corner of the room, and all around the chamber huge floral displays offered their beauty. Every kind of blossom Lenore could imagine, a colorful profusion which would have been chaos if it hadn’t been so well designed to fit the space. The scent was amazing.
The room reminded her of the time Maxwell had filled her apartment with flowers, but this room was ten times the size, and the forest of blossoms was far more impressive, especially with live musical accompaniment.
Waiting in the center of the room, was Maxwell, watching her with a smile on his face. Lenore stepped closer to him, looking around with awe-struck eyes. Somehow, he’d timed her walk perfectly — or perhaps the orchestra was simply so good that they could adjust the music to reach its climax as she approached him.
The music fell silent, and he dropped to one knee before her.
Lenore realized that she was trembling with excitement, one hand over her mouth. She stared down at him, at his wide grin, as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a ring. Her eyes misting up, Lenore couldn’t focus on anything but his gaze.
“Lenore Kimble, love of my life,” he said, amber eyes fixed on hers, “will you marry me?”
Time froze around her at his words, and Lenore could hardly think. Not that she needed to: her heart was full to bursting with happiness as she nodded, unable to form the words she wanted to say. With a solemn care, Maxwell took her hand and slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. Then, unable to contain his own emotion, he stood, lifting her high into the air and spinning around before drawing her to him for a passionate kiss.
“You’ve made me the happiest man in the world, Lenore,” he said as they clung together. “I know this is sudden, and by most standards awfully fast, but I cannot wait any longer. And the fact is that fate has made her feelings clear — we belong together.”
“Yes,” Lenore finally managed to say, tears of joy welling in her eyes. “Oh yes, she has and yes we do!”
Behind her, she heard applause and looked around to see Steven still standing in the doorway, clapping and grinning. He clearly approved of his boss’ choice, and Lenore smiled all the wider for his happiness.
As though his applause were a signal, others began to pour into the room around him. Penelope and Angus, the wolves from Angus’ pack, and a few men and women Lenore recognized from the Council of Masters. All were smiling hugely, calling out congratulations as they swarmed around the happy couple, though the Masters also looked a little embarrassed to be there.
Lenore looked up at Maxwell and punched him lightly on the arm. “You — you got all this together without telling me?”
“I was fairly certain you’d say yes,” he said, laughing. “So I thought we could make a party of it. Why not?”
Lenore shook her head and hugged her man — her fiancé — tight. She hadn’t thought that she could be any happier, but Maxwell always seemed to find a way.
Penelope embraced them both, her face shining with happiness for them. “I hope you don’t mind, darling: we didn’t want it to just be our friends but we don’t know many of yours yet. I did invite the ones I could find, though.”
Lenore was about to ask what she meant when she spotted Gina and Rachel entering the room. Her friends’ faces were awe-struck, and Lenore thought that must have been how she’d looked when she’d seen this house for the first time. Now, only a little while later, it already felt like home.
“Congratulations, Lenore,” Gina said. “Quick work! I told you that you should make a move, but I didn’t quite expect this!”
Lenore blushed and embraced her friend. “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” she admitted.
“Don’t let her tease you,” her neighbor, Rachel, said. “When I saw the two of you together, I knew you’d found the right guy for you — there’s no reason to wait! Now, let’s see that ring!”
Holding out her hand, Lenore looked at it along with her friends — an elegant band of silver with a huge diamond mounted on it. The three of them gasped at the beautiful simplicity of it.
“I hope you like it,” Maxwell said, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s been in the family for generations. But we can get another if you’d prefer…?”
“Don’t say that! It’s beautiful, it’s perfect,” Lenore said. “I wouldn’t swap it for anything.”
Her heart was full to bursting with joy and excitement for the future. A future side-by-side with the perfect man, surrounded by friends and love. A future into which she’d be bringing their child, who she couldn’t wait to meet.
Maxwell took her by the hand and led her out onto the dance floor, the orchestra striking up another tune. As they whirled across the floor, Lenore could feel all eyes on them, and for once wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed. This was her place and her man, and she knew she belonged — everything was right with the world.
Amongst the guests, she thought she saw another — a slender woman in an old-fashioned dress, her skin darker than most here and her eyes flashing with a shared joy. The dance turned her away before she could be sure who she’d seen, and when they spun back, there was no sign of the woman, but Lenore still felt her fond gaze.
“If our baby’s a girl,” she whispered to Maxwell, “we’ll call her Devi.”
* * *
The End
Thank you for reading Tiger’s Sword, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I liked writing it! Please let me know what you thought.
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About the Author
LESLIE CHASE
I love writing, and especially enjoy writing sexy paranormal romance. It lets my imagination run free and my ideas come to life! When I’m not writing, I’m busy thinking about what to write next or researching it – yes, damn it, looking at castles and swords counts as research.
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My books:
Tiger’s Sword
A four-part paranormal romance serial:
Book One: Tiger’s Hunt
Book Two: Tiger’s Den
Book Three: Tiger’s Claws
Book Four: Tiger’s Heart
