“Oh, why not?” The sudden barked demand drew everyone’s attention, and Simon looked up to see Queen Catherine, nearer now. She’d taken several long strides toward him, and her face was flushed, her eyes very bright. “Why can’t you ask her, Dr. Blake? You simply must. I demand it.”
“Your Majesty!” Caroline’s scandalized interjection drew Simon’s attention back to her, and he stopped her before she would say more.
“Actually, she’s right.” He grinned, feeling a twin surge of both panic and wild, unbounded hope. “All this talk of taking adventures, it’s only fair that I take my biggest—and greatest—risk now.”
He blew out a long breath…then slowly, deliberately, sank to one knee.
“Caroline Andromeda Marie Saleri, you don’t know me, I feel like I’ve been waiting for you my whole life. And so I’m going to make a pirate’s bargain with you.”
“A pirate’s…bargain?” Caroline managed, but her eyes were filling with mirror-bright tears, her face lit with an expression that gave him the courage to continue.
He nodded gravely. “If you would do me the honor of staying with me, of—of marrying me, I can offer you a charming house by the sea. A house that has also been waiting for its rooms to be filled once more with laughter, its beach with happy guests, its little woodland fairytale clearing with children whose eyes are wide with wonder, the way my eyes go wide with wonder, every time I look at you. I would take you anywhere in the world your heart would wish to go, so long as you were by my side.”
He reached for her hands and it seemed as natural as breathing that she lifted hers as well, then placed them in his grasp. He squeezed them gently. “But at the end of every adventure, we’d always have a place to come home to, where the winds would always welcome you, the sand would rest softly beneath your feet, and the rustle in the seagrass would sing the island’s song, bringing you home. My beautiful, magical Countess Saleri, please say you’ll marry me.”
The moment held, transfixed, as if caught in time, and everyone in the room seemed to be holding in a breath, afraid to say anything—do anything—that might break the spell.
And then he realized that Caroline was nodding, her mouth working as tears streamed down her face.
“Yes, Simon,” she finally managed, as his heart tried to pound his way out of his chest. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll live in this beautiful house and welcome your family and their friends and anyone else who wants to see how special and magical Pinnacle House is. I’ll go with you on every adventure as long as—as long as we come back here, to build a life and family together, in this beautiful house by the sea.”
Around them, the watchers suddenly erupted into applause, and Simon stood up quickly, pulling Caroline into a tight embrace. Tears streaked her face but she lifted her hand to his cheeks to dry his own tears first.
“You’re sure?” she whispered. “This all—this all happened so quickly, I know you weren’t planning…I mean you couldn’t have been planning any of this.”
“Already getting cold feet?” he asked her and she blinked, coughing out a startled laugh.
“No—no, not at all, it’s just—your work. Your plans.”
“There will always be work.” Simon smiled, holding her gaze with his. “There won’t always be you.”
The crowd parted in front of them, and suddenly the Queen of Garronia stood there, her face wreathed in a smile. “Caroline!” she exclaimed and in that moment she sounded not at all like the esteemed monarch of a thriving faraway kingdom…but much more like a doting aunt, delighted to be a witness to a favorite niece’s wonderful news. She threw her arms around Caroline and hugged her close, then stood back and looked up at Simon. He was startled to see she was shorter than at first he realized, so strong had her presence been in the back of the room.
“And you, Dr. Simon Blake, esteemed professor at the College of Charleston, highly-regarded lecturer and author, and beloved grandson of the current owners of Pinnacle House, I must say you have lived up to all of the research I’ve done on you.”
Now it was Simon’s turn to blink. “Research?”
“Of course,” the queen said smoothly. “You don’t think I would have allowed Caroline to set one foot inside Pinnacle House once I’d learned the story of the jewels and knew the magic they held, if you weren’t up to my expectations?” She sniffed. “Truly, if you’re going to write your book on Royal Superstitions, with full and open cooperation from the kingdom of Garronia, you’d think you’d already know how far I’m willing to go to ensure the happiness of every last daughter and son of Garronia.”
She linked her arms into Simon’s and Catherine’s, and lifted her voice so that everyone in the room could hear. “And now, I believe there’s a grand party in progress out on the lawn. Shall we join them?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Caroline stood watching the crowd of people surrounding the Queen and several other members of the Garronois nobility, as they posed for pictures and spoke to the journalists and photographers who’d converged on Pinnacle House no more than a half-hour after the queen’s arrival. According to the breathless reports brought up from Hilda’s coffee shop, more Garronois nobility had been spotted buying items from the stores along Market Street, and the buzz from the Pinnacle House reopening party would likely be reverberating for weeks if not months to come.
“How did I not know this was happening, virtually beneath my very nose?” Marguerite sighed, leaning on the rail next to Caroline, her smile soft as they watched the milling crowds. “You really did work some magic.”
“It wasn’t me,” Caroline said. She lifted her hand to finger the necklace. “I think it’s just a place that’s good at bringing people together. Who knows…” she bumped her sister’s shoulder. “Maybe it’ll work on you, too.”
Marguerite snorted. “Not likely,” she said. “I put out some flyers at the Cypress, and out of all the people who came today—and there are easily a dozen that I’ve seen so far—the one person I was hoping for is nowhere to be found.”
Caroline’s good mood was dimmed as she glanced down at her beautiful sister. “You know he’s engaged, Marguerite,” she said gently. “There’s no reason for you to think…”
“Oh I know,” her sister sighed, only a little bit cross. “And he knows all about my title, so while everyone else in the country appears to be taken with the fact that we’re nobility, Wyndham Masters the Third remains completely unmoved. The few times we have had a conversation, he’s been almost maddeningly polite and yet dismissive at the same time. It’s all I can do not to throw a bottle at his head.”
Caroline lifted a brow. “Then why do you have a crush on him?”
“I do not have a—” Marguerite began, then her shoulders slumped. “Well, fine. I have a crush on him. But truly, he doesn’t know it. Nor does anyone else there.”
That didn’t surprise Caroline. Marguerite had learned social subterfuge right alongside Caroline and Edeena. She could be discreet if she needed to be.
She put her arm around Marguerite and tugged her close. “You’ll find the right person for you, when the time comes—or he’ll find you,” she said. “I know it.”
“Spoken like a true romantic.” Simon’s voice sounded behind them, and both Caroline and Marguerite turned to see him standing there with the Wetheringtons. No—not the Wetheringtons, she realized with a sudden rush of emotion. In a short time, perhaps sooner rather than later, she’d actually feel comfortable calling them by the same names that Simon used—Belle and Bobo. Those whimsical names that suited them both so well, especially now, both of their faces absolutely radiating delight.
“You’ve thrown a beautiful party today,” Caroline said, smiling at them both. “You have much to be proud of.”
“It’s all so much better than I could ever have imagined,” Mrs. Wetherington said, her grip tightening visibly on her husband’s arm. “When you’ve been waiting so long to finally reach the end of the story, you almost a
re afraid to expect too much. What if the countess never came for her jewels? What if she sent a representative, and never visited Pinnacle House herself? Or, worse, what if she was a horrible person, more Wicked Witch than Fairytale Countess?” She sighed happily. “But I never expected to look up one day and find you, Caroline. Never in my wildest dreams.”
“Yes!” Bobo fairly bounced with excitement, and Caroline glanced from him to Simon, bemused. “But now that you’ve come, and especially now that you’re going to stay, you should, you know, take a tour around the place, make sure everything’s in order.”
“Everything’s in order?” she repeated, and Simon sighed, offering his hand to her.
“If you’ll excuse us for a minute, Marguerite?” he asked. “It appears my grandfather wants me to assume more of my duties as host than usual, starting with ah…a perimeter check of the grounds.”
Caroline still didn’t understand, but Marguerite laughed and shooed them on, and Simon pulled Caroline down the stairs before she could object. Together they skirted the huge knot of people standing around the queen and her attendants, and she realized they were heading for the forested area bordering the property.
She frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with the fairy village is there?” she asked, then immediately rejected the idea. “But no. Your grandfather wouldn’t have been so eager if there was.”
“Agreed.” Nevertheless, Simon picked up his pace a little as they stepped into the cool embrace of the trees. “He’s very excited, though, so it’s possible one or another of their friends added a little garden to the village, or maybe another walkway. He’s always allowed them to put in new pieces as the spirit moves them, though of course of late they haven’t gone back there much.” He grimaced. “I say of late, but who knows what they’ve been doing this past week to get ready for the party. I should’ve come back here before to check on it, but I haven’t had time with all the meetings and preparations.”
Despite his loving declaration in the museum room, Caroline felt a chill snake down her spine. “Will you have to leave soon?” she asked. The queen had given her tacit approval to use Garronia as a subject for his book, so the Saleri family would no longer be singled out, Caroline knew. But she still wasn’t sure what a research trip entailed. “And…how long will you be gone?”
Simon slowed to a stop beside her. Here halfway between the entry to the forest and fairytale village, the trees were almost eerily silent—as if waiting for them to have this very conversation. Not a single leaf rustled or bird chirped, and as she looked up into Simon’s eyes, Caroline felt another twist of tears surge in her own. She wouldn’t hold him back, she resolved. She wouldn’t—
“Caroline,” Simon murmured, and he brushed her hair back from her shoulders, then drew his hands down until his held her arms in each of his strong hands. “I don’t think you understand. I’m not going anywhere, anytime soon. There’s too much to do here at Pinnacle House…and too much I want to build here, with you.”
“But—your book…”
“My book can wait until we’re ready to travel together—probably after the holidays. Christmas in the low country is a time-honored tradition, and with any luck we’ll have some guests to help us enjoy it. It’s also Belle and Bobo’s favorite time of year.”
“Christmas,” Caroline said, hardly daring herself to imagine it. “We’ll have to have them out for an extended stay, if we can manage their care here…”
“Agreed,” Simon nodded, hugging her arms. “I’m also considering building a special guest house that’s more senior accessible—if you like the idea.”
The surge of tears tumbled over, as she thought about the reality of what he was suggesting. Here, in this place, she wouldn’t simply be drifting. She’d be building a home, creating something for others, and maybe, one day, starting a family. And all of this magic had been here waiting for her…ready for her to reach for it.
“I think that would be a lovely idea,” she managed. Simon reached for her hand and the two of them moved deeper into the woods. “You could put it between the house and these woods, so they had an easier walk to the village, assuming Bobo and his friends haven’t…”
But Caroline’s words died away as they entered the clearing.
“Oh, Simon,” she whispered, her voice a thready gasp.
Simon stared around, trying not to gape, and more than anything glad that he still held onto Caroline’s hand. Without her there, grounding him, he would have wondered if he was awake or merely dreaming.
A new building now stood off to the side of the clearing, tall and majestic in the shadows, every detail lovingly crafted from its beautiful blue-painted doors to its bright white walls and soaring spire. It was a chapel, but not just any chapel on any given day. It was decorated for a wedding.
“But when…how?” Caroline said, and she broke the spell of their stillness first, pulling him forward. The flower petals that now lay scattered over the whole of the clearing were made of silk and every color of the rainbow. One of the church doors stood open, and there were a few petals leading all the way up the carefully painted stairs and tucked inside the cool, dark interior. Tiny silk flower wreaths hung on the church door and stood in little stands lining the stairs, and as Simon turned, he could see that the whole tiny village was celebrating as well.
“Look,” he managed, though his own voice was no steadier than Caroline’s. She nodded, her lips pursed together, as they moved over to where only a few days ago she’d laid careful shell pathways in the soft earth, linking the homes together. Now those houses each sported additional small wreaths, the same bright colors as those on the church. There were more shell pathways now too, so that none of the little houses remained separate and apart—not even the tree house far up in the branches. Not only did it also have its own wedding wreath, but a tiny ladder of shells and twigs had been carefully glued against the tree trunk, spiraling around its slender column.
“They’re all together now,” Caroline breathed, then she stiffened again. “Oh!” She couldn’t seem to say anything more for a moment. Instead she pointed to something Simon had missed on his first perusal.
A tiny sign in front of the main store announced “WEDDING SATURDAY. EVERYONE WELCOME.”
That did it. The tears he’d tried so hard to keep from falling again now drifted softly down his face, and he pulled Caroline to him, staring down at her.
For a moment they just gazed at each other, and her expression he suspected mirrored his own. How could this have happened? What led to it? Why had they acted the way they had—so quickly and completely? The scientist within him demanded those answers, but somehow, at this moment, he didn’t know if he would ever find a suitable, rational explanation for how he felt—how he’d always felt since the moment he’d first seen Caroline.
“So, what do you think of their efforts?” he managed at last. “I’m surprised they’re not all standing in the woods, waiting to see our reactions.”
She gave a short, hiccupping laugh, but clearly knew his grandparents well enough that she looked around quickly, peering into the shadows. When she was satisfied they weren’t being watched she turned back to him, lifting a hand to rub her tears from her face. “I don’t think it’s usual for a girl to cry so much on the day she receives a wedding proposal,” she laughed, blinking quickly. “But I love it, Simon. I love it, and I love them. I love that they have all grown old together, waiting to see what would happen, and I love that they seem so happy now.”
“They are happy,” Simon agreed, studying her. “And you are too, I hope?”
“More than I ever thought possible.” And she smiled, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. “Everyone’s idea of a perfect story is different, but you’ve given me the best ending that I could ask for.” She leaned into him. “A roguish pirate ready to sail the seven seas, a future bursting with adventures…” she looked around the tiny village, every inch of her radiating joy. “And a home that can hold all the lo
ve we can bring to it, and always be ready for more.”
Simon held her close, his chin on her head, the feel of her body against him as perfect as anything could ever be. “And none of it would be possible without you, Caroline,” he murmured. “My very own fairytale countess…who’s made all my dreams come true.”
~~~
Chosen
Return to the romantic world of Garronia in early Summer, 2017 as the youngest Saleri sister, Marguerite, faces a gloriously curse-free future, finally able to choose her own path in life. Her internship at the Cypress Resort is coming to an end, and if only the breathtakingly rich, exasperatingly smart, and impossibly gorgeous hotelier Wyndham Masters wasn’t also very much engaged, her time in the low country of South Carolina would truly be daydream-perfect.
But what Marguerite doesn’t know is that Win Masters has a secret all his own…one he can never reveal to anyone, especially the beautiful young countess who haunts his every thought. He’s done everything he can to keep Marguerite at arm’s length, but his dedication to his sham engagement is faltering at exactly the wrong moment. Still, he’s determined to stay the course, and above all: desperate not to fall in love.
As both Win and Marguerite are about to learn, however, sometimes you can choose your fate…and sometimes—especially in Garronia—Fate chooses you.
About Jennifer Chance
Jennifer Chance is the award-winning author of the New Adult/Contemporary Romance Rule Breakers and Gowns & Crowns series. A lover of books, romance, and happily-ever-afters, she lives and writes in Ohio. She’s also urban fantasy author Jenn Stark, whose Immortal Vegas series is now available; and YA author Jennifer McGowan, whose Elizabethan spy series Maids of Honor is also available. She really, truly, loves to write.
When she’s not at work on her newest book, you can find her online at http://www.jenniferchance.com/, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/authorJenniferChance and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Jenn_Chance.
Charmed: Gowns & Crowns, Book 6 Page 22