Louisa nearly coughed at her own thought, almost the same as when Leo had blurted out her sleeping arrangement with this “gardener”!
“What?” He stepped up to her. “Is something wrong?”
She cleared her throat, shaking her head furiously before pointing at the jewelry box in his hand. “You brought me a gift?”
“This?” He nodded. “Someone suggested women enjoy baubles as an apology gift.”
She held out her hand, her whole body suddenly thrumming with interest. “Oh? Let me see?”
He placed the box onto her palm. “It’s nothing much.”
Louisa didn’t comment. It wasn’t “nothing much” to her, but rather, his gift was everything. Even if he didn’t know it. She slowly opened the lid, and her jaw promptly dropped.
“This . . .”
“Do you not like it?” he whispered. “I shall exchange it for something else if you don’t.”
“No, I...” Her gaze lifted to meet his, her gaze burning. “This is a ring!” Louisa burst out. Aring! Not some bauble! Definitely not “nothing much”! A gold ring with bright three bright rubies set next to each other.
He nodded. “The jeweler said it’s the latest design.”
“I hate to ask this in such a direct manner, Oliver, but this...” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you proposing to me?”
The color seemed to drain from the poor man’s face. “No. What? No.”
She pointed at the ring. “No?”
“I mean...” A curse. “Do you wish for me to propose to you?”
Lawks, why hadn’t she seen it before? The man was as clueless as a lamppost when it came to matters of romance. His approach to everything had always been upside down, inside out.
“No! Of course not!” She didn’t want him to propose if he didn’t want to propose. Besides, there were still so many things that needed their attention. Her father, for one—he would never approve...
Urg!
Louisa didn’t want to think about that now. Her gaze fell to the ring. She started when a big hand covered it softly, swallowing up her whole hand and the box.
“Louisa, all you need to do is say the word. I gave you the proverbial key to my house before. I didn’t know what I even meant by it at the time, not fully, I suppose, and I know I’m not the sort of man you must have hoped for, but if it means anything, I am the most helpless when it comes to you. I have no power in the face of your presence... For what it’s worth, you hold it all.”
Louisa’s breath caught. “Are you saying...?” Did he mean what she thought he did?
His gaze never wavered. His lips parted—
“Well, I hate to break up this touching scene,” a shrewd voice came from the door.
Louisa jerked, her head whipping toward the interruption.
Camilla!
The shadow that refused to fade!
And then her heart nearly stuttered to a stop.
In Camilla’s hand was a pistol, and it was pointed straight at them.
“But I need to borrow your lover for a bit.”
*
