It was a ring, a beautiful circle of diamonds surrounding a fabulous sapphire. Anna stared at it in awe. ‘Is this what I think it is?’
‘If you think it’s a commitment to spend our lives together then, yes, you’re right.’ He took her hand and slid the ring on her finger. ‘This is a proposal. Anna, marry me? I’m an idiot but I love you.’
Anna stood frozen for a moment before she slowly lifted her glowing eyes to the tall man beside her. ‘My idiot. Yes, please.’
With a wild whoop he swept her off her feet. ‘Thank God. For a moment there I really thought I’d blown it...’
EPILOGUE
AS THE SUN slowly sank below the horizon and the pink tinge faded from the ocean Anna lifted her gaze to the sails flapping overhead in the strong breeze that had sprung up after dinner.
‘This is perfect,’ she sighed, leaning back into the strong, hard body of her husband. His arms came around her and she rubbed her cheek against the hard muscle of his upper arm.
‘How did you know?’ Anna couldn’t recall having confided her lifelong fascination for tall ships to Cesare.
She had dreamed of one day taking a cruise on one of those supremely elegant vessels, but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined owning one.
Teacher’s Pet, a three-masted schooner complete with crew, had been her astonishing wedding present. Cesare claimed it was a ‘buy one get one free’ deal—a wedding gift and honeymoon in one. There hadn’t been time for a honeymoon after the wedding, just a weekend in Paris where it rained every day but the newlyweds didn’t notice. One day, Cesare promised, he’d show her the sights of Paris, a city he knew well, and not just the inside of their hotel-suite bedroom!
They had arrived back at Killaran on the Sunday, and Monday morning Anna had started her new job. She was now the new head of Killaran primary school.
Cesare had passed on the offer from the school governors when the woman who had been given the job originally had pulled out at the last minute. He had been wary of her reaction, assuring her that there had been no coercion on his part and she was nobody’s second best.
Anna hadn’t been able to resist winding him up just a little, but she had quickly put his mind at rest, assuring him that she didn’t care if she got the job by default. Naturally she admitted with mock solemnity that it was a bit disappointing to discover that she was expected to work, even though she was marrying a wealthy man.
Her tongue-in-cheek teasing had drawn a retributional response, though as that retribution involved ending up in bed Anna didn’t mind at all. Actually Cesare had been tremendously supportive of her decision and could be heard frequently boasting of his headmistress wife and her general brilliance.
‘Steady,’ Cesare said, chaining her to his side with strong arms as the ship lurched a little, causing her feet to slip on the wooden deck. Having dressed for dinner tonight, she was wearing a pair of impractical heels that matched the silk slip dress she had picked for this special occasion. Cesare didn’t know yet how important. She felt a flurry of anxiety that twanged her sensitive stomach muscles as she wondered what his response would be.
‘I thought you were the woman who dreamed of life on the ocean waves?’ he teased, glad of the excuse to hold her tight. ‘You haven’t even got your sea legs yet.’
Anna squirmed around in his arms to face him. ‘I have!’ she protested indignantly.
He arched a brow. ‘It’s no good pretending. I’ve heard you throwing up just this morning and yesterday—’ He stopped dead as he took her face between his hands and levelled a long, searching look deep into her blue eyes. Whatever he saw there caused the blood to drain from his face. ‘That wasn’t sea sickness, was it?’
She shook her head and looked away, suddenly afraid to look in his eyes, afraid of what she might see there. They had discussed having a family before they were married and had both agreed it was something they both wanted...somewhere down the line.
How would he react to the news of the unplanned pregnancy? Anna didn’t realistically expect him to be as ecstatically happy about the news as she was, but she didn’t think she could bear it if he hated the idea. If he pretended to be all right with it.
‘You’re having our baby?’
Anna had not heard that note in his voice before, but it wasn’t anger or disappointment.
‘When...how...are you feeling? What did the doctor say...?’