‘That’ll be Alicia. I made her promise to text in case it all went wrong.’ She pulled out her phone. ‘I’ll have to text her back or she’ll think the worst.’
She frowned.
‘What is it?’ Basa looked down at her.
‘I don’t understand,’ Mimi said slowly. ‘It’s my lawyer. Apparently my film has been released for distribution.’
‘Is that right?’
The teasing note in his voice made her look up from her phone. ‘Did you have something to do with this?’
His dark eyes rested on her face. ‘I might have applied a little pressure in the right places.’ He pulled her closer, his gaze drifting slowly over her stunned face. ‘I wanted to surprise you when we got back to England, but it’s a little late now.’
Her pulse accelerated as he smiled slowly.
‘So maybe it could be an early engagement present instead.’
She drew in a deep breath, trying to absorb his words. ‘Are you asking me to marry you?’
He nodded, his face so serious and sweet she wanted to cry.
‘I am—if you’ll have me.’
She was both laughing and crying now.
‘Hang on—is that a yes? Only, I don’t want there to be any more misunderstandings between us,’ he said softly.
‘There’s no misunderstanding.’ Blinking back tears of happiness, she lifted her face to his and kissed him. It’s definitely a yes.’
EPILOGUE
GLANCING UP AT the towering cobalt-blue sky, Mimi breathed in the smell of the sage that had been disturbed by the wheels of the SUV and instantly felt all tension leave her body.
For the last few days she and Basa had been staying with Alicia and Philip at the palacio in Buenos Aires, but yesterday they had travelled across the country to Patagonia. And it felt incredible to be here again in this beautiful epic landscape.
Basa and Philip had gone straight to the island, but she and Alicia had spent the night at the newly opened Guanaco eco-lodge, for some last-minute pampering before joining them.
And now they were stepping off the jetty into the boat.
It would be her third visit to the island, but her reverence and sense of wonder at its beauty and solitude was still the same and, takin
g a calming breath, she gazed across the unbroken surface of the lake, a pulse of happiness beating down her spine.
The ducks and swans were squabbling in the shallows, but their splashing and the rhythmic slap of the water against the shore were the only sounds to break the silence. Up above her the sun was almost white, but the lightest of breezes took the edge of the midday heat so that it felt exactly like the perfect spring day.
And it was, she thought, her heart beginning to beat a little faster. It was perfect—and in so many ways other than the weather.
‘Penny for them? Or are they priceless?’
She’d been so deep in thought that Alicia’s voice seemed to come out of nowhere and, turning, she found her friend smiling at her. It had been a pattern over the last few days and, meeting Alicia’s gentle gaze, she grimaced apologetically. ‘Sorry.’
Taking her hand, Alicia shook her head. ‘Don’t be. I think it’s lovely.’ Her face softened. ‘Basa’s just the same.’ She giggled. ‘Philip told me, but don’t tell Basa I told you.’
Mimi laughed. ‘I won’t.’ She gave her friend’s hand a squeeze. ‘I haven’t been too bad, have I?’
‘No, of course not.’ Alicia frowned. ‘Obviously you were nervous about making your engagement public, but we all were a little bit.’
She had been nervous. Actually, make that terrified. But, despite her fears that people would condemn her or, worse, condemn Basa, both the media and the public had seen their engagement as a positive footnote to the pension scandal—a kind of ‘love conquers all’ story.