Twenty-three
Hope threw herself into her work but she wasn’t really sure what day it was, where she was, or what she was doing.
She didn’t really care either.
But there was one event she did care about and despite her heart being shattered into tiny pieces she was determined to put on a smile and do her best.
‘I do trust you, Hope,’ Griff said, ‘but are you sure Grace will be happy about this? I’m certain she loves me and fairly certain she’ll say yes, but she won’t think it’s too soon, will she? Or that I haven’t made much of an effort by asking for your help?’
‘Stop worrying, Griff. Grace adores you. Obviously I can’t speak for her but I know my sister well, and she will love this. I’ve told you she wanted to propose to you herself on Valentine’s Day, and if it wasn’t for the fact you’d already asked me to do this, I would’ve let her go ahead. But again, I know Grace, and she would rather you propose to her than for her to propose to you. That way she can be certain you don’t have the slightest doubt about marrying her. And as you’re proposing three days later than she had intended to propose to you, she can hardly think it’s too soon, can she? As for asking for my help, she’ll be thrilled. Firstly, because it means more money for the family business,’ Hope winked, ‘but mainly because it means you’ve gone to the trouble of making sure this proposal is special.’
Relief spread across his face and he breathed out a long sigh. ‘Why am I so nervous? I think I need a drink. No. Not until Grace had said yes. I don’t want to jinx it. What time is it?’
‘It’s two minutes after the last time you looked at your watch. Stop it, Griff. Everything will be fine. Okay, here she comes. Don’t forget the ring is in your left pocket.’
Griff nodded. ‘Left pocket. Left pocket. Okay. I can do this. Please say yes, Grace.’ He marched to the double front doors and although the Great Hall was in complete darkness he knew precisely where the doorknobs were and he opened both doors just as Grace was about to get out her key.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I … what’s wrong, Griff? You look … strange. And why is it so dark in here? Has there been a power cut? I can hardly see a thing.’
‘Thanks,’ he croaked closing the doors behind her. ‘You look more beautiful every time I see you.’
‘You can’t see me and I can’t see you. What’s going on?’
He took her hands in his and pulled her close. But not too close. ‘In fact you look so beautiful Grace, I don’t think I’ll be able to take my eyes off you all night. You outshine the stars.’
She gasped and her breath quickened visibly as her chest rose and fell. ‘Griff?’
‘There’s something I want to ask you,’ he continued, looking her directly in the eyes. ‘Dance with me?’
Her second gasp was louder, almost a little shriek, but it was joyful as the glow from hundreds of candles and myriad fairy lights strewn all around them, and from the massive chandelier in the centre, lit up the Great Hall.
The music started, provided by a string quartet from Folkestone, and a choir from St Gabriel’s Church, just as it had been on the night of the Mistletoe Dance.
Now he did pull her close and she looked up into his eyes and beamed at him as they danced around the Great Hall.
‘Those things you said. They were all the things you said to me that night, weren’t they? The night of the Mistletoe Dance. The night you told me you loved me.’
Griff nodded. ‘If I remember correctly, yes. And the one thing I have is a good memory.’
‘You’ve got a lot more than one good thing, Griff. You’ve got hundreds. Is this because we didn’t really get to celebrate Valentine’s Day properly? Wait. Did I just see Hope? What’s she doing … Oh. My. God!’
Grace almost crumpled in his arms and Griff held her tight. Only when he was saw she was surefooted did he get down on one knee and take out the velvet ring box from his pocket.
Hope could see that Grace was shaking. With excitement and with happiness as her eyes filled with tears.
‘I love you, Grace,’ Griff said. ‘I’ve always loved you. There has never been anyone else for me and there never will be. You made my dreams come true on Christmas Eve and you made me truly happy by agreeing to move in with me. Will you now make me deliriously so by saying you’ll be my wife? I want to spend my life with you, Grace Eversley. I always have.’
‘Yes!’ Grace screamed. Screamed at the top of her lungs. ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’
Griff slipped the diamond solitaire ring on her finger and wrapped his arms around her in a kiss.
A kiss that lasted so long that Hope wasn’t sure it would ever end.
When it eventually did, Pat, Simon, and Granny Joy, along with lady E, and Archie and Tabby, the housekeeper joined them in the Great Hall. As did Russell, whom Griff had called to ask to be here tonight.
‘I wanted our families to join in with this celebration,’ Griff said. ‘I hope that’s all right, Grace.’
‘All right?’ She looked at him with so much love in her eyes everyone could see it. ‘I couldn’t think of a more perfect proposal if I tried.’
Then Hope had the life-size painting by Hanna Shaw brought in from the morning room, and Grace and Griff gasped in unison as this was a surprise for them both.
‘That’s us!’ Griff said his voice cracking with emotion.
‘On Christmas Eve,’ Grace said, crying with delight ‘It’s so beautiful.’
‘You’re beautiful,’ he said. ‘I meant it that night and I mean it tonight. You outshine the stars, Grace.’
‘You’re not so bad yourself,’ Grace teased. ‘And I love you with all my heart, Griff.’
Everyone waited until the couple had finished kissing, and then Hope said, ‘This is a gift from all of us in this room, and also from Hanna Shaw. Now shall we open the champagne?’