Chapter Nine
FOXTOWN HAS LISTENED to customer feedback.
Tassy nodded to herself as she continued mentally drafting the rest of her report.
Newly opened boutique now offers outfits for rent. Extensive selection for both men and women.
Tassy took a couple of photos and made sure to zoom in on the little details. One gown had stunningly gorgeous lacework while another had the loveliest pattern of birds and flowers embroidered on its sleeves.
Accessories also available.
Tassy couldn't help but smile at the collection of hats on display. It reminded her of the fascinators she was only used to seeing in horse races and posh weddings in England. It would be nice if Foxtown could help bring this trend back.
A full-length mirror was right next to the display, and Tassy let out a strangled gasp when she caught sight of her reflection.
H-Hickey!
How could she have forgotten about it?
And to think, she had been walking around without a care to the world, and oh God —-
Tassy's gaze collided accidentally with the other women through their shared reflection in the mirror, and they burst into laughter as soon as they saw the mortified expression on Tassy's face.
"We were all thinking it wasn't like you at all to not hide something like that!"
"And I was right, wasn't I?" Shannon, who had known Tassy for years, crowed in triumph. "She forgot about it, and you totally did, didn't you?"
Tassy was still lost for words, which had everyone laughing even more.
It looks very fresh, Tas!
Oh my gosh, did you hook up with someone this morning?! You did, didn't you?
Yaaaas, queen!
Who is it?
Who is it?
WHO—-
Flustered and just a little panicky at suddenly being the center of everyone's attention, Tassy blurted out the first thing that came to mind—-
"He's just a friend!"
It was the dumbest excuse ever, but... oh?
Why hadn't anyone called her out for lying?
Why were they only staring at her?
Was it possible that they really did believe—-
"I apologize for the intrusion, but may I have a moment to speak with my... friend ?"
Tassy jerked as soon as she heard that very familiar drawl.
A moment later, strong fingers were cupping her elbow to turn her around, and of course her stunned gaze ended up clashing with coppery eyes that were full of wicked amusement.
"I hope you can spare me a moment, Ms. Bautista."
"Uh—-" She tried pulling away, but this only had the billionaire tightening his grip.
"Perfect."
As he guided her out of the boutique, her colleagues started giggling and Shannon even mouthed 'whattafriend' while giving Tassy a thumbs-up to signify her approval.
Oh God.
She stole a look at Lucius, hoping he hadn't seen it, but the gleam in his gaze implied otherwise.
"Is anything wrong?"
She tried once more to pull away, but this only caused his hand to slide down until he was gripping her waist.
"Are you trying to get away from me?"
Her actions suddenly seemed childish when he put it that way, and so she immediately shook her head. "I'm just...concerned. For your sake," she added quickly.
"Is that so?"
She made a vague gesture to their surroundings while being careful not to meet anyone's gazes. "Can't you see how everyone's staring at us?"
And by everyone, she meant exactly that. She wasn't even sure if he had noticed how all their walking had them ending up in Foxtown's version of Rotten Row. It was the most popular place to see and be seen in the Regency Times, and the same could still be said even now.
So many familiar and famous faces, and oh God .
Wasn't that Foxtown's billionaire owner himself, Damian Fox? His wedding to Sarah was a modern fairytale all on its own, and if she remembered correctly, part of this weekend's program was for the couple to make their first appearance... tomorrow.
So why were they here now? Was there something in the program she had forgotten, and that was why all of the VIPs were gathered here?
Tassy started feeling a little nervous, but a glance at Lucius showed that he was completely relaxed.
She tried to tug free again, but this only made him pull her close. "Uh, Lucius?"
"Mm?"
"I really think we should go our separate ways for now, just to keep other people from drawing the wrong—-"
Oh no.
Why had he suddenly stopped walking?
She tried to get him moving, but this was also impossible.
"What do you think people see when they look at us?"
Tassy's gaze flew up to his in dismay. Why was he asking that now of all times?
"Do you think they see a man who never believed in love—-"
Tassy's lips parted in shock. Had she heard him right? Had he truly said—-
"Until the right one came along?"
Oh God, he truly did.
Tassy did her best to keep her tears in check, but when she suddenly heard what seemed like a live orchestra playing a very familiar song—-
It was impossible not to cry.
How in the world was this happening?
Everyone around them was clapping, and as the crowd slowly parted, Tassy saw that there was an entire orchestra positioned at the bank of Foxtown's man-made lake, which was also patterned after the snake-like flow of London's Serpentine River.
Tassy's tears fell faster as Lucius took hold of her hand to help her into one of the glossy-bodied boats with cream leather seats. A female singer had now joined the orchestra, her velvety voice a perfect match as she sang the lyrics to the Carpenters' song that Tassy had found herself listening to on repeat since her breakup.
We've only just begun.
His gaze found hers as he started rowing the boat to the center of the lake, and she didn't even know where or how to begin.
"T-The s-song," she finally managed to stammer. How did he even know—-
"I've heard you humming it more than once."
The answer was so, so simple that Tassy felt like laughing and crying because those words made everything so, so painfully clear. She had been with Xylan for years, but those little things about her had always escaped him. She had always believed that love was directly proportionate to the length of time one knew a person...so why then?
Why was it Lucius, who had known her for less than a day—-
Why was it Lucius who was doing everything right?
"Are you really sure about this?" she choked out. "Because if you keep this up, I'm really going to start thinking of you as mine."
"I'm already yours, Tassy. From the moment I first laid my eyes on you—-I was yours."
Tassy's whole body started to shake as Lucius took out a small box from his pocket. He slowly opened this, and Tassy vaguely heard the people around them bursting into applause and cheering as they saw the diamond ring Lucius was now holding out to her.
"Will you be my wife and forever Valentine?"
She waited for her mind to torture her with fears, doubts, and insecurities. But instead, all she felt was a peace that surpassed all understanding. She had never experienced such peace before, and it would only be much, much later that Tassy would come to realize it was His peace which had enveloped her at that moment.
But for now, all Tassy knew was that the peace in her heart meant one thing.
Lucius Young was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
And because of that, there was also only one thing left to say.
"Yes, I'll be your wife."