When I'm under stress," he emphasized, sliding the magnificent emerald onto her finger, "I buy everything in sight. It took my last ounce of control not to buy one of those in color."
Her eyes lifted from his smiling lips, dropped to the enormous jewel on her finger, and then widened in shock. "Oh, but-" she exclaimed, staring at it and straightening in his arms. "It's I do mean that, but I couldn't let you-really, I couldn't. Ian," she burst out anxiously, sending a tremor through him when she called him by name, "I can't let you do this. You've been extravagantly generous already." She touched the huge stone almost reverently, then gave her head a practical shake. "I don't need jewels, really I don't. You're doing this because of that stupid remark I made about someone offering me jewels as large as my palm, and now you've bought one nearly that large!"
"Not quite," he chuckled.
"Why, a stone like this would pay for irrigating Havenhurst and all the servants' wages for years and years and years, and food to-"
She reached to slide it off her finger. "Don't!" he warned on a choked laugh, linking his hands behind her back. "I-" he thought madly for some way to stop her objections-"I cannot possibly return it," he said. "It's part of a matched set."
"You don't mean there's more!"
"I'm afraid so, though I meant to surprise you with them tonight. There's a necklace and bracelet and earrings."
"Oh, I see," she said, making a visible effort not to stare at her ring. "Well, I suppose…if it was a purchase of pieces, the ring alone probably didn't cost as much as it would have…Do not tell me," she said severely, when his shoulders began to shake with suppressed mirth, "you actually paid full price for of the pieces!"
Laughing, Ian put his forehead against hers, and he nodded.
"It's very fortunate," she said, protectively putting her fingers against the magnificent ring, "that I've agreed to marry you."
"If you hadn't," he laughed, "God knows what I would have bought."
"Or how much you would have for it," she chuckled, cuddling in his arms-for the first time of her own volition. "Do you really do that?" she asked a moment later.
"Do what?" he gasped, tears of mirth blurring his vision.
"Spend money heedlessly when you're disturbed about something?"
"Yes," he lied in a suffocated, laughing voice.
"You'll have to stop doing it."
"I'm going to try."
"I could help you."
"Please do."
"You may place yourself entirely in my hands."
"I'm very much looking forward to that."
It was the first time Ian had ever kissed a woman while he was laughing.
Her eyes lifted from his smiling lips, dropped to the enormous jewel on her finger, and then widened in shock. "Oh, but-" she exclaimed, staring at it and straightening in his arms. "It's I do mean that, but I couldn't let you-really, I couldn't. Ian," she burst out anxiously, sending a tremor through him when she called him by name, "I can't let you do this. You've been extravagantly generous already." She touched the huge stone almost reverently, then gave her head a practical shake. "I don't need jewels, really I don't. You're doing this because of that stupid remark I made about someone offering me jewels as large as my palm, and now you've bought one nearly that large!"
"Not quite," he chuckled.
"Why, a stone like this would pay for irrigating Havenhurst and all the servants' wages for years and years and years, and food to-"
She reached to slide it off her finger. "Don't!" he warned on a choked laugh, linking his hands behind her back. "I-" he thought madly for some way to stop her objections-"I cannot possibly return it," he said. "It's part of a matched set."
"You don't mean there's more!"
"I'm afraid so, though I meant to surprise you with them tonight. There's a necklace and bracelet and earrings."
"Oh, I see," she said, making a visible effort not to stare at her ring. "Well, I suppose…if it was a purchase of pieces, the ring alone probably didn't cost as much as it would have…Do not tell me," she said severely, when his shoulders began to shake with suppressed mirth, "you actually paid full price for of the pieces!"
Laughing, Ian put his forehead against hers, and he nodded.
"It's very fortunate," she said, protectively putting her fingers against the magnificent ring, "that I've agreed to marry you."
"If you hadn't," he laughed, "God knows what I would have bought."
"Or how much you would have for it," she chuckled, cuddling in his arms-for the first time of her own volition. "Do you really do that?" she asked a moment later.
"Do what?" he gasped, tears of mirth blurring his vision.
"Spend money heedlessly when you're disturbed about something?"
"Yes," he lied in a suffocated, laughing voice.
"You'll have to stop doing it."
"I'm going to try."
"I could help you."
"Please do."
"You may place yourself entirely in my hands."
"I'm very much looking forward to that."
It was the first time Ian had ever kissed a woman while he was laughing.
( Judith McNaught )
[ Almost Heaven ]
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