"Consider it a wedding gift," Logan said.

"She'll lose her family," Gideon said.

"Yes," Matthew agreed. "But she won't lose her friends."

"We can promise you that," Daniel said, and Logan nodded his agreement.

Hope burst through Gideon, so strong, he was grateful he was sitting down, because he felt a bit unsteady.

"I wouldn't have dared to ask her," he said quietly.

"Which is why we're here, meddling," Matthew said, "at our wives' behest."

"Right," Daniel said. "Because we're not normally meddlers, you know."

Logan looked toward the ceiling. "You Brits. Always talking in circles." He fixed his gaze on Gideon. "Well? What's it going to be?"

Gideon drew a deep breath. Then smiled. "The only thing missing now is a bride."


* * *

Forty-five minutes later, freshly shaven and wearing his finest garments, Gideon entered the foyer of the mansion on Grosvenor Square, Caesar at his heels. "I'd like to see Lady Julianne, please," he said to Winslow.

"I'll see if she's at home," the butler said. His gaze flicked down to the small bouquet of flowers Gideon clutched but made no comment. He headed down the corridor, and Gideon had to force himself not to pace. Winslow returned a moment later and said, "Lady Julianne is in the music room. She'll see you now."

Gideon and Caesar followed Winslow's straight back, and with every step, Gideon's heart thumped harder. "Mr. Mayne," Winslow announced at the door.

Gideon crossed the threshold, barely noting Winslow's departure as his gaze settled on Julianne. She stood next to the pianoforte, wearing a pale aqua gown that made her eyes look even bluer than usual.

He walked slowly toward her and wondered how the hell he had ever been foolish enough to walk away from her. He was only halfway across the room when a series of sharp yips came from the hearth. Princess Buttercup, dressed in an aqua ruffled collar that matched Julianne's gown, had caught sight of Caesar. Caesar in turn had caught sight of his love, and a joyful canine reunion of sniffing and licking and grunting and yapping took place before they both plopped down on the hearth rug.

"Hello, Julianne," he said, wading into the silence.

Now that less than six feet separated them, he could see that she'd been crying. Yet in spite of her puffy, reddened eyes, she was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Hello, Gideon." Her hands were clasped in front of her so tightly her knuckles showed white through her skin. "You wished to see me?"

"Yes." He took a quick look at the mantel clock, noted the time, then cleared his throat. "You asked me last night if I had anything else to say to you, and I realize I didn't say everything I wanted to. Everything I needed to."

"I see. Would you like to sit down?"

He shook his head. Went to plunge his fingers through his hair only to recall the flowers he clutched. "These are for you," he said, holding them out. Bloody hell, he'd clearly strangled the damn things, for they looked decidedly wilted.

But in spite of their less-than-perfect condition, a trembling smile curved her lips. "Thank you," she said, burying her face in the droopy blooms. "I adore daisies."

He hadn't known that. Hadn't even noticed they were daisies. He'd simply bought the flowers from a young girl selling them because, well, wasn't a man supposed to bring flowers when he proposed? Bloody hell, why hadn't he asked Matthew or Daniel for instructions when he'd had the chance?

She looked up at him with solemn eyes. "What did you wish to say, Gideon?"

"I… I…" He let out a long breath. "I wish I was good at pretty words, because God knows you deserve them, but I'm not. So I can only tell you plainly." He stepped closer to her, stopping when less than an arm's length separated them, then took her hand, noting that his weren't quite steady.

"I love you, Julianne. Love you so much I just…ache with it. I think I loved you even when I thought you were nothing more than a spoiled princess, although I convinced myself I didn't. But then, as I discovered that you weren't a spoiled princess at all, realized the kind, loving, generous, brave, and wonderful woman you are, I couldn't deny to myself any longer that I'd fallen completely, utterly in love with you."

He pulled in a deep breath then continued, "I'm not a rich man, and I don't have a title. But I offer all I have, all I am, all my love, my heart and soul, to you."

He dropped to one knee before her. "Julianne, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

She looked down at him, her eyes huge, her face pale. For several of the longest seconds of his life he endured the loudest silence he'd ever heard. Then her lips trembled and she smiled the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen.

"Yes," she whispered. Then laughed. Then sobbed. "Yes! Yes!" Laughing, crying, she pulled him up, and he yanked her into his arms and kissed her. And all the places inside him that only an hour ago had seemed so empty filled to overflowing with a happiness he'd never thought possible.

She leaned back and framed his face between her hands. "I love you," she whispered. "From the first moment I saw you, you took my breath away. And now, when you tell me how you feel about me, instead of telling me I'm beautiful, you called me kind. Loving. Generous. Brave. Wonderful. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Well, you are undeniably beautiful. Just in case you thought I didn't think so."

She smiled through the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Am I really going to be your wife?"

"Am I really going to be your husband?" He pulled out his handkerchief and dabbed at her wet eyes. "I brought three of these," he teased, waving the handkerchief before her.

She laughed. "Good. Princess Buttercup was miserable, you know."

"Caesar as well." He rested his forehead against hers. "Me, too."

"Me, too," she concurred.

He lifted his head. "You know your parents will never accept this."

"Then that is their loss," she said without hesitation. "I choose you. Now. Always."

"Are your parents at home?"

She shook her head. "Mother is off on her social calls, and father is at his club."

"I'll speak to them afterward, then."

"Afterward?"

"After the wedding. Which, if we don't want to be late for, we'll need to hurry, because it's starting in…" he glanced at the mantel clock, "twenty-four minutes."

Her jaw dropped. "Wedding? Our wedding? In twenty-four minutes?"

"Did I not mention that?" He shook his head. "Sorry. I was a bit rattled." He quickly told her about the special license and the planned ceremony at Matthew and Sarah's house, concluding with, "When I asked you to marry me, I suppose I should have added, now. Will you marry me now?" He looked into her glowing eyes. "Will you?"

Her smile could have lit a dark room. "Yes!" Then she sobered. "But first, there's something I must tell you. Something I should have told you before. I… I lied to you, Gideon. That first night I claimed to hear ghost noises? I actually didn't. I did so because I wanted you to investigate. Wanted to see you again. So then I hired Johnny Burns the coal porter, to make ghostly sounds, but his wife had a baby and he couldn't make it and then a real ghost came to the balcony and-"

He touched his fingers to her lips to stop the rapid flow of words. "You did that just so you would see me again?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry," she mumbled against his fingers. "I shouldn't-"

This time he silenced her with a long, deep, tongue-dancing kiss that left them both breathless. "A clever ruse to get me back into your life. Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Yes, but I suspect I'll never grow tired of hearing it."

"Good. Because I intend to tell you ten times a day."

She heaved a sigh. "Only ten? I shall perish from neglect."

"Fine. Twenty. Has anyone ever told you you're… wonderful?"

She smiled into his eyes. "Yes. The man I love."

He was about to kiss her again but recalled the time. After a glance at the clock, he grabbed her hand and started toward the door, giving a whistle for Caesar, who trotted after them, Princess Buttercup following faithfully. "The wedding is now scheduled to start in nineteen minutes. Matthew loaned me his carriage. It's waiting out front, so we can be on our way immediately."

"I just need to run to my bedchamber for a moment," she said. "I'll meet you outside."

By the time Gideon loaded the dogs in the carriage, Julianne was hurrying down the walkway toward him. "Besides Princess Buttercup, this is the only thing I couldn't bear to leave behind," she said.

And they both smiled down at her Box of Wishes and Dreams.

Epilogue

Gideon stood in Matthew's drawing room, sipping a glass of champagne, and reached out to touch his hand to his wife's back. His wife. Who stood next to him, laughing at something Carolyn said. His wife, who looked absolutely radiant and still clutched the wilted daisies he bought her. His wife, who had refused the fancy wedding bouquet Sarah had waiting for her and instead insisted on being married carrying the strangled flowers Gideon had given her. His wife, who turned to look at him with all the love he could ever hope to see shining in her eyes.