Page 44 of All the Spells and Whistles
Georgie rolled her eyes. "I hope I’m not such a dolt when someone is courting me.”
Poppy brushed past her sister on her way to the corridor. “Why wait ‘til then? You’re a doltnow.”
Laurel, Bella and even Caroline all slowed her progress. By the time she reached front of the house, Wilson, the butler, was opening the door for the most handsome man in the world. Alec crossed the threshold, a cane in one hand and a traveling pack in the other.
“Welcome back, Captain,” the butler said in greeting.
“Glad to be back.” Alec dusted a bit of snow from his greatcoat before handing it to the man. Then he noticed Poppy in the corridor and a smile spread across his face. “Miss me?”
“More than anything,” she told him, closing the distance between them.
Wilson made his escape, leaving Poppy and Alec to each other. She gladly followed Alec to the yellow parlor.
“All went well in London?” she asked.
He agreed with a nod. “The Ravensdale marquessate is once again flush with funds, Mother is on her way to that magical sanitarium in The Orkneys, and I have a surprise for you, my love.”
“A surprise?” she beamed at him. She did love surprises, but having him there was better than any surprise she’d ever received. But to have himanda surprise…
He wiggled his traveling pack and said, “Rhys acquired this for me, but I didn’t want to open it until I was with you.”
“What is it?” she asked, dropping onto the edge of the settee.
“You’ll see.” He rested his cane against the settee and dropped to his knees before her with his pack in hand. As he opened the traveling bag, Poppy noticed a distinctive red glow from inside that seemed to pulse with life.
Goodness! What could it—
Before she could finish that thought, Alec retrieved a crystal box that looked so very familiar, except this one glowed a brilliant red instead of blue or silver. Poppy sucked in a breath. “Is that what I think it is?”
“I am not certain how Rhys got Mother to agree, but itismine.”
His magic? Were his powers really within reach? Poppy hadn’t even considered such a possibility. She’d thought his magic was lost forever, but Ravensdale had produced quite the miracle.
“You traveled all the way from London with this and you haven’t been tempted to open it?” she asked in surprise. Honestly, was he mad? She could never have resisted the pull of her own powers. How had he managed the entire journey with such a prize?
Alec shook his head. “Going forward, I want to share everything with you. This and anything else the world has to offer.”
Poppy swiped at a tear.
“I love you, Poppy.”
She never tired of hearing those words from him. “I love you, Alec.”
He grinned. “Then say you’ll marry me?”
She threw her arms around his neck and peppered the side of his cheek with kisses. “Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!”
Alec laughed before pressing a kiss of his own to her lips.
Oh! Poppy could lose herself in his kisses and never want for more. But he was mad if he thought to distract her even a moment longer. She pushed back against his chest to better see him and said, “Will you open it already?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Alec lifted the top of the crystal box. It burst into shimmering orbs of red light before surrounding Alec in its glow. Utter joy alit his face as the red glow merged with him before disappearing like it had never been there.
Poppy watched in awe as Alec closed and then opened his ashy eyes, focusing on her with an intensity she felt in her marrow.
“Did it work? How do you feel?” She leaned forward, closer to him.
Alec grinned as he turned his palm toward her and a little ball of flame materialized within his grasp. “I’ve never felt better than I do in this moment with you.”
