‘No, I don’t think she is after his money,’ Sadie says eventually, ‘she does kind of light up when she talks about him and it’s pretty hard to fake that.’

‘But don’t you think…’ Amanda breaks off, laying the knife she’s using back down on the counter gently. ‘Don’t you think she’s the absolute spitting image of Caro?’

As I rush along the hallway, Amanda’s words echoing in my ears, I almost collide with Miles.

‘Oops. Steady on, old girl.’ He reaches out to stop me from tripping, snagging my empty wine flute as he does so. ‘This needs topping up, doesn’t it? Rupert is waiting for you, out by the pagoda. Hurry along and I’ll bring this out.’ He carries on towards the kitchen without giving me a chance to respond.

As I cross the lawn to the pagoda, I see Rupert standing waiting, his own glass of champagne in one hand, the other shoved into his pocket. I resist the urge to rush to him, to beg him to take me home, instead stepping lightly across the grass keeping a smile fixed on my face. Will stands next to him, and there seems to be a small cluster of people around them. Slowing my pace, I frown in confusion at Rupert as I approach him, but he just beams back at me, pulling me into his side as I reach him.

‘Have you had too much to drink?’ I force out a laugh, as he kisses me in front of everyone. Rupert doesn’t give in to public displays of affection very often from what I know of him, and I shrug off a sense of awkwardness as I feel the eyes of all Rupert’s friends on us.

‘Absolutely not,’ he says, before pulling away. I watch as he digs in his pocket, and then in front of all the partygoers, all of his family and friends – all of them strangers to me – Rupert goes down on one knee.

‘Emily…’ A gasp ripples through the small crowd, and I find I have pressed my hands to my hot cheeks, my breath sticking in my throat, as my heart rate takes on the speed of a galloping horse. ‘Emily Belrose… I know this has been a bit of a whirlwind, and we’ve both been a little swept off our feet, but, Emily… will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’

For a moment the word sticks in my throat, and I can’t help it, tears spill over my cheeks, before Rupert nudges me, announcing into the shocked silence that I have to say it out loud.

‘Yes, yes I will,’ I say, and he slides the ring onto my finger. It’s a perfect fit.

Chapter Eight