‘I’m not.’

I gave a snort of disbelief. ‘I’m pretty sure the astronauts on the International Space Station can see Cecily’s engagement ring with the size of that diamond. It is an engagement ring, right?’ I said, folding my arms across my chest.

Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘Yes, it is an engagement ring.’

‘Exactly, so you can’t just go around telling other women you love them and—’

‘But it’s not from me.’

I opened my mouth, closed it, then stared at him for a while. ‘What?’ I said quietly, when I found my voice again.

‘Cecily’s engagement ring isn’t from me. I’m not marrying anyone. Not yet, anyway.’

‘But you’re… together. You came together and your parents seem so happy.’

‘I am Cecily’s escort for the day, and yes, my parents are happy as our two families are finally uniting as they’d always hoped.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Cecily is marrying my brother. Edward fell off a horse yesterday being a stupid arse, and he’s laid up in bed with a bad back. So I am escorting my sister-in-law-to-be to the wedding.’

‘But I thought your parents wanted you to marry her.’

‘I don’t think they really minded which one of us did, and a few months ago, she and Edward were chatting together at a party and for the first time in her life, Cecily realised she was madly in love. Luckily, Ed felt the same.’

‘And how do you feel about that?’

‘Couldn’t be happier for them.’

‘So why has she been watching us ever since you came out here?’

Jack didn’t take his eyes off me. ‘Because Cecily is no fool. She knows I’m still crazy about you, and apparently she could read something in you in the churchyard that made her think you might still have feelings for me. She told me to come out here and bloody well do something about it before I lost you again. You were right before. I can’t promise to be there for you forever.’

I made to step away and he caught my hand, continuing. ‘But I promise that I want to be there for you forever and will do absolutely everything in my power to keep that promise. So I’m going to ask one more time. Do you still love me?’

‘More than ever,’ I whispered through my tears.

‘I was hoping you’d say that.’

Jack crushed me against him as his lips came down on mine, one hand at the back of my head, cradling me against him as though he never wanted to let me go. Behind us, a barrage of whoops and clapping and catcalls came from the ballroom.

‘At bloody last!’ A cut-glass accent made herself heard over the noise.

Jack released me just enough for us to turn and grin rather stupidly at the audience we had amassed, including Cecily, who stood at the front.

‘Obviously I’ll be taking all credit for this reunion,’ she declared.

‘Of course you will,’ Jack said, laughing, before kissing me again.