A Perfect Proposal (49 page)

‘Can’t you?’

‘No! What sort of a girl would that make me? I know you haven’t always thought the best of me, Luke, but I wouldn’t do a thing like take a house from Matilda.’ She paused. ‘Do you remember, back in New York, when you told me about that young woman and her children who moved into a beach apartment or something? I thought that was a disgusting way to behave and would never, ever have done anything like that. This is worse!’

Luke leant across and took her hands. ‘But you can’t refuse it. Think how unhappy that would make Granny. She loves you, she wants you to have the house.’

Sophie clutched at his fingers. ‘But it’s too much!’

‘How much money did your Uncle Eric give you?’

‘Twenty thousand pounds. That was too much too.’

‘But you accepted it.’

‘Yes, and you told me off!’

‘I wasn’t thinking straight! I was mad with you – mad generally, I think. I was so confused.’

‘Confused by what? I don’t think I was ever confusing.’

‘You were maddening and enchanting and wonderful and I suppose you’re right. It wasn’t really you that confused me.’

Sophie felt herself tense, knowing the answer but not wanting to be the one to say it. ‘Who then?’

Luke looked at her, holding tightly on to her hands.

Sophie entwined her fingers in his and clung on. ‘It’s Ali, isn’t it? The elephant in the room – or should I say plane.’ She tried to smile. ‘Elephants on planes probably aren’t a good thing.’

‘Ali and I were never together like that. She wanted us to be together; she behaved as if we were.’

‘Did you sleep with her?’

‘Once, before I met you. Sophie, I may not have behaved well there. It was just sex with someone I liked, but I never loved her. I never pretended I did. She wanted more from the relationship than I did.’

‘Poor Ali. I can sympathise with that.’ Sophie felt she could afford to be magnanimous towards Ali now.

‘It’s why she tried to keep us apart. She told me you were too young, too inexperienced, that you were after my money—’

‘Which I am so not! I have my own money now anyway, and even—’

‘I do know you’re not after my money. I do know that you don’t really need money. You have all your resourcefulness and practicality and ability to make one dollar do the work of five – and yet somehow, I listened.’

‘Why?’ Sophie was hurt but tried not to show it.

‘You were like a creature off another planet to me, Sophie! You were so innocent, so lacking in guile. I’d never met anyone like you – I don’t think I even knew girls like you existed. Everything Ali said made a sort of sense.’

As Sophie had also thought that Ali was perfect for Luke she didn’t comment.

‘Then I realised – when I thought you were drowned – how utterly joyless my life would be without you.’

‘So you kidnapped me so you could tell me that?’ She made herself sound disapproving because she still felt there was a lot that hadn’t been explained, but in fact she thought it was very romantic.

‘There didn’t seem to be another way. I had to go to London.’

‘OK, but you could have rung me or something.’

‘Not to tell you all that, I couldn’t. Besides, you have no phone.’

‘You’re finally calling it by its proper name!’

Then Sophie’s hand flew to her mouth in horror. ‘Oh my God! I’ve just thought – all my numbers! That’s dreadful.’ The vision of her phone swirling away in the water came back to her and at the same time came the realisation that there were many worse things in life than not having a mobile phone, even for a girl. ‘Still, it can’t be helped.’ She suddenly felt a wonderful sense of freedom. What did it matter if she’d lost her phone? She was here with Luke, the man she loved.

‘But you understand I had to say all this in person. Particularly after the way I behaved yesterday.’

Sophie found herself smiling. ‘I suppose so.’

Luke regarded her, his usually confident expression almost diffident. ‘I am so sorry.’ He spoke softly. ‘About everything. Not just yesterday, when actually I was perfectly justified. But before. I was trying to find excuses not to love you.’

‘Why? Would loving me somehow demean you?’ Sophie felt if he gave the wrong answer she would fight her way to the cockpit and demand that the pilot turn the plane and take her back to Cornwall. And the wrong answer could be
almost anything.

‘You know I was married before?’

‘Yes.’

‘My first wife not only humiliated me in a fairly public way, she also took me to the cleaners financially.’

This wasn’t a good enough reason. ‘You’re very rich, you could afford it.’

‘Yes, but the damage to my self-esteem was less easy to get over.’ He paused. ‘I had been very much in love with her. I learnt not to trust the emotion.’

‘But you trust it now?’

‘I know that life without you isn’t worth living.’

‘That’s … nice.’ How inadequate. She bit her lip. Her feelings were far stronger than her words suggested.

‘Would the champagne be a good idea now?’

‘I think it might be. I’m in shock, I think.’

‘What about?’ He pressed a button.

‘Everything! This’ – she indicated her surroundings – ‘you, Matilda wanting to give me the house.’

Sheila appeared with the champagne, already opened, and poured two glasses. Then she left. A perfect professional, she didn’t offer congratulations, or make a comment, or do anything except serve and leave. Sophie was so grateful. She took the glass Luke handed her.

‘I’ve had an idea,’ said Luke, once he’d clinked Sophie’s glass and taken a sip of champagne.

‘Oh?’

He nodded. ‘I’ve thought of a way for you not to take the house from my grandmother but for her to still give it to you.’

‘That sounds very complicated and contradictory. Is it some sort of lawyer speak?’

‘Not at all. It should work brilliantly.’

‘Then tell me!’

‘This isn’t quite how I wanted it to be.’

‘What isn’t?’

‘My proposal of marriage. I wanted to have a ring, take you somewhere romantic …’

Sophie’s heart began to somersault.

‘But will you marry me? I know you’re awfully young and probably don’t want to commit yourself – especially to someone like me, but if you do …’ He seemed about to produce the carrot he’d been leading up to. ‘… then Matilda could give us both the house, as a wedding present.’

‘Oh well, that would make it more acceptable, I suppose.’

‘But will you marry me?’ Luke said urgently.

Most of Sophie wanted to say yes immediately, but a wicked part wanted to tease him a little. ‘I might, but how do I know you really love me?’

‘Sophie, I’d do anything – Hell, I waded through a swollen torrent to rescue you!’

‘That’s true.’

‘Tell you what,’ said Luke after a few moments. ‘Have another glass of champagne and think about it.’ He topped up her glass. ‘And consider how shocked my grandmother would be if we decided to just live together.’

Sophie snorted. ‘I don’t believe she’d be shocked at all! She’s very modern – not like an old lady at all.’

‘But she is quite old. If we put it off too long, she may die before it happens. Then she’d have to leave the house to you in her will and you’d have pay all kinds of tax on it.’

‘You’re such a lawyer sometimes!’

‘I know. And you’re maddening, but I love you. Sophie, will you marry me? We haven’t got long. I can’t go into this meeting not knowing.’

‘I could tell you after the meeting.’

‘I need to know now. The meeting is about me setting up a full-time office in London, while you do your course, anyway.’

‘You’d do that for me?’

‘In a heartbeat.’

‘Oh, Luke.’

‘But only for you. You’re unique.’

‘Everyone’s unique, Luke!’

A rueful smile made one corner of his mouth go up. ‘Actually, I think a lot of the women I meet are clones.’

Remembering the women who’d surrounded him at the brunch, Sophie felt he had a point.

‘So can you imagine spending the rest of your life with a rich preppy attorney who’s not always very bright?’

Sophie was now beginning to smile. She picked up her napkin and hid her mouth. ‘I guess.’

‘So you’ll marry me?’

‘I guess. Just for Matilda’s sake, though.’

He was out of his seat and next to her in a minute. ‘Oh, Sophie, you don’t know how happy – how relieved you’ve made me. I never thought you’d agree!’

‘I love you too, you know. Have done for ages. I tried not to.’

‘What’s wrong with me?’ Luke tried to look offended but was just triumphant.

‘You said it yourself! You’re a rich preppy attorney! And I’m not in your league.’

‘You’re way out of my league,’ said Luke and then he kissed her. A few moments later he said, ‘If you knew how much I want you …’

‘I do hope you’re not going to suggest we join the Mile High Club!’ said Sophie, wanting him just as much but feeling she’d like a bit more privacy.

‘I’m not actually sure we’d get to a mile high on such a short flight. I should find out.’

‘Not on my account!’ Then she relented a little. ‘Someone in the wine bar told me that she had done it on her
honeymoon, and when it came down to it, you were just having sex in a public loo.’

Luke narrowed his gaze. ‘I hate to throw my indecent wealth in your face, but this is a Gulfstream. We would not be making love in the “loo”.’

The way he said the word made her giggle; it sounded so incongruous. ‘I think that maybe I might be able to get used to this lifestyle.’

‘So can I tell my grandmother we’re engaged?’ said Luke.

‘Uh-huh,’ said Sophie from somewhere in his armpit.

‘Here,’ said Luke. ‘Let’s make ourselves a little more comfortable, at least until we have to fasten our seatbelts for landing.’

A few levers and a bit of rearranging later, they were lying next to each other and, although they both had all their clothes on, she felt she was Velcroed to Luke, and that nothing now would ever part them.

‘So, what are we going to do when we get to London?’ she murmured, setting her glass down.

‘I propose I book you into the company suite at Claridge’s and then go to my meeting. And when I come back, I’m going to show you what a rich preppy attorney can really do when he’s got a mind to.’

Sophie sighed with happiness. It was a perfect proposal.