I swallowed.
‘Because I want to be there for you. For ever.’
Oh God. This is totally happening. There was urgent sshing behind me. I felt my whole body grow still, my breath suspended somewhere inside me. This. Was. Happening.
‘I wanted to ask you something now.’ And then Luke stopped. The speech ended with me practically leaning across the table horizontally.
‘Yes,’ I prompted.
Was this it? Oh God, was this not it? Luke had started to look a little panicky now, eyes wide, swivelling them over to the arch. Was he planning a speedy exit? Had it all got too intense? Had he changed his mind?
I was aware of voices through the archway, a face peering through the foliage.
‘You’re leaning on me.’
‘Why don’t we get chairs?’
‘I didn’t think he’d take that long.’
‘Do we go now?’
‘Has he finished his speech?’
‘Did he say he’d bring us on or do we just go?’
‘We should have had a code word.’
Four old men shuffled through the archway, glancing at each other nervously before lining up in a row next to our table. A few beats later and they were singing a cappella once more, hands timing the beats, voices shaking, concentrated faces serious and trained on Luke. Then with a final hand gesture Grandad produced a small box from his pocket and laid it in Luke’s outstretched palm, before turning to usher them all back.
‘Go, Howard.’
‘Did you give it to him?’
‘My hip.’
‘Quicker.’
‘Don’t step on me.’
Luke was pretending not to be able to hear the harried whispers as they left the way they had come. I pretended not to notice they had all paused on the other side of the trellis: four eager faces peering through the gaps in the wood and foliage.
‘So what I wanted to ask you, Lottie,’ Luke was speaking loudly, trying to drown them out.
‘Did you see the ring?’
Murmurs of ‘lovely’, ‘big’, ‘cost a packet’ made me start to giggle now, and Luke rolled his eyes back in his head.
‘They were meant to make things more romantic. I have regrets,’ he called, loud enough for them to hear.
‘Hey.’
‘We heard that.’
‘That was your fault, Howard, you can’t do anything quietly.’
I was openly laughing, trying to block out the bickering as Luke lifted the diamond ring from the small cushion in the box. Then he got up, moving to the side of the table and got down on one knee.
‘Lottie Campbell,’ he said, holding out the ring, ‘will you please marry me?’
I stopped laughing as abruptly as I’d begun, feeling the world pause for a delicious second.
‘Yes, yes, of course,’ I said, taking the ring in utter amazement and then launching myself at Luke, who was struggling to his feet.
Cheers had broken out and faces were now appearing in the archway and I saw Grandad wipe a tear from his eye.
Then Luke and I were kissing and I could feel my whole body become lighter as he held me. Then I felt hands patting our backs and voices all around us as Geoffrey, Arjun, Howard and Grandad crowded around.
‘It’s quite a few carats,’ Howard was saying, clearly impressed as he took a closer look.
‘So happy for you,’ choked Geoffrey, his eyes watering as he smiled at us.
‘It was Howard making all the noise,’ Arjun added quickly.
Grandad was completely silent, standing a little back from the group. Luke and I broke away and both went over to him. He smiled as we approached, his eyes brimming with tears.
It made me swallow, seeing Grandad so emotional.
‘I got chilli in my eye,’ Grandad said, swiping at his face. He stepped forward, taking both my hands in his. ‘Cora would have loved to see you both do this.’
I nodded, knowing he was absolutely right and not trusting myself to speak. He let go of my hands as Luke placed an arm around my shoulders.
‘I hope you are both as happy as we were,’ Grandad said. Stepping forward, he hugged us.
‘And,’ he said, drawing back again, his hands on my upper arms, ‘I know Cora would want me to say this—’
I held my breath, waiting for the wisdom, the heartstopping moment of truth.
‘You must hope and pray, Lottie, that if you do go on to have children together, that they inherit Luke’s incredible hands,’ he said solemnly, and then, with a smile, moved in for another hug.