Chapter 47

There was no leg-pulling at breakfast. Mark and Victoria set off at about half past nine in the horsebox with the dogs as well. They also took a picnic lunch as Mark wanted to go further afield and there were no suitable pubs. They parked the horsebox at Bouthwaite and rode up onto Kirkby Malzeard Moor. They covered about ten miles and hardly saw a soul. Horses, dogs and humans were hot, thirsty and tired. When they got back to Bouthwaite they walked down to the reservoir to let the animals drink. They took it easy the whole way so that they could ride knee-to-knee, touch each other frequently and talk virtually non-stop. They did stop talking when they held hands and gloried in their closeness and love. Then, of course, they also found it difficult to speak while they were kissing, which was quite often. They particularly enjoyed their picnic, feeding each other rather than themselves and giggling like eight year-olds. One other thing that came out of it was their joint love of the peace, harsh beauty and lack of other human beings to spoil those things.

Serena came in to kiss Mark goodnight. Then his beautiful, little, blonde pixie came to him.

"Darling," she asked as she cuddled up to him, "what am I going to do? The more time I spend with you the more I love you. At some stage soon I'm going to pop."

Mark did not even crack a smile. "I know exactly what you mean because I feel the same. The intensity of our love is frightening. I'm going to do what I always do in these sort of circumstances: talk to Mum."

Victoria smiled at him. "That's what I planned too. Parents really can be quite useful, can't they?"

"Very! Particularly when they're as wise and loving as ours are. Do you know, darling? I love your parents almost as much as I love my own."

"Snap!"

They cuddled up together, happy and relaxed.

"Do you know, darling," Victoria whispered, "I don't feel you need to make love to me? I'm just so happy and safe in your arms."

Mark chuckled. "Bored with me already, eh?"

"No, you beastly man. Make one move and I'll be with you but for the moment I'm happy just to be with you and be close to you."

He kissed her softly. "D'accord," he whispered in her ear.

And so they fell asleep.

They were impressed with the stables at Burton Leonard but less so with Barbara, the owner. She was perfectly friendly and pleasant to talk to but, as soon as she started to instruct, she became stentorian and impatient. Victoria resolved to talk later to Serena about it. She was pleased that Mark shared her views as they drove on to Ripon.

They found the jeweller without problem and were served by the owner, a friendly and cheerful man in his late fifties. He was clearly very taken with Victoria whom he called 'my dear' from the outset. His wife brought them cups of tea which were much appreciated.

"Have you anything particular in mind, my dear?" he asked Victoria.

"Not really," she said, "but I think I'd prefer an older ring rather than a modern one."

"Fine," he said. He pulled out a tray. "Now," he continued, "you can have a plain diamond ring or a gemstone in a diamond cluster or variations on that."

Victoria looked enquiringly at Mark.

"How about starting with a gemstone and diamond cluster?"

Victoria nodded gratefully.

"Next question, my dear. What stone? The obvious answer with your eyes is a sapphire. The other thing is that with your delicate little hands we don't want something too big and chunky."

They both nodded in agreement.

The jeweller's fingers hovered over the tray and then picked out a medium sized sapphire surrounded by diamonds. The sapphire was quite a dark one and did indeed match Victoria's eyes. He handed it to Mark.

"Your duty to put it on, Sir," he said smiling.

Victoria blushed and her eyes fastened on Mark's. He slipped the ring on her finger.

"That's lovely," he said.

Victoria looked down. Her eyes filled and she nodded mutely.

"Don't make your mind up yet," said the jeweller. "Try this."

He handed Mark a paler sapphire with rather more diamonds. Mark looked at it, looked at Victoria's eyes and then into them.

They both shook their heads.

"One more, if I may," said the jeweller pulling out another tray. His fingers hovered again and he picked a ruby in much the same diamond setting as the first ring. It was a beautiful rich ruby and the diamonds were marginally bigger but the overall size much the same as the first ring.

Mark gazed at it. He took the original ring gently off her finger and put the ruby one on instead. He gazed at the ring and then at Victoria's eyes.

She looked down at the ring. Then she took it off and placed both rings side by side. She put the sapphire back on and stared at it. Then she did the same with the ruby. She took that off and placed it beside the sapphire.

She looked at the jeweller and gave him a smile, not a heart-stopper, but a gentle, warm one.

"Have you any other suggestions?" she asked.

"Frankly, no. Anything green or yellow would be wrong because of your eyes, which, my dear, are your soul."

Victoria blushed. "What do you think, darling?" she asked.

"They're both beautiful on you, darling."

"Oh, Mark, you're not being a help."

Mark smiled lovingly. "No," he said. "I know but it's your engagement ring. So you get first choice."

"Beast!" she said and the jeweller chuckled.

She gazed at both rings, tried each on again and finally exploded. "Blue, blue, blue," she exclaimed. "I'm fed up with it. 'Why don't you wear that blue dress, darling?' ' Oh you look lovely in that blue blouse. Why not wear that?'"

"Right choice," said Mark.

Victoria looked at him for a moment then leapt at him and gave him a passionate albeit short kiss.

She looked repentantly at the jeweller. "Sorry," she said, "but I tend to get carried away with this man from time to time."

The jeweller smiled warmly at her. "That's a very good thing, my dear," he said. "My wife and I have been married for close on thirty years and we both still tend to get carried away. I hope you two do the same in thirty years time."

Victoria jumped off Mark's knee and gave the jeweller a kiss full on the lips, blushed to the roots of her hair and collapsed in her own chair looking down and biting her lip.

"Thank you, my dear," said the jeweller with a warm, paternal smile. "That doesn't happen often but, when it does, it means to me that two people love each other so much that they can afford to spread it about a bit. You, Sir, are a very lucky man to have won such love and such beauty and you, my dear, watching your fiancé's behaviour, are a very lucky young lady. I wish you both every happiness."

They both smiled shyly. The jeweller did not give them time to become embarrassed. "How does it feel?" he asked. "Tight, loose?"

"Almost perfect," said Victoria.

"May I?" he said and turned the ring on her finger and tried it over her knuckle. "I'd say that was perfect," he said. "It's not like a wedding ring which some people never feel they should take off. That'll stay in the right place but you'll be able to take it off when you have babies and your fingers swell."

Victoria blushed again. Mark smiled happily. The jeweller nodded knowingly.

"Right," he said picking up the sapphire and then replacing the trays. "I'll be back in a minute or two." He looked meaningfully at Mark.

Mark picked up the ring. "Darling," he said kneeling in front of her. "I've already asked you but will you marry me?"

"Oh, yes, yes, yes!"

Mark slid the ring onto her finger. Victoria gazed at it and then burst into tears. She reached blindly for him and he took her in his arms. She clung to him, sobbing.

"Mark, darling, I love you so much and thank you, thank you for this lovely ring."