Chapter 14 - The Return of the Founder's Ring
That evening, Nathaniel arranged a private dinner for the two of us at Pinehaven Manor, set upon the stone terrace overlooking the moonlit waters of Lake Superior.
A gentle breeze rustled the towering pines, carrying the sweet, clean scent of cedar and cool lake water.
Soft classical strings drifted from the conservatory, and two crystal flutes of vintage sparkling cider sat beside a bowl of fresh northern berries and artisan cheeses.
Nathaniel was dressed in an immaculate bespoke black tuxedo, his dark hair neatly styled, his gray eyes watching me approach with an intensity that made my heart race with intoxicating anticipation.
I wore an exquisite, hand-stitched ivory satin gown that cascaded in soft folds around my feet, the ancestral sapphire glowing brightly against my chest.
After dinner, as we stood beside the stone balustrade watching the silver moonlight dance across the tranquil waves of the lake, Nathaniel reached into his breast pocket.
He pulled out an antique velvet jeweler’s box lined with midnight-blue silk.
He opened it.
Inside rested the legendary Blackridge Founder’s Ring—a breathtaking, flawless seven-carat cushion-cut royal blue sapphire surrounded by a double halo of micro-pave diamonds, set in an intricate platinum band engraved with evergreen boughs.
It was the very ring that my father had commissioned for my mother on the day I was born.
Nathaniel dropped onto one knee upon the ancient flagstones of the terrace.
The feared sovereign of the East Coast looked up at me with tears shining in his gray eyes, his heart laid completely bare.
“Clara Blackridge,” Nathaniel spoke, his deep voice trembling with raw, holy devotion.
“You walked into my life wearing a dress you saved three months to buy and left carrying the soul of an empire. You refused to bow to cruelty. You claimed your birthright with honor, courage, and mercy. You saved your sister, you healed my world, and you showed me what true love means.”
He took my trembling left hand into his large, warm fingers.
“Will you marry me, Clara? Will you be my wife, my partner, and the sovereign queen of my life and this empire?”
Tears of boundless, radiant joy spilled down my cheeks.
I dropped to my knees on the stone beside him, wrapping my arms around his broad neck, burying my face into his collar.
“Yes, Nathaniel!” I sobbed with all the joy in my heart. “Yes! A thousand times, yes!”
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Nathaniel slid the magnificent sapphire onto my finger—a flawless, perfect fit—and pulled me into a breathtaking, passionate kiss beneath the northern stars.
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