“We’re only about five minutes away from the hotel,” announced Ian calmly. “So you have very little time to get those jitters of yours under control, love.”

She raised startled eyes to his. “I - I’m not the least bit jittery. I mean, why would I be?”

He smirked at her knowingly. “Tessa, darling, you’ve been a bundle of nerves for nearly a week now. And I’m well aware of the cause. But there is absolutely no reason for you to be nervous, no reason at all. It’s certainly not a secret any longer than you and I are together, especially since our engagement was officially announced in the local newspapers.”

“I know.” She looked down at her lap, anxiously clasping and unclasping her hands, until Ian took them firmly within his own, stilling the motion. “I guess I’m just afraid of what people will be saying about me behind my back. That, well, you know. That I was just an admin assistant a year ago, and now I’m going to marry the boss man. They’re going to wonder what you see in a nobody like me, or think that I’m nowhere near good enough for you, or something like that.”

Ian tipped her chin up to meet his somber gaze. “Are you finished?” he asked in a disapproving voice. At her nod, his hand slid to cup her cheek, and both his voice and his expression instantly softened. “They are all going to think,” he told her firmly, “that I’m the luckiest man in the entire world to be able to call you mine. And when they see how much in love we are, they’re going to envy all that we have together. But no one, no one, will dare to think you’re not good enough for me, darling. Especially not when you walk in there looking like a queen.”

She smiled shyly at his passionate declaration. “Is that why you picked out this dress for me?”

He chuckled. “I think it was more a matter of the dress choosing you, darling. Actually, I gave Madelyn an idea of what I wanted for you, that I wanted you to look regal, and I might have mentioned that I’ve always thought of you as the golden girl. She actually gets the credit for choosing the dress. Though in my opinion the gown could have been made for you, Tessa. It’s - you’re just perfection in it.”

The car pulled up under the grand porte-cochere of the hotel, and moments later Simon was holding the car door open for them as they exited. Tessa huddled a bit deeper into her gold satin evening wrap, the December evening a decidedly chilly one, and was grateful when Ian quickly whisked her inside the warm, welcoming lobby.

The hotel was decked out in lavish but tasteful holiday finery, from the massive wreaths on the door, to the towering, beautifully decorated tree in the lobby, and hundreds of twinkling fairy lights all around. Tessa had been at Ian’s side earlier in the month during the official tree lighting event, and at the party afterwards when he’d introduced her to many of the staff and hotel patrons. She had loved the festive atmosphere, complete with the arrival of Santa, and a whole host of games, gifts, and activities for the children in attendance. She pictured herself and Ian in a few years time attending the event with their own children. And then the thought had occurred to her that they might be living back in England by then, provided that Victoria had been correct in her assumption that Ian would return home eventually to take a place at corporate headquarters.

She’d pushed that nagging little thought out of her head then, and did the same now as Ian guided her carefully up the wide, sweeping staircase to the ballroom. She recalled that last year at this very same party he had escorted her down those stairs, and realized that the news she’d shared with him that night about her impending divorce had been the catalyst to everything that had unfolded next. That night had been the point at which her life had begun to change in ways she would have never even imagined.

The grand ballroom was mostly empty when they arrived, save for the wait staff who were still setting out glasses or rearranging chairs. And of course Andrew was already here, making certain that everything was going according to plan. Tessa had little doubt that he’d arrived at least an hour ago, and had begun hounding the staff immediately.

But Andrew managed to take her by surprise when he greeted her with a very unexpected peck on the cheek, and the rare smile that lit up his usually austere features.

“You look - incredible, Tessa,” he told her in a rather awestruck voice. “That gown - it’s perfect, like it was custom made specifically for you. You look like royalty tonight, the queen to Mr. Gregson’s king.”

Ian’s hand dropped to her bare shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Exactly my thoughts, Andrew,” he murmured. “Though no one is going to even notice I’m in the room when they see how beautiful my fiancée looks this evening. Ah, I didn’t realize Isobel was joining us this evening! How are you, my dear?”

Tessa was startled anew at the appearance of Andrew’s live-in girlfriend Isobel. The sculptress rarely agreed to attend company events like tonight’s, declaring they just weren’t her thing, and that she preferred to stay home in her artist’s studio working on her latest project.

Isobel had even taken some care with her appearance this evening, her makeup more subdued and less goth-like, her purple-streaked hair arranged in an up-do, and while her dark green lace and velvet gown had most definitely come from a vintage shop, it suited her rather dramatic personality.

“You look unbelievable,” Isobel whispered to Tessa as they shared a hug. “Enough that I’d love to do a sculpture of you sometime wearing this dress. I’d call it The Golden Girl.”

Tessa and Ian exchanged a look of disbelief, and then both of them burst out laughing at the same time. To a bemused Isobel, Ian quickly explained about the nickname he’d often called Tessa, and then declared that he’d pay any price for a sculpture of her, and that Isobel should definitely make the arrangements.

Tessa was delighted to discover that Andrew and Isobel would be sitting at the table with her and Ian, along with two of Ian’s most senior managers and their wives - all of whom Tessa knew and liked very much. Under normal circumstances, the Regional Director would most likely not have seated his PA at the same table, but it was now well known throughout the office that Andrew would be transitioning into a different job come the first of the year. True to his word, Ian had been grooming Andrew for months now to take over some of the hotel visits and reviews, as well as several other responsibilities. His official title would be Assistant Regional Director, a move that had raised more than a few eyebrows among Ian’s management team at first. But none of them had been able to dispute how capable and competent Andrew was, and that he likely knew far more about the company and its policies than any of them.