She takes her time getting ready. This is the first time in two weeks that they'll be together and it has been a long two weeks. She was in London with her parents for Thanksgiving and he took Peter and Pamela to visit his mother and sister in Wyoming for their fall break. It was strange, after so much time spent together, to be apart. They didn't really speak during these two weeks, at least not until she returned to the city three days ago. The time difference was prohibitive.

She told her parents, at last, that she was seeing Ben, that it was serious. They were surprised. Well, of course they were. She was always open with her parents and the fact that she had been seeing Ben for five months… well, she should have told them sooner. She just didn't know how.

Her mother was particularly taken aback. 'The man who prosecuted… him?' she'd asked.

'Yes,' she confirmed.

'Oh, darling…' her mother didn't seem to have anything else to say. Her father asked the questions, eliciting answers from her-yes, he was married before, divorced for ten years, he has two teenagers, he is an author. The next day, when she'd stopped by her parents' bedroom to say goodnight, she noted that they were both reading the first book in Ben's Robert McAvoy series.

'He is a compelling writer,' her mother said grudgingly.

She doesn't blame them for their feelings, though she hopes that they will give him a fair chance. Well, she knows that they will. They gave Mike a fair chance, didn't they?

She sighs and snaps the cap back on her lipstick. It will be fine. He's coming for Christmas and he'll spend the entire week with her there. That will give her parents the chance to get to know him. They'll like him, she's sure. He's the sort of person they pictured for her. Well, they will meet him soon enough, in two weeks.

They're meeting at One if By Land, Two if By Sea tonight. She's surprised at the suggestion. It's certainly one of the most romantic restaurants in Manhattan, and the Village is far out of their way. It is their six-month anniversary tonight, but…

She needs to get a cab and head downtown. She doesn't want to be late. She takes one last look in the mirror and tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She looks fine. It will be fine.

He's waiting for her outside the restaurant, bundled up against the cold of the evening in his long grey cashmere coat and the navy cashmere scarf she bought him for his birthday. In his gloved hands are a bouquet of red roses and as she opens the door of the cab, he hurries forward and helps her out.

'Darling,' he says warmly, kissing her cheek once the cab drives away. 'Oh, it's wonderful to see you.'

She returns his kiss. 'How are you?' she asks.

'Better for seeing you,' he tells her, tucking her arm in his. 'Let's go inside, it's freezing.'

She lets him guide her inside, take her coat, and then they are shown to their table, tucked away in a private corner of the restaurant in front of one of the French doors that leads to the garden. It's beautiful-she's never been here before. Jane and her husband got engaged here, though, and Nicky and Tom always celebrated their anniversaries here…

There's a bottle of champagne at their table, and their waiter whisks her bouquet of flowers away to put them in a vase for her. She takes a moment to look around, noting the chandelier, the high ceilings, the romantic candlelight, before looking at Ben.

He smiles at her. 'I can't believe it's been two weeks-I've missed you so much.'

'I've missed you too,' she says. 'How was Wyoming?'

'Wonderful,' he says. 'It's a beautiful place-Carol has horses, and the kids learned how to ride when they've gone to visit before, so they had a blast. It snowed and it was just stunning.'

'That sounds wonderful,' she says. 'I'd love to meet Carol.'

He smiles. 'Well, she's coming out for a visit at the beginning of the year, so you'll have the chance,' he says. 'How was your trip?'

'It was perfect,' she says. 'I love London at this time of year. I wish I'd visited my parents more while they were in London, but London will always be there.'

The waiter comes back with the vase of flowers and sets it at the end of the table closest to the window. 'May I open the champagne?' he asks.

'We'd like a few minutes,' Ben says, and the waiter nods and melts away again.

He looks at her, his expression growing serious and nervous, she realizes, and it's confirmed when he starts to speak. 'I came to a realization while we were apart these past weeks,' he begins. 'I don't want to be without you. I don't want to live without you. I love you and I'm so happy with you and I want to know—' he pauses then and reaches into his suit pocket, presenting a red leather ring box. He sets it down on the table in front of her, though she doesn't look at it yet-she's staring at him, frozen, shocked, because-she didn't think this was going to happen, not yet, not now, and—'Will you, Elizabeth Olivet, do me the great honor of becoming my wife?'

She drops her gaze and looks down at the box. Everything seems to be moving slowly now; everything seems so sharp and clear. She looks up at him again and sees the hope and the love in his eyes. He loves her. He wants her. He wants to be there for her always and he wants to be her husband; he wants to love her forever.

'Yes,' she says, clearing her throat, summoning up a smile. 'Yes.'

He grins at her, looking so thrilled that she feels some of her anxiety ease. He picks up the box, then opens it, taking out the ring, and then he takes her hand, sliding the ring onto her finger. She looks down at her hand, at the surprisingly large square-cut diamond she is now wearing.

'Do you like it?' he asks.

'I love it,' she tells him, more or less truthfully. She would, if she had the space to think about it. She just-she can't, right now, she doesn't know what else to say.

'I am so happy,' he tells her, squeezing her hand. 'Oh, I'm thrilled.'

'Me too,' she says, and the smile comes a little easier now. 'I'm thrilled, too.'

He comes home with her and they make love and he falls asleep afterwards. She can't sleep. She is exhausted but she can't sleep. She stays awake and looks at the ring on her finger and she thinks about what will happen next.

What will happen next? She'll tell her parents and he'll tell his children and his sister and they'll tell their friends and they'll plan their wedding and get married and start a family and… and he'll be here every day, sleeping next to her. This will be their home.

She thought it would be her home with Mike. She thought it would be his ring on her finger and it would be him sleeping next to her and it's not, it's not.

She has to call him. She has to tell him. He should know, after everything, and… she wants to know what he will say. If he will fight for her.

No, she tells herself. It's too late. I don't want him he still deserves to know.

She lies down next to him, feeling the heat of his body, the strength of him, and closes her eyes. Her fiancé. She's engaged.

She can't believe it.

She finally falls asleep just before her alarm goes off. When she finally opens her eyes after hitting the snooze button twice, he's out of bed and there's a cup of coffee on her nightstand. He's in the shower and she should join him, she thinks, but then she reaches out for her cup of coffee and sees her engagement ring and it hits her all over again.

It feels like a dream, she thinks. It feels like she's dreaming, but she doesn't know if it's a good or a bad one. It just feels strange. She feels like she's hanging in limbo. She takes a sip of coffee, hoping the caffeine will dispel the strangeness of the day.

She hears the shower turn off and a few moments later he opens the bathroom door, his towel wrapped around his waist.

'Good morning, my love,' he says, smiling at her. She smiles back and sets the cup of coffee down when he comes over to her, bending to give her a kiss. 'How are you?'

'Fine,' she says, then corrects herself, 'Good. Thank you for the coffee.'

'Anything for you,' he says, and kisses her again. 'I thought we could tell Peter and Pamela at dinner on Thursday. What do you think?'

She nods. 'I thought I'd fax my parents this morning. They're not back until Saturday night.'

'I look forward to meeting them properly,' he says, standing up. 'Let me get you some more coffee, Elizabeth.'

She hands him her mug. 'Thank you. I need to shower and get ready for work.'

'I'll make a reservation for dinner on Thursday,' he tells her, then kisses her once more before leaving the room.

She sighs and climbs out of bed, then goes into the bathroom. The steam from his shower is escaping and the mirror is still fogged. She turns on the shower and looks again in surprise at the ring on her finger. It will take a long time to get used to it, she thinks. She steps into the shower.

She gets to the office early to avoid speaking to anyone about this before she has a chance to talk to her parents. She spent her walk to the office drafting the letter and she writes it as soon as she gets to her office.

Dear Mummy and Daddy,

Ben proposed last night at dinner. I said yes.

He looks forward to being properly introduced to you next week. I love you.

Lilibet

She receives a fax ten minutes later, when she returns from making another cup of coffee.

Congratulations, darling-we look forward to meeting him next week.

Love, love, love.

She sighs and closes her eyes. Her parents… they knew about Mike. They knew he bought her an engagement ring. He asked them for their blessing, for God's sake, and they didn't tell her when she told him that he told her he didn't want to get married. They should have told her. Then… then she would have known, she could have made a different decision when he told her that anything she wanted… that he'd give her anything she wanted, everything she wanted.

She cares for Ben deeply. She enjoys his company. They have a wonderful time together and share many of the same tastes. If she doesn't feel the same overwhelming physical connection that she did with Mike, that doesn't matter. How much time do you really spend in bed with someone, anyway? Quiet evenings will always outnumber passionate ones, and she and Ben enjoy the same things-books, music, museums… their life together will be peaceful and calm and yes, not filled with the engulfing passion and desire that she's felt in her life. That's all right.

She needs to call Mike, but she doesn't want to. She doesn't want to see him. She doesn't want to think about him. She doesn't want to think about what he said to her. That he'd bought her an engagement ring before they broke up, that he'd asked her parents for their blessing… my God. And he'd just walked away. He told her he didn't want to get married. Was he lying then or was he lying before, when he bought the ring, when he spoke to her parents?

How could she forgive him for that, even knowing that he wanted what she did? How on earth would she ever be able to get past that? It's been more than a year and he had so many opportunities to tell her… well, it's too late now.

Ben will never be like that. He is forthright and honorable and a gentleman. He's made it clear from the very beginning of this that he wants a serious relationship with her. And… despite herself, despite everything, she finds herself falling in love with him… a little bit, at least.

She loves him, certainly. Being in love with him… yes, she is a little, and that will grow with time. But she does love him and desire him and they are friends and that is a very solid foundation to build a future on. And she wants a future. She's ready for a future. She said yes to a future with him. But first she has to say goodbye to the past.

She picks up the phone.