“No. You will be the only woman who will ever be my wife, Violet Hayes. I love you. I have loved you for a long time.”

His voice was steady, certain—spoken the way William said things he meant.

And Violet had known him for seven years. He had never lied to her. Not once.

She let his words settle, warm and sure, chasing away every shadow of doubt.

Her smile trembled into place, soft with wonder, and with everything she knew of him and everything she felt, she believed him with all her heart.