Esther wrote two letters that night however her mother only discovered one in her room the next morning. It was short and precise.

Dear mother, 
I wish you all the love and health in the world.
I am leaving for Buckingham and only intend to return with Florence. 

Wish me success. 
Yours affectionately.

Do not send men behind me, for I will have long gone by the time you discover this. 

Lady Sherborne hit the floor soon as she found the letter and despite her daughter's clear admonition, she sent men behind her immediately. In carriages, three of them. 

Neither Nathanial, her son nor her husband, Lord Sherborne was in town and now with Esther gone too, she was the only Sherborne left in London. Buckingham however was blessed with enough Sherbornes as well as other remarkable personalities owing to the Royal assembly that happened a day ago. Esther was worried about crossing paths with her father however once she had a look at the state of the city, she knew she had nothing to stress over.

The markets were flooded by men, servants, footmen, butlers and Lords themselves. All in the irrevocable pressure of ensuring that all that their ladies have asked for was being bought. The streets and corners were lined by craftsmen and artists of all sorts. Buckingham was a city of great inspiration for art and poetry, especially with all those people flooding the shops. 

The most rushed however were the shops that sold diamonds and jewels. With the season at its maturity, gentlemen were all motivated to put all they could into winning the hearts of their beloved ladies and the only ones benefitting from that were the diamond vendors. After all, a proposal without a ring was like a ballet without an orchestra. Absolutely horrendously tasteless.

This was primarily why Edward had stepped into a place that sold aesthetic and glittery women's accessories for the first time in his life. Leonardo Radcliffe, even though a lover, was yet not brave enough to man up and buy a ring for his love. Edward gladly, although not so much, became his chaperone for the diamond hunt.

They had decided to meet at the jeweller's this morning, however, Edward had already been a few long minutes in the shop and Leo was nowhere to be seen. Edward only wished he had not chickened out for he would not know what else to do for the man's encouragement anymore.

He always thought love, if at all it was real, would be powerful enough to give man the courage to put a dagger in his own heart. That was how it was always portrayed in poetry and literature, not that he could use such argument in his advocacy of love, for of the many mysteries of the notorious Duke of Dales, the fact that he was an avid reader was among the darkest and most unspeakable ones.

He walked into the crowded boutique, marvelous stones were on display.

He had never in his past considered buying a diamond for someone. He lost his mother too early and his sister was never big on gifts for she knew he was not the biggest at expressing his emotions. But now with the range of beautiful finger rings and necklaces laid out in his front, he couldn't help but picture sliding one into Esther's delicate finger.

She was delicate, he knew of it because he had very brazenly allowed himself to lock his fingers around her wrist and on multiple occasions no less. and every time he did, it only became more difficult to let go. That was another reason why she hated him and would never allow him near her fingers with a ring.

"Esther will never allow you near her finger with that ring." A heavy voice startled him and he took a step back in alarm.

"Nathaniel!" Edward said as he took note of the man of the voice.

"Your Grace," Nate replied with a bow of his head, "I thought you weren't planning to propose marriage to my sister at all. Glad I was not right." He added gesturing to the diamond ring in Edward's hand and he dropped it back as if he had never intended to hold it in the first place.

"Nathaniel Sherborne, what brings you here?" Edward asked in an attempt to change the conversation.

"Just scrolling the markets, Your Grace. Nothing in particular. That ring by the way is beautiful but do not think of making my sister wear it." He added, gesturing to the same ring again that then lay in its case haphazardly. "She hates rings, they obstruct her fingers, she says."

"Oh, no. No, I-"

"But oh boy, I cannot be sure. My sister is a changed woman when she is with you, she might just wear them all if you ask her to." He remarked fiddling with a few other extremely expensive and fine rings.

"Ha! I highly doubt that." Edward muttered under his breath however Nate caught that loud and clear.

"Then my friend, you have no idea. Do you remember the time when we played sword fights in your estate and little Esther used to accompany us all the time? She was barely some 3 years old." Nate reminisced nostalgically.  Edward showed no emotions and waited for him to take his story wherever he intended it to go.

"That one day when she refused to leave the grounds until she found a four-leaf clover? That was such a tedious day!" Nate paused to heave a sigh as if he was still not over his fatigue from the day he spoke of. "It was long past dusk when she finally left the grounds, sobbing like a newborn. When you gifted her a four-leaf clover ring the next day, which God knows where you found, I thought she would throw it away. But I remember her wide grin, it gave me goosebumps. Have never seen her smile so big before or after and I mean this without any exaggeration.

"I have not one clue, how long you must have hunted the grounds for it but if there is one thing she'd treasured for the longest I can remember, it is that ring. She wore it for days but then it started to wilt away, so she locked herself in her room and cried all day and night. You were gone for schooling by that time so I myself looked through the town and made her hundreds of such rings but she would not accept any. Then our father got the wilted remains of your ring preserved in a glass case for her. It is still in her room, just next to her headrest."

Edward stayed silent at his narration. He couldn't comprehend the right reaction. If he was to be happy or sad. For one thing, life certainly was playing jokes with him.

"She treasures it knowing that it is me who gave her that?" He asked after some long thoughts.

"Oh, I don't know." Nate chuckled amusedly. "She probably has no recollection of those times. She was a baby. I have always wondered if I should tell her who the gift came from however the need never arose. Besides, she hadn't exactly been too fond of the thought of getting married to you one day." He added in a whisper. "I am amazed it is not the case anymore." 

"It is not?" Edward heard himself mumble.

"If it were, she would lock herself in a room till you went back to Dales, but instead she has come running to Buckingham," Nate said as if stating the obvious while he was clearly doing the opposite. "She says she is here to meet Florence, her friend, I hope you know, but I know her inside out to see right through her excuse. She is just so in love with you."

The happiness on Nate's face was too genuine and pure for Edward to spoil it with the scarring truth. Fortunately, Leo walked in at the most suitable time and saved him the trouble by posing as the best excuse he could give himself for another one of his selfish lies.

Nathaniel would anyway come to know the reality soon, he thought, and let him leave on the same happy note.

"Oh, Nathaniel," Edward called out just before he was about to exit the door, "would you kindly not tell Esther about our little meeting?" 

"Well, of course, sir." Nate replied in a playful tone, "who am I to ruin the romantic surprise."

Edward smirked at his statement painfully and bid Nathaniel farewell.

"What romantic surprise, Your Grace?" Leo asked once Nate was long gone pulling Edward out of some deep dark thoughts, it seemed.

"Nothing of any consequence to you, Lord Radcliffe." He replied bluntly and stepped away from him so he could get done with his business at the earliest. Leo however, was not so fast and clever in the matters of love or otherwise.

The two men stood staring at one another in the midst of diamonds that were waiting to be picked to adorn the fingers and necks of beautiful ladies. Leo's eyes read cluelessness while Edward's spoke fury.

"Pick a ring now, hurry, we haven't got all day." He snapped when Leo didn't seem to catch the hint at all and walked away further into the store.

Fortunately, he wasn't aware of the sweat streams that were lining Leo's back under his light clothing. In all seriousness, he was still in no state to take ownership of his own love.

Stuck on his spot like an Egyptian statue, he watched Edward getting indulged in a conversation with the head jeweller and realised he was not going to help him any further than this.

Nathaniel returned to his hotel suite soon after his conversation with Edward. He had a smile on his face, quite a genuine one, as he walked into the room where Esther sat with a bowl of fruits that looked untouched. 

"What are you grinning for?" She asked abruptly. "Did you post my letter to Juliette?"

"Sure did." He replied throwing off his heavy coat.

"Wonderful, then I shall go to Florence now," She said as she jumped off her loveseat and brushed a hand over her skirt to smoothen any creases. 

"Now?" Nate asked in ridicule, he could still not buy her excuse. 

"Yes, this moment. I would have met her hours ago had you not caught me in the streets." Esther snapped in the same unpleasant tone.

"Feel blessed that it was me who caught you, I am certain there are men scurrying the streets of Buckingham looking for you. Not only are you the only daughter of Lord Sherborne, but you are also the future Duchess of Dales. If they see you and take you back home, mother shall not leave you in a state to meet Florence ever again." 

"Well, thank you. I had no idea you were in the city, or I would have stirred away from the likes of you as well to avoid crossing paths. Whatever are you here for?" Esther rolled her eyes as her hands got busy in putting on her travel cloak.

"Put that down, we shall leave near sundown to avoid mother's spies," Nate said, gesturing to her cloak. "And I shall tell you why I was here if you truthfully tell me why you are here. Surely meeting Florence couldn't have been so urgent."

"It is." She stepped in front of him and exclaimed. "It is more urgent than anything. If I do not reach her in time she would be brainwashed to marry a man she doesn't love."

"What- what are you saying, Esth?"