Scarlet returned to the front doors where Ian waited for her. The gun which would have been useful for scaring Nolan away was still in his hands. "Did Alana get you? She worried for nothing."

"I noticed her looking around but I also noticed that you went missing. Why didn’t you invite your guest in?" Ian asked, looking on at the carriage which became smaller the further it got away.

"That was Nolan. Had I invited him inside then I would have made things awkward. He came here to show me proof of why you are not suited for me. He didn’t receive an invitation," Scarlet clarified before Ian misunderstood. "He knows that I have come here at this time every year since he worked for me."

"I know. You hate him these days almost as much as I do. Had fun talking?" Ian asked, resting the gun to lean on the wall.

"No. He went to speak to the son of the woman who passed on her home to you. I still do not understand how he changed so easily. He used to be someone I could count on and now he’s doing this. What’s wrong with men? Why do you always end up going to these lengths?" Scarlet asked, needing a man to explain it to her.

Ian shrugged his shoulders. What did he know about stalking someone to their vacation home? "I am normally stalked. You’ll have to capture him and find out for yourself. Why are you staring at me like that?"

"You didn’t give up in trying to court me. I wonder if something were to happen to our relationship, would I have to bear with you stalking me as well? I would, wouldn’t I?" Scarlet realised. What had she done to attract these kinds of men to her life?

"Why are you accusing me when I have not stalked you yet? I am joking. Don’t run away from me," Ian held her hand. "Running just makes the game better for stalkers."

"I am going to use that hunting gun to shoot the next person who stalks me. I cannot put up with it anymore. I’ve been trying to keep my hands clean these days and all of you are making it quite hard to do so. I have to be concerned about who will replace Nolan to bother me," said Scarlet.

"Well, now I am curious how many men you have in love with you that you are so concerned about. I know you have some admirers but is it that bad? They won’t stop until they know there is absolutely no chance with you, will they?" Ian figured.

No one was off limits until there was a ring on their finger but even then there were a few bold people who tried to seduce someone who was married. It was worse for Scarlet since many wanted to get their hands on her wealth.

"The paper no longer prints about you and many have moved on from your messy divorce. You will be quite sought after which means I need to start digging some holes," Ian joked.

"Come with me," Scarlet said, leading Ian away from the door.

Scarlet took him to walk through the garden with her. "I know that announcing our engagement would end all of that but I am not ready yet. I would like to have a proper sit down with my family and share it with them. I also want them to continue getting close to you first."

"I am not disappointed that we have not shared our engagement. The ring is not done yet so I prefer it stays a secret so your grandfather and father do not strangle me for not doing it the right way. I am enjoying seeing them be so worked up about when I will propose to you. Don’t take away my entertainment from me," said Ian.

Ian also did not want to share how he proposed to Scarlet. They had to come up with another story.

"We can have dinner when we return to Lockwood so we can tell my parents first then. Then we can send out the news to my other relatives which would make them go to Lockwood. We would have another reason to gather like this again. That sounds good," Scarlet said, starting to plan this out in her head.

Her parents should know first and at that time, they could have their first meeting with Ivy. Victor could be present as well as her grandparents.

"Why wouldn’t you tell some in secret now? Anyone other than your father and grandfather."

"The only two people I would tell are Alana and my mother. My mother wouldn’t be able to contain her excitement so she would tell someone else who would cave in and tell my grandmother. Then there would be a wedding being planned and my grandmother wanting to see you sword fight. It is a lot," Scarlet sighed, tired though it had not started.

"That wouldn’t be good as I want you to plan the wedding that you want. Do not have others pressure you to plan it fast. I am quite surprised by your family. It is full of interesting characters. I have always seen you as calm people who don’t like to be bothered but now that you are all together, your personalities show," Ian noted.

"We’re comfortable with each other. There is a lot of focus on us in the towns we reside in so when we come here, we can relax. This was once my grandfather’s childhood home but it was expanded to become a family home. The estate is his true childhood home but his parents moved him out of Lockwood and only returned there a few times a year," Scarlet explained.

She continued, "At some point, I want to move out of Lockwood and pass on the estate to the next Collins. I wonder if I can make it work to live in another town and just visit Lockwood when I need to for business. It is not a good town to start a family in. I am only concerned about leaving Alana and you have Victor."

Ian didn’t understand her concern about Victor. "He will be the lord of the Kingsley estate. Why are you worrying about him? By the time we leave, he would at least know how to put up a good fight against a fly. My mother will be around to take care of him."

"And will you be near your mother? Before I plan it, what do you think about having her around to share news of our engagement? You two don’t need to speak," Scarlet said to persuade him.

Ivy had a lot of work to do before Ian accepted her. She could only fix her past mistakes if she was given the chance to sit around Ian.

"I do not understand your obsession to include my mother when I don’t care to have her around. She can play mother to Victor. He needs a replacement for the old witch he had before but I don’t think my mother is much better. She is only better by not wanting to poison him," Ian concluded.

"You will be around Victor and somehow Ivy will be around Victor. I would rather it not be awkward when all of you meet. I am not telling you to forgive her for leaving you to be cared for by someone else. Just try to be civil as it seems she is not going anywhere this time," said Scarlet.

Ian, Ivy, and Victor were the ones who decided Ivy was to care for the estate in Victor’s absence. They should all be cordial when together.

"It would be easy for me to send her away-"

"Ian," Scarlet tapped his hand. "Do not. Haven’t you gotten rid of enough parents recently?"

Ian pretended to be offended by her assumption. "I wasn’t thinking of killing her. I meant sending her back to where she came from. How terrible of you, Scarlet. I will enjoy telling her that you thought of killing her."