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When Meredith woke the next morning, she blinked sleepily, missing the warm weight of Derek beside her. She had half expected him to visit her during the night sometime, but obviously he was maintaining the tradition of staying away until the wedding. Then she looked over at the other pillows, seeing a long stemmed white rosebud, still dewy, and a small velvet bag, resting there. Sitting up quickly, she glanced around the room, wondering if he was still there - she hadn't even heard him. Very stealthy, she thought with an amused smile, as she picked up the rose. And such a romantic at heart, as well.

The contents of the bag spilled into her hand, revealing a necklace and earrings, and she gasped at the brilliance of them in the soft morning light. A small note was folded into the bag as well.

Good morning my love,

On this, our wedding day, I have to tell you how happy you make me, and how much I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you. The gems here do no justice to your beauty, however, I thought you would enjoy wearing them today.

Until later,
All my love and devotion,
Derek

Necklace:

Earnings:

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Earnings:

Tears of joy came to her eyes, and the bright jewels swam in front of her as she looked at them again

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Tears of joy came to her eyes, and the bright jewels swam in front of her as she looked at them again. The smoky topaz and pink amethyst stones were exquisite, set in soft rose gold that sparkled warmly.

There was a soft tap at the door, before Rose peeked inside. "Good morning, m'lday," she said cheerfully, bustling into the chamber. "I'm here to get the bath ready for you." She went over to the long windows and threw open the curtains. "It's a glorious day for a wedding, if I say so myself." Sun streamed through the windows, and Meredith looked out to see brilliant blue sky, not a hint of clouds in sight.

"Good morning, Rose - it looks wonderful, doesn't it?" Meredith dabbed at her eyes, as she folded the note again and slipped it back into the bag.

"Indeed - now you just wait, and I'll have this ready for you right away." She brought over a tray with tea and biscuits. "Here, you need to keep up your strength, ma'am. 'Tis going to be a long day!"

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