I needed to look into her eyes and try to understand all of this nonsense. Anthony yelled my name and Simon croaked out Rebecca's, but I wouldn't stop. I needed answers and I would get them.
"Rebecca… my love." I began and held her like we were the only two people in the room, like the other two men had vanished away, leaving just the two of us. The only two people who mattered in the world. "Rebecca, look at me, please." My voice was calmer now as I blocked out everyone else and just focused on the sweet face of the woman I loved.
To my happiness, she complied and looked deep into my eyes. My sweet Rebecca looked at me like she loved me again. "Rebecca, you are much too kind for this world. You befriend people, men like Simon, who do not deserve it. You defend them. You care for them, and that, my dear, is honorable. It is sweet. It is kind, but it is also dangerous." I let one of her arms go and gently touched her cheek. "Someday, you will give a man like Simon Hartwell the wrong idea. He will think you love him when you don't. You can't… because you love me…"
She tried to speak, but I placed my finger over her lip to quiet her. She needed to listen to me. "You love me, Rebecca. I know it. I knew it the moment you saw me outside. I knew it in the garden. What Simon thought you felt for him, it wasn't your fault. Believe me when I tell you that. It was his for reading the wrong ideas from your kindness. He is a fool for thinking you had feelings for him when you have obviously given your love to me."
Her breathing increased and a tear fell from her cheek. I had heard stories of women swooning over a man and I had to believe this was what Rebecca did at that moment. See, I wasn't wrong. She loved me and she wanted to be with me as much as I wanted her. "I love you, Rebecca Eaton. I love you with my whole heart and I would love nothing more than for you to be my wife."
She whimpered against my finger and dropped her gaze away from mine, clearly overwhelmed by my sudden proposal, but I had to do it that quickly so other men would know she was a taken woman and not get the same wrong idea as stupid Simon did.
I became keenly aware that Rebecca and I weren't alone in the room when a hand, Anthony's presumably, clamped down on my shoulder. "You need to leave her alone. You have made fool enough of yourself."
Can you imagine? Anthony thinking I had made a fool of myself when clearly it was Simon. I chose not to speak to him and focus only on Rebecca. "Rebecca, please look at me." She didn't. "Please." I tilted her chin so her eyes met mine, her eyes swimming with tears. Women cry at marriage proposals, you know. "I love you, Rebecca. I love you with my whole heart."
"You only just met me." Her voice quivered.
I smiled. "True, but look at Romeo and Juliet. They only knew each other mere hours before they declared their love."
"And you know how that ended, do you not?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Are you afraid we will become the same?" I ran my finger over her cheek and wiped away the stream of tears. I never wanted to be the cause of her sadness. I never wanted to hurt her.
"No, Mr. Dodsworth. I'm simply afraid."
The use of my formal name felt like a knife in my heart. I felt my own tears stinging my eyes, but I refused to let them drop. I would not cry in front of a lady and I most certainly wouldn't cry in front of my former friends. "Why be afraid of me? I would never hurt you. I love you too much for that."
"You need to let her go now," Anthony said, but I didn't want to listen.
And then it hit me. Clarity. "Did he talk to you before I could?" I grabbed her arms and shook her so she would answer. "Anthony? Did he talk to you before I could?"
"Stop." Anthony demanded, but I refused. I needed to know because my mind had finally figured out what was going on. It was there all along and I was too slow to see it.
"Did Anthony tell you about me?" I gripped her arm tighter because I couldn't stop myself. I needed answers. I needed her to speak. I needed her to say something!
Instead of saying anything, she simply nodded and looked down on the floor, looked past me and at Simon coughing on the floor.
My entire world stopped as the weight of what had transpired finally hit me. Anthony had seen how much Rebecca loved me outside in the gardens. He had run to meet her before I could and told her of my lineage.
"How could you?" I looked away from Rebecca for the first time and glared at Anthony. "How could you do this to me?"
"I did nothing to you. You did it yourself," he said, making no sense.