‘After spending time with Lady Mary Roberts, I feel like I would like to progress forward with the request that Lord William Roberts set forth for us. I would like to get married.’
The thought of seeing Mary walking towards him down the aisle in the local church, where he had always planned to get married, filled him with intense happiness. The idea of committing the rest of his life to her did not scare him even one little bit.
‘I shall ask Lady Roberts formally myself,’ he added, hoping that he could keep a little control of the situation. ‘But I wanted to inform you of my decision first since you are the executor of the will.’ He needed to throw in a little bit of flattery to keep him onside. ‘After all the hard work you have put in, I at least think you deserve to know first.’
It was not the longest letter in the world, nor was it the most eloquent, but as Edmund signed off the paper, he felt good about what he had done. The ball was rolling now, and things were finally moving in the right direction. He just hoped and prayed that Walter would take the hint and would let Edmund propose to Mary in his own way. Not that he knew what he would do just yet...
I shall have to go ring shopping, he thought happily. I will need to get some roses for Mary or some other nice flowers. I have to make it special. I need to make it the most special day of her whole entire life ... until her wedding day, of course. I want that to be even more special. Then I want to spend every day of her whole life making her happy.
He grabbed hold of an envelope and put the folded paper inside. Then he wrote Walter’s address across it, just like he had done on all the other letters he had sent to him with regards to Mary. Only those letters were arrangements to meet with her, and this was a piece of paper that would change the course of both their lives forever. It weighed heavily in his hands, but not in a negative way. His heart was within that envelope, and he hoped that Mary’s was too. Judging by the intensity of the moment they shared together at their bookshelf before, she liked him just as much as he did her. He hoped that like would turn into love.
Edmund’s pulse hammered loudly but with excitement and not nerves. Heat and happiness warmed his chest; this as the best feeling in the world. An amazing feeling that he was sure would only get better. Soon, he would hear back from Walter, and then he would propose formally to Mary. Once she said yes, if she said yes, they could get started with the rest of their lives together. Happy. In love.
***
Walter breathed a sigh of relief as he read the words in front of him written by Duke Smith. He had suspected that things were heading in the right direction and that everything was going to plan, but to have that confirmed after what felt like forever was wonderful. He had been dealing with this nightmare of a will clause for far too long. He would be so glad for all of this to be over and done with so he could return to what he wanted to do.
“Perfect,” he muttered to himself as he picked up his quill to write out a reply. “Just perfect.”
‘Your Grace,
Thank you very much for your letter. I was very pleased to receive it. I am certain that Lady Mary Roberts will be very happy to learn of your request to marry her too. Now that I have received this information from you, I shall start legal proceedings with regards to the inheritance of the house, and I shall also be in touch with regards to the dowry also.
Do let me know when you plan to visit again.
Mr Walter Thompson.’
After Walter had written out his reply, he tucked it into his pocket to post and left his office to get into the carriage to go straight to Mary’s home. Maybe Duke Smith had been hinting that he wanted to tell Mary about the marriage proposal himself, but Walter could not take any chances. He needed Mary to know what was coming because he did not want to give Edmund a chance to back out of his promise. He did not think that he would, but he could not take chances. He had been alive for long enough to realise that nothing good could come out of taking chances and trusting in people.
***
“Lady Roberts?” Daisy looked panicked as she called out to Mary. It was hard for her to pull her head out of her copy of Frankenstein since she was so lost in the storyline for yet another time, but there was desperation in Daisy’s tone that grabbed her attention. “Mr Thompson is here to speak with you.”
“He is?” Mary placed her book carefully on the table beside her and stood up. She brushed her skirts down and touched her face gently, hoping that she looked presentable for this unexpected meeting. “I am not expecting him today; did he say what he wanted?”
“He did not?” Daisy shook her head rapidly. “But he said to let you know that he has something urgent to tell you.”
“Right.” Mary nodded as her heart raced in her chest. “I see, yes.”
What can it be? Walter did not come to her home without some news to share with her. Sometimes it was wonderful news, often not so much. Mary was not sure why, but she felt a little fragile. She got the impression that any bad news would break her.
With tentative footsteps, she made her way downstairs to where Walter stood in the hallway. As he heard her coming, he glanced upwards and smiled serenely at her. Maybe that expression was designed to help her relax, but it did not. Mary knew that something Walter considered to be good news did not necessarily mean that she would agree.
“Good morning, Mr Thompson,” Mary declared professionally and politely. She had become almost expert in hiding her feelings well. “What a wonderful surprise to see you here.”
Walter waited until she had fully descended to the bottom of the stairs before he spoke out. “Yes, Lady Roberts, it is lovely to see you again.” He folded his arms across his chest, revealing just a small glimpse of the letter in his hand. “Today, I received word from His Grace, Duke Smith.”
“You ... you did?” Mary could tell that this was not just another meeting arrangement. It was written all over his face. “And what did it say?”
“His Grace has declared his intention to marry you.”
Mary felt a burst of intense excitement, followed by the calm sensation that could only come from knowing that the pieces of her life were finally all coming together. This was what she had been wanting for so long. To hear it was incredible.
“That is wonderful,” she gasped. “I am very pleased.”
“Yes, I thought you would be,” Walter drawled. “So now that you are officially engaged, I would like to let you know that I am about to start legal proceedings on the home.”
“Right, yes of course.” The home in which she had spent her entire life was about to become officially hers, and that was not even the part that she was most thrilled about. “That shall be wonderful. Thank you.”