“I see,” he said carefully. “That is fine. Shall I leave the room?”
He pushed himself upwards slightly, but Edmund shook his head. “No, it is fine. The weather is lovely. Maybe Mary and I should take a walk in the gardens.”
Mary’s entire body tightened; she knew what was coming and was not sure that she was totally ready for it yet. Not the wedding and moving forward with her life, but the actual proposal itself. Having never been engaged before, she did not know what to expect.
Walter nodded, agreeing to free the couple to go outside alone.
Edmund moved into a standing position, and he extended his hand to Mary. With her lips curling upright, she reached forward and allowed him to grab her hand. As their skin connected, her heart raced at a million miles an hour, and those sparkles flew through her once more. As her heart danced about in her chest, she allowed herself to be pulled up, and she walked arm in arm with Edmund towards the back door that led out into the gardens surrounding her home.
The sun beat down upon the couple, making the grass and the flowers seem that much brighter. Mary breathed in deeper, inhaling the lovely scent of the outside world, even taking a moment to really listen to the beautiful song a bird in the tree tweeted. For the first time in a long while, the outside world felt like something that needed to be admired.
“It is lovely,” she commented idly, almost forgetting what they were doing outside as they walked. “I do very much love it here.”
“Yes, yes.” Edmund wanted to focus on the words that Mary was saying to him, but it was hard when he could not stop thinking about what he had to do next. “Lovely, yes.”
I need to find the words, he thought desperately as he moved. He put one foot in front of the other calmly enough, but internally he felt a mess. Why has my mind gone completely blank? Everything that he had prepared to say, all that he had planned fell apart at the time when he actually had to speak them aloud.
“Are you alright?” Mary felt compelled to ask. “You appear to be very ...”
“Distracted?” he offered. “Yes, I know. I do seem distracted.” He let out a sound that was supposed to be a laugh, but it sounded far too strangled for that. “I do apologise, that is not how I like to be.”
Mary squeezed his arm. Suddenly she could see how nervous he was about everything. She had been so wrapped up in her own fear that she hardly considered what Edmund might be going through, “No, I understand that,” she told him kindly. “I know you are not normally like this at all.”
He glanced down at Mary, feeling the sunshine rays from her happy mood wash over him. Before her, he had not realised that anything was missing in his life. Now he could not imagine going through a single day without her brightening up his life. It would be even better when they were married too; he could see her all the time. There would be no more scheduling appointments or making arrangements, no one else impinging on their time.
Never mind, I shall just speak from the heart.
With one decisive move, he swung around to face Mary, and he dropped to one knee. Looking up at her with a shining love in his eyes, he let the words flow. “Lady Mary Roberts, I know that you are already aware of my intentions, but I would love to be able to ask you myself.”
Mary nodded with tears welling in her eyes. She expected the chat to be more of a formal one; she assumed that they would merely be discussing the practical details and was not aware that it would be quite so romantic.
“I would love you to be my wife. I think ...” Edmund paused and smiled. “I am falling in love with you.” Mary gasped audibly. This was like her dream coming true, and it felt wonderful. “So, do you think that maybe you would like to ... get married, I mean?”
“I ... I would,” Mary stammered. “I would like that very much.”
She did not know how to act while Edmund slipped the ring onto her finger; there was a sensation inside of her that all she wanted to do was dance. She felt the intense urge to wrap her arms around Edmund’s neck and to hold him close.
Soon ... she told herself desperately. Soon I shall be able to hold him however much I want.
There was an itch in her chest and an urge. It was impossible to resist, but she made herself do what she knew was right. The chemistry between them intensified as Edmund pulled himself up to meet Mary’s eyes; it was so hard that she had to bite down hard on her bottom lip, but she just about managed it.
“So now that Walter knows,” Edmund said with a smile. “And you have said yes, I presume it is time to start making the announcements. We need to submit the news to the local paper and send out all the relevant letters. Then we can begin planning.”
He clutched onto Mary’s hands tightly and looked at her lovingly. He felt the need to lean down and kiss her, just like he did at the bookshelf, only this time, the sensation was even more urgent.
We are engaged now ... it should be alright. Should it not? It cannot be seen as a bad thing if we are going to be wed.
Edmund could feel himself trying to justify what his body had already decided it was going to do. His lips edged closer and closer, and he could feel his mouth puckering. He expected Mary to pull away, to tell him that it was wrong, but from the looks of it, she wanted this just as much as he did. She was slowly rising onto her toes, succumbing to that magnetic feeling between them, bringing them in. It was almost completely out of their control; they could not do anything but move in nearer.
And then it happened.
Their lips brushed together very lightly and only for a second, but it was enough for them both to know. Explosions of desire exploded within them, causing them to wish that they could kiss for longer ... but of course, they could not. They had already overstepped the line with this one, small action. They could not take it any further; it would only lead to all kinds of trouble. Walter was waiting for them inside, and if they waited any longer, he would come after them. They could not be found in a compromising position; it would wreck everything.
That would simply have to be a taster to let them know what was waiting for them after they got married. It was going to be an utterly wonderful life.
“Come on,” Mary whispered blissfully. “Let us go inside. We need to tell Walter the good news. I am sure he cannot wait to hear us wedding planning ...”
Edmund chuckled and allowed Mary to lead him inside. He knew someone else who would be happy too, his mother who had been in varying states of panic all week long. To be able to tell her that everything was going to be just as she wanted would please her greatly. She would likely celebrate for the next month.
I shall have to introduce Mary to my mother now, and I feel certain that they will adore one another. It is going to be wonderful.
Chapter 15