Epilogue 2 #3
She was wrong. Edward knew for certain that Elizabeth was wrong.
There wasn’t another woman in their society that Edward was as comfortable with or as attracted to as Miss King, and even if the attraction eventually faded back to wherever it had come from, he would always hold her up in his mind as the ideal wife.
He could not say this, however, simply because it made no difference.
Edward and Elizabeth exited the room and walked down the hallway. He was surprised to see Miss King waiting just outside the parlor, her face full of concern.
Elizabeth said, “Edward decided that he needs to leave, unfortunately. He will return some other day.”
Miss King’s face grew stern, and a fire lit in her eyes.
Edward had never seen her like this. “You cannot speak for me, Elizabeth,” she said.
“I know you are older and are technically acting in the role of a chaperone, but that gives you no right to make decisions for me. If Lord Aylesbury wishes to speak with me, then we shall speak.”
Edward looked back and forth between the woman he was certain he loved and the woman he had always looked up to. And he hesitated. Elizabeth had made a valid point. On the other hand, Miss King was also correct. She couldn’t make a decision if the choice was never offered.
He chose Mary. “Miss King, will you be so kind as to grant me a few minutes of your time, privately?”
She readily accepted, though Elizabeth looked as if she wished to object. In the end, however, Elizabeth said with a sigh, “Oh, very well, but you may not have more than fifteen minutes. If you need more time than that, I am afraid you will have to talk while I am in the room.”
Edward and Miss King both agreed readily. Then they made their way to the drawing room Edward had just been in.
Once there, he turned to her and said, “I am afraid there is no time to hedge, because there may be much to discuss. Though I have always liked you and held you in high esteem, I discovered these past two weeks that, somehow, I have come to love you as well. I genuinely believe you would make the perfect wife for me. However, Elizabeth reminded me rather forcefully that my father would object rather strongly. There would be many obstacles in our path, and he would likely be unpleasant for a long time.”
As he spoke, her eyes lit up with joy, but when he mentioned Elizabeth’s interference, her expression grew fierce once again.
“I know Elizabeth is so much more intelligent and observant than I am, but she must think me addled beyond belief to not recognize such a thing for myself,” she said.
“I am well aware of your father’s temperament and his attitude toward you.
Have I not listened to you complain about him dozens of times every year?
Despite all this, if you were to propose, I would accept.
I would accept with the greatest joy, and I would never regret it, no matter what your father does to prevent it or to mete out his revenge.
I love you, Edward. I always have, since the day we met.
I just never dreamed you would even consider me in such a light. ”
Hope and joy rose in Edward’s heart, but confusion was in his mind. “Always?” he asked. “I was merely sixteen or seventeen when we met. Why would a grown woman love a boy who was not yet a man?”
A slow smile grew on her lips, and Edward was hit with an intense desire to kiss them, but his curiosity to know what she would say was greater, though only just. “You were grown enough for me to see the man you would become,” she said, “and my conjectures have proven to be correct. You have a zest for life that is so very different from the bored indifference I see in most gentlemen. Despite your privilege and wealth, I know very well how much you try to be kind to those around you. There is much to admire, and it was all very clear to me from the beginning.”
“In that case,” he said, “Mary King, will you marry me? It will not be easy, and we will have to plan how to get around my father, but even so, I need you in my life.”
A smile grew on her face. Her eyes sparkled with joy, and her cheeks grew slightly pink. Edward had never seen a more perfect image of a beautiful woman, and he had never been more attracted to anyone. “Yes, Edward. Absolutely. As for your father, we can face him together.”
Edward could wait no longer. With as much restraint as he could manage, which admittedly wasn’t as much as he should have, he pulled Mary into his arms and kissed her. She did not hesitate to return his kisses, and her arms went around his neck easily.
She pulled away first, and she took a step back out of his arms. For a brief moment, Edward moved to pull her back, but he stopped himself. He knew she was correct to stop them, or Edward would very easily get carried away. He was not in the habit of exercising much in the way of self-restraint.
Despite knowing that she was correct, Edward’s arms felt cold and empty as never before. Now that he knew what it was like to have Mary in his arms, he would never feel fully complete unless she was there once again.
“Mary,” he said, and he noticed his voice was a bit husky.
He cleared it and continued. “Promise me that, as time goes on you won’t stop correcting me like this.
I am a selfish creature, and it is not helped by the fact that so very few people are willing to tell me when I am wrong.
But I am bound to be wrong sometimes. I am bound to hurt others, including you, no matter how much I might wish that I did not.
Please, please tell me if I hurt you. Tell me if I am wrong. ”
Mary stepped just the tiniest bit closer to him, and she reached out to touch his cheek, an expression of wonderment on her face that she was allowed to do so.
“If that is what you wish, I will, though I am certain I will have to remind you of this promise when you inevitably grow weary of it. I promise not to abuse the privilege, however. I will only mention it if it is important.”
“Mary, you are important. I want to know, I need to know, if I hurt you. Any other correction I will leave to your discretion, but you must promise me…”
Her smile became tinged with a little sadness. “All I can promise is that I will do my best. I am not used to taking my own comfort and desires into account. I have always been the last and the least, even before my parents died and I went to stay with my uncle.”
Edward reached up and put his hand over hers, holding it against his cheek.
“Well, you will simply have to get used to being the first and the best, for that is how I will always see you,” he said.
He took the hand he held and pulled it to his lips, kissing the back of it in a slow sensual way, enjoying the way it made Mary’s blush deepen.
With a great effort of will, he let it go and said, “Now, I believe we should go tell Elizabeth. She will be happy for us, though she will likely also question our sanity. Even so, I think she could be helpful in planning how we can do this with the least amount of trouble.”
Hand in hand, they walked toward the door. Just before they reached it, however, Edward bent towards Mary and gave her one last quick kiss. “For courage…for both of us. Together, we can face anything.”
She smiled at him and nodded, and he knew deep in his heart that he had just made the best decision he would ever make.
The End