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“By breaking the rules. Who said that we have to wait to get married? Who said that we needed permission?”
Slowly but surely, Matilda’s face let him know that she understood what he meant. “What would they do if we just got married right now?”
“There would be nothing they could do.”
Matilda’s smile grew so perfectly that Aaron wished he could kiss her right then and there.
But then that smile faded quickly. “We should at least try to exhaust all the other options before we make that decision. Because it’s a big one.”
Aaron could not help but feel a sense of doubt. Not from himself but from her. Was she not truly in love with Aaron? Did she not really want to marry him? He wondered whether or not those sentiments came from his own scared mind or they were valid. He did not voice any though, out of fear of embarrassment. Instead, he turned back around to face the horse.
“What is the matter?” Matilda asked.
Aaron shrugged, unwilling to reveal the thoughts that brought him shame.
Matilda placed her hand on his shoulder, and it calmed him down. Her touch was gentle yet firm—a caring hand. “Aaron, I do not mean to offend. I see marrying you as the biggest thing that we could ever do, and surely if we were to marry, I’d want to be a nice wedding. Not something that we did under secret.”
He had never thought of it that way. “So, the only reason you wouldn’t want to marry me is—”
“Because we would forever look back on the marriage as this secret event that we did in fear. I think that it’s a good plan, maybe the only plan. But I’d still want to exhaust all other options first because maybe there is something better.
They sat in the carriage for what had to be thirty minutes, wrangling off different terrible ideas. It was as though the ideas got worse and worse as the minutes went on.
And then, finally, Matilda said, “I want to marry you, Aaron.”
Aaron smiled. “Well, I’m glad you have decided before the sunset.”
They both laughed.
“You are right.” Matilda started. “There are no other viable options. If we want to remain together for the rest of eternity, then we must take our future and control it. Maybe then, looking at the future won’t be as scary.”
Aaron couldn’t have agreed more. He looked into her eyes and then left the carriage. She watched him move in wonder.
“What are you doing, Aaron.”
He went to one knee and put a smile on his face so that he would not cry. “Matilda, the one thing that I can do to at least make out marriage special is to properly propose to you.”
“Don’t.” Matilda smiled. “There is nothing ordinary about us. We have forged our own story, and I would not have it any other way, Aaron.”
Aaron nodded with a smile of his own. “As you wish.” He got back into the gig and made the horse go. He reflected on what had just happened, the agreement they had come to. It was profound and life-changing. But he was more than happy.
“You do look beautiful today, even though you were dressed to see another potential suitor,” Aaron said, and Matilda laughed.
“At least there was one normal standard for a wedding that was accomplished today.”
They both laughed,and as Aaron approached the ending road towards Bath, he looked at Matilda and then they went on the way to the next town…where they would elope.
