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“You do realise what you’ve done, don’t you?” she said into his loose cravat. “You’ve given it to me.”
“What have I given you?”
“Love.I’ve caught it from you.” She felt the rumble of his laughter.
“Like an infectious disease? Measles, perhaps.”
“Some kind of horrid fever, that’s what it feels like at the moment. I’m all shaky, just thinking about you going away. That’s what this is, isn’t it? Not heart-jumping, not like that, but… misery when you’re not around.” Wonderingly, she gazed up at him. “It must be love… mustn’t it?”
He nodded. “Sounds like it.”
“Is that how it is for you?”
“Well, I get the heart-jumping too, but the misery? Oh, yes.”
She sighed. “James, I’ve been such a fool, thinking up all sorts of excuses and all the time… I think I must have been in love with you almost from the start, or well on the way to it. Even when I thought you were the gamekeeper.”
“I certainly was in love with you. I remember seeing you sitting on the gate at High Field, swinging one leg, your hair busily escaping from your bonnet and I knew there and then that you were the one for me. Julia…” He shifted a little so that he could look into her eyes, his hands cupping her face. “Dearest Julia, my heart is at your feet, where it has been since that moment. Will you take it?”
“Only if you will take mine.” She exhaled slowly. “Do you know, I came here to explain to you exactly why I can’t marry you and now… Will you take care of me, James?”
“I will. I promise to rescue you from every rampaging bull and angry huntsman and jealous widow, and in return you must remind me when Sunday comes round, so that I remember to don my surplice.”
“Do you forget?”
“I have been known to do so. You will help me to be a less terrible clergyman.”
“I’ll try. Oh, James, it will be all right, won’t it? We’ll be happy, won’t we?”
“It will be all right. Our marriage will be whatever we want it to be. Oh, there will be trials, I have no doubt. Things will happen, perhaps we will quarrel sometimes and yell at each other.”
“But then you will kiss me like you did on the snowy day, and we’ll entirely forget what we were quarrelling about.”
He chuckled. “Did you like that? The angry kiss?”
“Mmm. I like all your kisses, but the angry kiss was… wonderful.” She sighed. “I didn’t know until then just how much you cared about me. I’d seen you amused and light-hearted and gentle, but I’d never seen you passionate before. It was a revelation.”
“Oh.” He seemed surprised. “I thought I had gone too far, but it was wonderful, was it not?” Then he laughed. “Kissing you is always wonderful. Sweet and gentle kisses…” He touched his lips softly to hers. “Friendly kisses…” A firmer kiss. “Ardent kisses…”
The room fell into silence for a long, long time.
23: Family Matters
James was dizzy with joy. She was his at last! They walked hand in hand to the gate and then across the park to the house, saying nothing but every so often they would glance at each other and laugh in delight. At such moments, when he saw her face suffused with happiness, he was filled with such contentment that his throat tightened and he was not sure he would ever be coherent again.
The Fletchers were surprised of course, but after the initial cries of amazement, Mr Fletcher said, “Well, with Julia we’ve learnt to expect the unexpected.” Everyone laughed, champagne was called for and there was general celebration.
“When will the wedding be?” Angie said, spinning like a top in excitement.
James and Julia exchanged glances. “We have not discussed that yet,” he said.
“The sooner the better,” Julia said. “Don’t you think?”
“You will find no objections from me,” he said, feeling his already wide smile increasing still further.
“But not while we are in London, surely?” Angie said. “Rosie and I have to be your bridesmaids.”
“We can return from London for a night or two, I expect,” Pa said.
