In Need of a Noble Bride - Chapter 19
The way Willette placed a hand over her mouth and the unshed tears that glistened in her eyes did little to confirm the hope filling Rafael that she could imagine the same future as him. The one he wanted.
There was also a part of him that was terrified she might not want the same thing.
He hadn’t planned on asking her to marry him tonight; it was just that once he’d realised it could happen, he’d been unable to stop himself from taking the next step. What Gladys had said was true. Willette would make his entire family proud. She was exactly the wife he needed in every way. It would also make her dream of singing come true in a way that society would readily accept.
‘Rafael,’ she said, slowly, softly. ‘You are in need of a noble bride, and I’m not that. I’m a commoner. The daughter of a man who owns a dry goods store in a village. We have no titles, no bloodlines or connections to royalty.’
‘There is nothing common about you. You are the most noble woman I know. Your character is beyond honourable, and your natural grace and elegance define you more than any bloodlines ever could.’ Understanding her hesitancy, he took both of her hands in his. ‘You can sing, Willette, at events such as this as often as you wish, for the requests are sure to be never-ending. Society will embrace your talent as much as I do, and your bravery.’
Her head tilted sideways as she said, ‘This isn’t about singing. It’s about your reputation. I accosted a man. Broke his nose.’
‘For damn good reason.’ He took a breath. It would be a long time before the thought of Barr didn’t immediately raise his ire. ‘You took control of the situation. Of your own life, but that’s no surprise. You’ve been doing that for ever. You knew what you wanted and you sought it out. Few people do that. Including me. I knew what I wanted, and what I didn’t, but, rather than looking at alternative solutions for what I wanted, I let what I didn’t want control me.’
He saw all that in hindsight, and continued his confession. ‘I fell in love with you at Turnbill, and fell deeper in love with you at the zoo, and deeper again when I heard about Barr and your reaction. Because of you, things will change for performers. They already have.’
‘You did that, I didn’t. You were trying to rescue me.’
He hadn’t overlooked how she hadn’t responded to his confession of love and tried again. ‘I was trying to rescue myself, because I was afraid of never seeing you again. I love you with all I am and all I have. Will you please think about it? About marrying me?’
‘On one condition,’ she said, somewhat serious.
His reply was serious too. ‘You name it.’
‘Kiss me.’