A Proposal
Written for the 10_quotes community at LJ, inspired by the quote "I've been sitting right here since seven o'clock." - "Yes, with your back to me. When I invite a woman to dinner I expect her to look at my face. That's the price she has to pay," from the movie "A Night at the Opera".
He had been courting her for several months now, and during that time, she had not seen Bert at all. But her thoughts had been with him during every second she spent with him.
This evening they were in his sumptuously decorated flat, sitting in his parlour, and her back was to him, looking out of his window to the streets of London below. She gently ran her fingertip over the rim of her glass.
"You're not here, Mary, are you?" he asked her, looking at her over his glass of Chablis. She turned to him.
"I've been sitting right here since seven o'clock," she said.
"Yes, with your back to me. When I invite a woman to dinner I expect her to look at my face. That's the price she has to pay."
She forced herself to smile. "I'm sorry; I was just thinking."
"Yes, I had rather guessed that," he said wryly. "Am I not interesting enough to capture your attention?"
"You are," she said.
"Interesting enough to spend the rest of your life with me?" he asked.
Her eyes widened. "Jack – are… are you proposing?"
He knelt at her feet. "That I am. I love you, Mary Poppins. Will you marry me?"
She closed her eyes, wishing that it was Bert who was proposing to her. She opened them again, and Bert wasn't there.
"You know that I will still be a nanny, even if we do get married," she said.
"I do, Mary, and I don't mind – I love you, and I want to be with you no matter how much time we'll have to spend apart," he said.
"Yes," she whispered finally, and he beamed up at her.
"I love you so much, Mary," he whispered, slipping the diamond engagement ring on her finger.
"I love you, Jack," she replied. He stood up, joining her on the couch, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She stiffened slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she replied. "I'm just... overwhelmed."
"As am I, my dearest," he said. "I can't believe you accepted my proposal."
She gave him a small smile. "Why wouldn't I?"
He returned her smile, leaning in to kiss her. She softly returned his kiss before pulling back.
"We oughtn't go any further before our wedding," she said.
He sighed, bringing his hand up to her cheek to caress her soft skin.
"When are we going to marry?" he asked.
"In a few months," she said. "June eighth."
He laughed slightly. "Have you been waiting for me to propose?" he asked her.
She smiled faintly. "I just know what I want."
"And what you want is what I want," he replied.
Mary's smile grew wider and she rested her head against his chest, allowing him to stroke her hair. Closing her eyes, she wished that Bert was there. But he wasn't, never would be again.