Author's Note: Sorry these chapters are so short, and that this has taken me so long. This fic will take us to the wedding, and the series will be concluded in a one-shot.

Chapter One

Isobel hesitated as she knocked on the door of Dr. Clarkson's office. Should she be seeking him out less than an hour after her engagement to Lord Merton had ended? What would Richard say about it? Would he be willing to accept her offer of dinner and courtship? Was he truly interested in her? Cousin Violet seemed to believe so, and as the Dowager had once said when Isobel suggested she hated being wrong, "I wouldn't know. I'm not familiar with the sensation."
Would her friend forgive her for being blind all this time? She prayed that he would. She took a deep breath and finally knocked on the door. When she was met with a voice calling out, "come in," she opened the door ad stepped into the office of her friend (who hopefully would become more). Richard looked up from his work and smiled as he stood to greet her.
"Mrs. Crawley," he said in greeting. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He sat down again as she occupied a seat across from him.
"Lord Merton has ended our engagement," she said. "And he thought you might like to know."
Richard felt at a loss for words. Of course he was happy that Isobel was no longer engaged, for it gave him another opportunity. Yet, Lord Merton was a nice man who seemed to be good for Isobel. And though he got on reasonably well with Lord Merton, he felt as though they were rivals for Isobel's heart. He eventually cleared his throat before speaking. "Well, I am sorry to hear that. I thought Lord Merton was a very nice man," he finally said after weighing his words carefully.
"You see Dr. Clarkson," Isobel continued. "He told me to seek you out. He said that be and I may have been content, but that I look much better with you. I believe he was under the impression that the Dowager Countess is under; which is the impression that you love me, or have some sort of feelings for me."
Richard sucked in some air, hoping that his next words would not somehow ruin his friendship with Mrs. Isobel Crawley. "Lord Merton and Lady Grantham are correct, Mrs. Crawley. I do have feelings for you, and those feelings are powerful. I love you Mrs. Isobel Crawley. Even when we first met and you were testing my patience by trying to take over my hospital, I had feelings for you. They have grown over time and watching you being courted by Lord Merton was the hardest thing in the world for me," he said all at once. "You may have thought that you could have been happy with Lord Merton, and you may have been right; but give me a chance and we will be happy."
Isobel looked at him for a moment, in awe of what he had just said, her jaw hanging open. Richard finally felt truly nervous. Was her silent staring a good thing or bad thing? Never had he truly wished, until now, to know what was going on inside a woman's head. After a few moments of silence and staring, Isobel closed her mouth before opening it again.
"So you do have feelings for me?" she asked.
Richard nodded in reply. "When we went to that fair in Thirsk, I was trying to propose to you," he said. "And you turned me down saying that you had no intentions to marry, and then you got engaged to Lord Merton; and I was awfully confused."
"Had I realized that you were proposing to me, I would have said yes," Isobel said. "Would you be willing to try proposing to me again?"
"I'd be glad to," Richard said, smiling as he opened a desk drawer, pulling out a ring box. He stood and walked around his desk to where Isobel was sitting. He knelt down and took a deep breath. "Isobel Crawley, my friend. We have known each other for over 12 years, becoming closer and closer as friends every day, and I find that I am always thinking about you. Everything about you absolutely fascinates me and I have, over the time that we have known one another, fallen more and more in love with you. You are strong, resilient, adaptable and caring and I wish to spend the rest of my life with you by my side as my wife and partner. Isobel Crawley, will you do me the honour of allowing me to make you my wife?"
Isobel felt tears form in her eyes at the words of her Scottish doctor. She never thought that after Reginald, she'd ever feel this way about a man again, but she did. "Yes, I will marry you Richard," she said tearing up. "You have made me happy as your friend, and I have no doubt that I will be happy as your wife." The couple smiled at one another and Richard removed the ring from the box and slipped it onto the finger of his new fiancée.
"You know that I have held onto that ring since we made that date for the fair in Thirsk?" he asked, not wanting to make her feel guilty, but to express the depth of his love.
"No, I didn't know," she replied as he stood up, pulling her with him as he went. "But I am certainly glad that you never gave up on me or your love for me."
"As am I, Isobel. As am I," Richard said, cupping her face in his hands. "I love you."
"And I love you," she whispered in reply. Richard smiled at that and leaned forward to kiss the woman he loved for the first time.