Speak now

Part 4

It took all the rest of the day for Isobel to finally leave the small room she had decided to seclude herself in. She hadn't been waiting for any sudden revelation nor for a particular moment, the only thing she had been looking for was silence. In fact, it was only when the knocks on her door stopped – likely thanks to Edith – and no voices could be heard at all anymore, that she decided to stand up from the floor and actually prepare to leave. Firstly, she removed her wedding dress and changed into her more ordinary clothes; then she collected her few things and so, in a matter of minutes, she had her hand on the handle of the door.

With surprising carefreeness she opened it and started to move quickly, walking through again the now empty Church. It came as a relief the first step out of the building, it came as a relief the cold blow of wind that hit her face: it was like she had left her heavy thoughts in that place and in that moment she didn't mind. Her mind was tired and her heart had been put to rest; she knew what to do and where she had to go, but the relief was that she didn't have to act right then. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as a tiny unaware smile appeared on her lips. For that moment she just wanted to focus on the unexpected inward peace she had achieved, for a moment she just wanted to enjoy the silence.

"Isobel"

She opened her eyes immediately and slightly startled as she heard her name filling that same air she was breathing. And once she recognized the familiar source of that call, instead of calming down, she actually seemed more anxious.

"Richard, you are still here" she said in a whisper, not hiding her surprise – and also, a somewhat hint of disappointment. The Hell with peace, indeed!

He stepped forward in her direction, but just enough to reveal his presence completely. "Of course I am here, I was waiting for you" he simply replied, holding her gaze with calm determination.

He didn't look embarassed nor on the contrary bold, she noted, he just looked tired and somehow resigned. Outside the Church, for all that time, he had been waiting too; not for silence, but on the exact contrary for words – her words. But those words were words she wasn't ready to say aloud yet, and so she almost snapped, showing boiled anger where he was showing a sort of cold control – maybe because of his cold control.

"Well, Doctor Clarkson, maybe you should have just gone away immediately after the show you put up today. Have you got any idea of how people looked at me or what they will think now?"

"Oh, but I do. You are the one who doesn't have any idea, actually, since you have locked yourself all day inside a room!" he exclaimed back quickly and accuratedly, but still managing to sound calm. "And besides, since when do you care about what people say? You are already thinking as a noblewoman maybe…"

A tiny smile appeared on his lips as he couldn't help but tease her, even if just as he was beginning, he decided to stop already. Suddenly approaching her more, he just raised slowly a hand in the air, in order to stop with the gesture the surely unfriendly retort that she was about to make. "Listen, Isobel, I don't want to fight with you. Honestly I just want to apologize for my actions, I ruined your wedding day and I had no rights to do that" he said then, and that was when the hint of resignation returned to show. "It was selfish of me and I am sorry. Probably I shouldn't have said anything at all, I should have tried to be happy for you, I should-"

"You should have told me before!" she interrupted, reaching a new level of anger which was now mixed with hurt. She paused for a moment and let out a sharp joyless laugh, as she shook her head in incredulity. "And now you are apologizing. Honestly, Richard? You stopped my wedding and claimed that you loved me and now you are changing your mind or what? Do you even know what you want?"

Richard widened his eyes and finally, for the first time during that confrontation, a flash of pure irritation crossed them. "I want you, Isobel! I stopped the wedding because I couldn't bear to lose you. As far as it may seem absurd, I wanted to runaway with you and I still want to" he declared, taking her hands in his, while showing a passion even greater than the one he had showed in Church. More than what he said, it was the way he said it that made her swallow hard and blink for a couple of times, totally overwhelmed. "The problem is what do you want? Because if it's not me, I can manage to be fine with it, I-"

Isobel interrupted him once again, but not with words this time. Almost throwing herself at him, she let her lips crash against his ones, not even fearing for a second of being rejected. In fact, after a first moment of surprise, he didn't hesitate to deepen the kiss, taking the iniziative to let now their tongues meet as well. Breaking the contact between their hands, he gently put them around her waist, attracting her more to him. It was a luck that no one else was around in that moment, but, honestly, they probably wouldn't have cared anyway.

"Oh, Richard, you annoying but wonderful man" she whispered against his lips, raising one hand to touch his cheek. "I can see now why I love you so much"

At that explicit confession, he just smiled out of sincere happiness and also relief. He kissed her again, softly and quickly this time and used that kiss as only comment. "So, what are we going to do now?"

Isobel pursed her lips and pretended to think about it for a moment. "Well, I think you should go now and I think that I should go with you…"

He nodded in agreement and didn't hide a sort of mischievous smirk. "And tell me, Isobel, am I too forward if I suggest for us to go to my cottage?"

"Not at all. Actually, I suggest that we should lock ourselves in there until rumors won't end" she replied giggling and in that giggle there was an evident trace of mischievousness as well.

"You know that could take forever, do you?" he teased, pushing their little game a bit more.

A quick complicit exchange of looks and another soft kiss, before they linked their arms together and actually started to walk away, finally together.

Forever sounded like a good plan after all.

And you say: "Let's run away now,
I'll meet you when I'm out of my tux at the back door,
Oh baby, I didn't say my vow,
So glad you were around when they said, "Speak now"

THE END

And we have reached the end of this story as well! I love to see them argue a bit, but of course give them a happy ending then. I want to thank all the people who have followed/favorited/reviewed so far and I'd like to receive a feedback for this last chapter as well:)

I don't mean to scare you (lol), but I have many other ideas - serious and a bit crazy ones - for this ship, so see you soon with more!;)