Chapter 8: The Proposal
Right, I've been an awful, awful, awful person. Lol. I realise I have not posted anything for almost a year now, and I have still been gaining watchers which I am really grateful for. But I've been doing my A level's and such, and have been extremely pre-occupied. I think after the summer and in between doing homework, I shall attempt to post more regularly. I shall be working on this roleplay first as currently this is the post popular. ^.^ Now without further ado. I shall continue, with chapter 8! ^.^ Please as always Read and review…and of course comment. ^.^
The excitable hounds bounded in, yelping and baying at the familiarity of their home. It had been a long few weeks for him. Matilda had been a constant fixture in his mind. Her absents was constantly tearing a hole in his chest, the wound raw to the air. He had never felt like this before.
He thought he loved Belle.
It was NOTHING like how he felt there.
He thought Amedea was his soul mate.
Even at the beginning of the relationship, his feelings for Matilda were always stronger than anything he thought he felt with Amedea.
She was his world. His muse. His love. His life.
He was surprised it took him all this time to truly realise he couldn't live without her in his life. Without waking up and seeing those forest toned orbs, so full of life and almost childlike excitement. Without feeling her lithe frame against his. Hearing her singing when cooking his meals.
He longed to see her become the mother she dreamed of. A life they both found perfect and ideal. After contemplating it during his entire hunting trip he'd finally made up his mind. He smiled as he slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small emerald green ring box, smiling in satisfaction as he regarded it. Flipping open the lid he smiled at the golden band, studded with a solitaire diamond. It was in perfect clarity and engraved on the inside of the gold loop was both their names, in a loopy italic scrawl.
Combing his hand through his hair with a deep sigh, he pulled off his shirt with a sigh. Although, knowing his eagerness would get the better of him he'd already cleaned and shaved to spare him time. Yet for such an important event he felt his usual favoured red shirt was just not flashy enough for such a grand occasion. Instead he adorn a red tails jacket, and began to lace up the collar of the shirt up his neck. He checked his appearance once more before he slowly began to walk down stairs, tucking the ring into his breast pocket, before heading off to the flower shop to select only the best bouquet of flowers. Today couldn't be anything short of perfect, that much was clear in his head.
Already nerves began to bubble and brew in the depths of his stomach. He felt sick and worried about what he would say, how he would say it to make her his. He was never good at words. Despite his certainty and pride in himself and his achievements he knew that was his one failing, but today he wished he'd paid attention in his poetry lessons opposed to dismissing it as unimportant.
Nibbling her lower lip in nerves, her gaze lingering from the cross-stitch before her to peering longingly out the window. Jumping up -and ultimately ended up scattering her sewing items across the floor- to gaze eagerly out the window to only feel a gut-dropping sensation of disappointment, before retaking her seat and starting the process again.
Noel watched in silence as his little girl paced and nervously awaited Gaston's return. Noel knew what was going about today. With tears in his eyes he struggled to keep a normal expression. Unable to believe his youngest was soon going to be a married woman. He knew that she'd answer yes. She has the same gleam in her eyes when she spoke of Gaston and saw him, as her mother did for Noel. He sighed heavily as he watched her wait anxiously, wishing she could know how sweet and loving the gleam in Gaston's eyes were when he asked him for Matilda's hand in marriage.
It was the early hours in the morning. Still pitch black and the sound of the owls, and nocturnal beasts could still be heard. That is when the knock came. Soft at first, but grew louder as there was no response.
Noel has always been a light sleeper, and prided himself on it as the soul protector of his home rested on his shoulders. A frown curled across his lips as he threw back the bed cloth and rose to his feet. The cold air aggravating his old, tired bones. Wincing he stretched a few moments, before grabbing his musket that lay curled beneath his bed.
Slowly, and cautiously he descended the stairs in a stealthy fashion, managing to avoid every creaky step. The stair case silent beneath him as he advance on the knocking door. Readying his gun, with a quaking hand he opened the door . Gun raised ready if in need to defend.
He dropped his gun. As in the door way stood Gaston. He'd been good to his family, and Matilda thought the world of him so he had no immediate reason to have any need to hurt his kin. With a heavy sigh, Noel relaxed and a warm smile spread across his face. "Gaston…I'm always happy to see you're eager to visit my daughter. However, Matilda is fast asleep and it isn't even morning yet." he chided but welcomed Gaston in regardless. "You are welcome to sleep in the guest room until then if you wish." Although it was very questionable having the man who is courting your daughter to stay in the house, but Noel was not the sort of French gentleman to turn anyone away, no matter the prudence of their society.
Gaston smiled warmly. "I realise it may seem stupid to come this late at night. But I needed a time where I knew Matilda wouldn't be about for a while. I needed to talk to you." he explained, taking a serious and solemn tone.
Frowning, he beckoned the younger man into the dining room. The pitched darkness was soon interrupted as he lit a candle and placed it in the centre of the table. Sitting down he regarded Gaston in the warm light of the candle. He could tell Gaston was having a hell of a time. He knew hunting was hard, but he recognised the signs of another thing. A pain. One he recognised too well. From the dark stubble that had grown on his face, the purple rings beneath his eyes and despite all this he seemed to be in a constant state of distraction.
He'd been pining.
Noel smiled smugly. "I'm guessing you've been missing our Maddie?" he enquired softly, leaning back in his own seat. Stretching out his tired limbs.
"How did you-" Gaston began in total shock.
"It was exactly the same between Matilda's mother and myself. In my youth, I went away hunting a lot. Originally I met Matilda's mother, Eugenie, in a city I was working in at the time. So, to get our own food stock we had to go hunting for weeks, maybe even months at a time. When ever I came back I would go running to her house the second I got back. Unshaven and all." Noel murmured in an affectionate tone, the reminiscing giving him a calm and tender expression across his face. "After all, this is the reason I asked Eugenie to marry me. I couldn't bare to be apart from her."
Gaston listened politely, before he spotted his gap. "That's precisely what I wanted to talk to you about!"
"Pardon?"
"Sir, I am in love with your daughter. She is my morning and evening star. My life seems worthless without her. So, I wanted to ask your permission to marry Matilda. I still wish her to choose whether she'd marry me or not…but I wanted to ask to actually ask her." Gaston muttered quickly, an embarrassed flush of red travelled uncharacteristically across his strong cheek bones. His gaze lowered shyly as he waited for Noel's response.
Noel exhaled deeply, running his hand through his hair in a thoughtful silence. Finally, he beamed broadly. "I'd be only too happy to welcome you into the family Gaston…I'm thankful you asked me first. Few men have the courtesy to do so anymore."
Gaston grinned and smiled happily. "Thank you sir. I'll leave you be, I'm sorry to have woken you" Getting to his feet he pushed his chair in. "Oh, please can you not tell Maddie? I want this to be a surprise for her." he murmured as Noel followed him to the door.
"Of course." Noel answered simply and saw him off before locking the door and returning to bed.
"Papa?" Matilda's voice broke through. "Papa, are you alright?" she murmured softly, gently shaking his shoulder in concern, "You went into a strange trance there…I was worried." she whispered, her eyes widening with empathy.
Noel shook his head and smile. "I'm fine little one. Just day dreaming. It's far too warm a day to be inside like this." he murmured softly, still a little distance from the vivid recollection. "hmm, maybe instead of waiting around here you should go to Gaston. He's probably still a little hectic from getting back." he suggested warmly.
Nodding in agreement, Matilda rose to her feet and pulled on her travelling coat, pulling up to hood to protect herself from the bitter spring winds. Noel watching her leave through the window. "My little girl." he whispered softly, feeling his chest tighten with sorrow of loosing his only daughter, but glad she'd finally found the happiness she sought for so long.
Gaston was perched on the edge of the fountain in front of the gate way that led into their sleepy town. Laying across his lap was a bunch of spring flowers, the largest bouquet the florist had ever made and was very reluctant to do so, had it nod been for Gaston persuading her it was for a good cause.
Changing from sitting to standing he began to pace nervously. He had nothing to do. Nothing to pre-occupy himself. It distressed him greatly. He hated waiting, but Matilda was the only girl who he felt was worth waiting for.
He smiled in the recollection of her. He knew that no matter how perfect he made her in his mind she never matched the real thing as far as he was concerned. He was no failings in her, despite the ones others could easily point out, including herself. He recalled her emerald eyes, her fiery hair, the soft pout her lips made in though…
How long he was day dreaming, he didn't know. The next thing he knew was that he heart a soft sensual chuckle behind him. "I recall you looking like that when thinking of me" the voice purred. Spinning around, his icy eyes found the one woman he hadn't expected to see. Not since the last time they met anyway.
Amedea.
Amedea was perched on the side of the marble fountain. In her hands was the large bouquet of flowers, which she slowly rose up to her nose and sniffed cautiously. "I love daffodils." she murmured, stroking the yellow petals softly. "I'm surprised to see lupines though." she added observantly. "Though the daisies completely ruin the arrangement." Suddenly she snapped off the heads of the large daisies until Gaston managed to swipe the violated bunch from her.
"Well, it's not really your decision what flowers I wish to give." Gaston muttered darkly, trying to repair the violated bouquet, removing the beheaded flowers sorrowfully.
"I honestly do not see the point in flowers anyway? Do you honestly think it'll enhance a girls opinion of you? Make her 'love' you?" she questioned darkly. Her eyes flashing as he proceeded to ignore her. "You know she's not a virgin?" She blindly stabbed.
Gaston nodded. "I love her. I do not really care about her past. Besides it wasn't her fault." he growled turning to round on Amedea who was now stood up on the fountain so she was on a few centimetres taller than him.
A dark gleam rose in her eyes as she peered over his shoulder, before unexplainably wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the mouth. He was immobilised by shock before he pushed away staring at her in alarm, a satisfied grin spreading broadly across her angelic face.
"Gaston?" A softer voice whispered from behind him, breaking his train of though. The same voice that caused the hair on his neck to prickle. Slowly he turned around.
Matilda stood, her eyes wide and shimmering with tears. Her face expressing all the hurt and betrayal in her heart. She covered her mouth and turned away and fled back into the forest dropping the basket on the floor.
The bouquet fell beside it, forgotten, as he charged after her. Wanting to explain. "Matilda! MATILDA!"
