Here is the next chapter with lots of fluff in it. And don't worry there is much more in store for Henry and Mary. Their story is far from ever yet.

This chapter is dedicated to thecuriousreader1002 who almost died waiting for the new chapter. I will try to update next weekend again. So stay tuned for more love and heartache.

Oh and as always please review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for Henry … haha lucky me! And a few other OCs

Mary's POV

I sat on a bench deep inside the park, I didn't want to be found. My tears had dried by now. It didn't help me to cry, my future was set and there was no way around it. So I needed to be strong and make the best out of the situation, maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

I knew that this probably wasn't the case, but thinking this helped me not to burst into tears again.

I got up from the bench and decided to return home, I needed to apologize to Lizzy, it hadn't been right to shout at her. She was just worried about me and I was grateful for that. So there were at least two people in my family who cared about me, my father and Lizzy.

I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't see the person walking up to me until he shouted at me:

"What do you think you are doing?" I looked up, completely shocked, because I looked right into Henry's eyes.

"What….?" was the only thing I was able to mumble, what was he doing here? This made no sense at all.

"How can you even consider doing this?" he barked and I was confused, what was he so angry about? I had never seen him like this before.

"Doing what?" I had no idea what he was talking about, his words made no sense to me.

"You cannot just marry James Henceforth, he could be your father and the only thing he wants is a replacement for his dead wife."

So that was why he was so angry?

"I know that." That obviously took him by surprise, because he fell silent and just stared at me.

"Then why are you doing this?" he demanded to know and that made me angry. He had no right to ask me this. He was the one who didn't tell me about his engagement, even though we had shared everything over the months at Pemberley. Or at least that's what I had thought until the night I found out he was engaged to Camille.

"That is nothing of your concern!"

"Nothing…. Are you out of your mind?" he asked grabbing my shoulders and glaring down at me. "You cannot just get married."

"I can do whatever I want, it is my life and you are no longer a part of it." He looked hurt after I said that and I felt bad, but he had no right to ask me such questions, or try to make me refuse to marry Mr. Henceforth.

"You are angry with me?" he asked and I could hear the confusion in his voice.

"Yes I am. I thought we were honest with each other."

"We were, we are… I don't…" now he was the one being confused.

"I was, but you weren't."

"I was honest with you…" he said and I couldn't help but shake my head.

"Really? So you told me everything?" I asked, giving him the chance to tell me now that he was engaged.

"Yes. I told you more than I have ever told anyone before."

"Well it seems like you have forgotten one important fact…."

"And that would be?" he asked crossing his arms in front of his chest, he was still mad at me, which confused me a little, why would he be so mad at me because of the fact that I got engaged? He was engaged too, he shouldn't even care.

"Your fiancé Camille." I replied and again I felt a stabbing pain in my chest.

He groaned and ran his hands through his hair.

"My father chose her for me, when we were both very young. But when he died a few years ago, my mother said to me that I could marry the girl I want. She wants me to be happy and make my own decisions. That is why I talked to her after our last day at Pemberley. A letter is already sent to Camille, she will receive it within the next few days. In this letter we will annul the engagement, so I can marry the woman I want."

I wasn't quite sure what he wanted to tell me with this words, what did it have to do with me that he could marry the woman he wanted…. He couldn't mean … me, right?

I felt my heart speed. Just the mere thought of him wanting to marry me made me want to grin like a fool.

That would also explain why he was so mad at me, because he wanted to take care of everything, so he could ask me and meanwhile I said yes to someone else.

Our silence turned awkward for the first time since I've known him.

"Do you want to marry him?" he asked almost timid and I couldn't help but smile.

"No!"

"Then why did you say yes?" he wanted to know, he obviously had no idea why I did it and I sighed, how often was I supposed to say it out loud?

"Because I couldn't wait for someone else. My mother brought it to the point, I am plain, I don't get along very good with other people, I spend too much time in the library and with my piano, so who would want me?"

"I do." he said and now his hands were on my shoulders again. My heart started racing and I felt like I would faint any minute now. He really wanted me, me and no one else? Me for who I was? He knew all my faults and he still wanted to marry me?

It looked like my dream had come true after all.

I couldn't keep myself from smiling brightly at him.

"You really mean that?"

"Of course I do. It has been you since the moment I saw you at Pemberley." he replied and I blushed, he had been this sure from the beginning?

"What are we going to do now?"

"Well, first of all I will talk to your father, that he sends James Henceforth a letter in which he annuls the engagement and then we should talk to your mother." I nodded staying quite, my parents? They would be ecstatic about this turn. Especially mother, an Earl was proposing to me and she had said it wouldn't get any better than Mr. Henceforth. Well, obviously she had been wrong. I couldn't keep myself from smiling thinking this. Henry saw it and leaned a little closer to me, I could feel his warm breath on my cheek when he asked:

"What is amusing you?"

"Just the thought of my mother's reaction." As a response to my words, Henry started smirking, I loved his smirk… to be honest, I loved everything about him.

"I think she will be pleased."

"I think that is an understatement." I replied smiling a little more, but that smile faded when Henry leaned even closer and kissed my cheek.

"We should go and talk to your parents, my mother wants to meet you as soon as possible."

"That means?" I asked, while my face felt hot, I was probably bright red by now.

"You and your family will accompany me to Charlton Park, my mother is awaiting us, and your family is welcome to stay until our wedding."

I gasped, did he know what he got himself into? It took some time to prepare a wedding and he wanted them to stay at his house in the meantime?

"You are going to regret that…" I sighed, he was so wonderful, willing to do endure everything even my family and he got nothing in return. I had nothing I could give to him.

"What is making you so sad?" Henry asked lovingly taking my face in his warm hands.

"Just everything… I mean you put up with so much misery just because of me and there is nothing I can give you to make it up to you."

"Oh but love, you already do, just by being with me you give me more than you can imagine. I am willing to endure every misery there is when it results in you becoming my wife!" he said and I could see the honesty in his blue eyes. That really moved me, because I had never expected him to say anything like that at all.

His words made me smile and I nodded.

"If you say so… then we should go back to my mother and my father."

"Now, that sounds like a good idea to me." he smiled and let go of my face but only to offer his arm to me.

"Shall we Milady?"

I just smiled and placed my hand on his arm. It felt amazing being with him again. I had missed him so much over the past few weeks. But now everything seemed perfect, soon I would be his wife and then I never had to be without him again.

That's it for now. I hope you all liked it. If you did, take a moment to tell me what you liked. Thanks to all of you who faithfully R&R this it motivates me to keep on writing.