Christopher trailed after her to the sitting room. She still had her work gloves on but removed them when she sat as he remained standing.
But she could not help herself. She could not maintain her disapproving demeanor and she bounded up, raced over to Christopher and threw her arms around him. Then she took a step back and slapped his face.
“Ow-w-w,” he cried out. “Why did you do that?”
“Because you made me so mad.”
He got down on one knee. “I came to apologize, beg, grovel, plead—whatever it takes to make you forgive me and marry me. I love you. I want you to be my wife. I promise from my deepest soul I never even thought for one second that I wanted to marry you for your inheritance. It is just not the truth.”
“Maybe… maybe not. How can I really tell?”
“By looking into my eyes.” He stood up, came right up close to her and stared into her eyes with intensity. “There. Look at me. Can you not see my heartfelt love and devotion? How can you resist me?” Then he laughed. And she could not help but laugh as well.
“Oh, I hate you for making me love you,” she said as she swatted at his shoulder.
“See, I knew you loved me.”
“I never said that.”
“Yes, you did. Just now. I heard you.”
“Maybe I did not mean it.”
“You did. Come give me a hug and let us make up and please say you will marry me. My mother, my father, my brother and my two sisters are devastated at the thought that you will not be mine.”
“Oh, very well, I will marry you.” she said twirling away from him. “But I hate you too. And do not forget that—forever and always.”
Chapter 36
On working days, Maria carried a ring of keys attached to her belt. At the moment, she was trying to find the key to open the door to the root cellar, just outside the back-kitchen door.
“Bother,” she said to herself, as she struggled with one key after another—none of which worked on the lock. She swore under her breath as she turned toward the kitchen to ask if cook had the key. But, much to her surprise, she bumped right into Percy, who had just come up behind her.
“Oh! Good heavens, Percy. What brings you here today?” However, she was still focused on her task and continued toward the house.
Percy grabbed hold of her arm and stopped her. “Maria, please, let me speak to you.”
She turned to him and cast a sour look. “What? Have you come to announce your engagement to Anna?” She stood, fiercely looking at him with arms akimbo.
He took a step backward and smiled gently. “No, Maria my dear, I am not marrying Anna. In point of fact, I have come to tell you I have just come from a visit with her.”
“And she refused you?”
“No, I told her I was not going to propose toherbut, instead, I wanted to propose toyou.”
With a twitch of the head, Maria sat down on a nearby stump. She shook her head again and again.
Percy knelt down before her, took her hand, and kissed it. “Maria, you know it has always been you that I loved.”
“But I do not have the dowry you need to help your family. You made that quite clear to me.”
Percy nodded. “Yes, that is true, but I cannot deny my feelings for you, Maria. It would be a terrible mistake if I married Anna only for her inheritance. I care for her, but I do not love her. My marriage to her would be a sham and we would have soured on one another before long. It would be a disaster.”
“But what will your father say?”
“Hum, yes there is the problem. I have not told him yet. He thinks at this very moment I am proposing to Anna and I know he is already planning how to spend her dowry. But I can no longer live my life by my father’s dictates. I told him as much this morning.”
“Then he knows you want to propose to me?” Maria asked, trembling slightly and her heart racing.
