I met Belle this morning, walking by the sea, whilst Georgiana was busy indoors with her watercolours. Belle’s ‘headaches’ are proving to be very useful as they give us a chance to talk. We met far away from the main promenade, where we would not be observed.
‘How does Georgiana seem this morning? Does she speak of me?’
‘All the time. She is head over heels in love with you, and I am not surprised. That new coat looks very well on you. It would turn the head of a more experienced girl than Georgiana.’
‘Is she ready yet for me to propose do you think?’ I asked her.
‘Yes, she is, I am sure of it. I encouraged her to take a number of romances out of the library when we first arrived here and yesterday, as she sat and read, I told her that her novel reminded me of my own happy life. I told her that I had met the most wonderful man in the world, kind, handsome, and a good friend, and that we had eloped together. She was shocked at first, but as I spoke about it she began to see how romantic it had been and in the end she was convinced that an elopement was the best way to marry, just a woman and her beloved plighting their troth together. After much sighing and smiling, I ended by wishing her the same happiness I had found.’
‘That all sounds very promising. I will come round to dinner tonight and then I will propose tomorrow,’ I said.
‘Call on us at ten in the morning,’ she said. ‘I will take care to be out of the room when you arrive, and you can have five minutes alone. Is that long enough?’
‘Yes. Five minutes is all I will need.’