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ILLUMINATION

Chapter 8            The next course of action

Now that we have declared our love to each other I know that I must ask the question now before she has time to think about it and change her mind.  I want her and we will be so good together. This ring will soon burn a hole in jacket pocket if I don’t get rid of it.  The question is how to do it.  Do I take her to dinner and propose there in the restaurant or do we have a private dinner and propose there?  The Palace has private rooms so I will reserve a private room and propose there.  It’s only a week before I’m due back in London so time is of the essence. No way will I leave Llanview without her as my fiancé.  Not certain of her schedule I probably need to call her to make sure that she is available tonight.

(Ring, ring)

“Hello Ian, I was just thinking about you. Why are you calling?”

“Do I need a reason to call you?  Don’t answer that.  I’m calling to invite you to dinner tonight and I want to make sure that you are available.  I would never assume anything about your time so are you available?”

“As a matter of fact I am available and I would have called you if you had not called me.  I want to spend all of my spare time with you before you return to London.  So where are we going?”

“To the Palace at 7:00 p.m.  I will pick you up at your apartment at 6:30 p.m.  Does that work for you?”

“Yes that works perfectly.  I will see you then.  Bye.”

“Goodbye.”

Good now that is settled let me call the Palace and reserve the room and choose the menu. I want everything all set and Evangeline won’t have to do anything.  I will have her favorite meal all ready.  This will be the best night.

/

Wonderful things are happening for me.  My business is flourishing, my health is great and I have a man who loves me. How can things get any better than this?  Look at the time! I need to finish up and make it home to prepare for my dinner date with Ian.  Just thinking about him sends chills through me.  I feel like a giddy schoolgirl.

Arriving at my apartment I shower and then stand at my closet trying to choose an outfit. I want to wear something special for tonight.  Choosing a black pencil skirt I pair it with a white peplum top, black stilettos and my hair in a chignon with my diamond studs.  Perfect!  My black clutch purse completes the ensemble and I’m ready when Ian arrives.  Sitting in his car as we make our way to the Palace I feel excited about tonight.  We arrive and are shown to a private room.  I’ve never been in a private room here before and it’s really nice. After we sit the waiter informs us that the food should be ready in a few minutes.  With a puzzled frown I look at Ian who only smiles and tells me that he ordered our food in advance and he hopes that I like it.

“What did you order for me?”

“Oysters Rockefeller, coq au vin, and a grand finale of bananas foster.”

“You remembered that?  I told you those things two months ago.  Is this a special occasion?”

“Evangeline, every moment I am with you is a special occasion.”

“Good answer.  Oh, here comes the food.  I’m hungry.”

The food is delicious and we chat as we eat.  Once we finish and are now alone Ian stands and come around the table to me. He kneels on one knee and says,

“Evangeline when you came back into my life I told you then that I wanted to marry you.  These last two months with you have been wonderful for me but they are not enough.  I want more time with you. I want a lifetime with you.  I will love you without reason.  I will cherish you until my dying day and I will do everything within my power to make you happy. So, Evangeline Williamson will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes Ian! Yes!

He pulls the ring from his jacket pocket and places it on my finger.  It is beautiful.  I could not have chosen anything better.  He stands and pulls me up with him and we kiss. I am so thrilled.  He spins me around and we hug each other tightly. 

“So when do you want to get married Evangeline?  I have to leave for London in a week so we you want to set a date before I leave?  Do you want to get married here or in your hometown or maybe even in London?”

“Ian hold on and slow down.  You still have your room here at the Palace so let’s adjourn this discussion until we make it to your room and then I will answer all of your questions and ask some of my own.”

“I’m just so excited Evangeline I can’t contain myself.”

“I am too Ian that’s why I want us to have this conversation in private so that when I jump up and scream I won’t embarrass us or the hotel staff.  Come on let’s go.”

How I managed to contain myself until we arrived at Ian’s hotel room I have no idea but as soon as he closed the door once we were both inside I grabbed him and kissed him so hard I think that I melted into him and we became one.  I squealed and squeaked and hugged him so tight he probably thought that he was caught by a bear.

“Ian you have made me so happy.  I may not have shown it in the dining room how excited I am but I must tell you that I want nothing more than to be your wife and perhaps one day the mother of your children.”

“Evangeline I am happy that you are happy.  So do you have the answers to my questions now?”

“Let’s talk about this Ian.  This is a wedding for both of us so I want you to be pleased with our decisions.  I’m sure you have friends that you want to attend your wedding and since we live in different places we need to discuss how we can have a wedding make it special for both of us.  I have made a life here in Llanview and it would be easy for my family to come here for a wedding whereas it would involve major travel for your friends and family to attend.  Is there anyway we can have two weddings, one here in Llanview and another in London?”

“Whatever you want to do I will make it happen.  Two weddings sound doable.  But I’m sure my parents will want to attend both weddings.”

“That’s fine and I’m sure my mother and my Uncle Clay will want to do the same.  So about dates for these weddings do you already have any times in mind?”

"Well we need to check our calendars and come up with tentative dates.  How long do you think you need to plan a wedding?”

“Ian let me say this before we choose dates and get bogged down in all of this.  All I want is to marry you.  I don’t care if it’s in a small chapel with a small group of family and friends.  I always thought that I would never marry so I had no illusions about a grand wedding.  What I don’t want is a justice of the peace.  I draw the line at that.  If I am to marry then I want a proper wedding.  So what do you want?”

“I agree with you Evangeline I just want to marry you.  BUT I want to give you a big wedding.  I want the world to see that you are mine and I am yours.  So I’ll give you a big wedding in London how about that?”

“Ian that sounds great and I will pay for my wedding here.  I’m sure my mother has been saving up for my wedding since I was born but it doesn’t matter.  I can handle it on my own and before you offer to pay for it just know that I will refuse.  You handle the honeymoon and I will handle the rest.  Okay now what about dates.  You return to London in a week so do you know your calendar for the next few months because I don’t want to wait long to marry you?  Someone may come along and snatch you up from me.”

“No chance of that my love because I only have eyes for you.  Let me check my computer for my calendar and then I can best answer your question about dates.  Do you know your calendar by heart so you can tell me if any of my dates agree with when you are available?”

“I know some of my upcoming trial dates but to give you a definitive answer I too will need to check my computer when I return to my apartment.”

“Looking at my calendar it looks like I’m booked for the next three months which takes us through May, after that I can adjust things as needed.  So any time after May works for me.  What about you?”

“Well I know for certain that for the next 1 ½ months I am booked solid so after May will work for me too.  How far apart do we want to have the weddings?  A June wedding in Llanview and a July wedding in London, will that work?”

“I will make it work on my end but there is one thing that we have to do right away.”

“What is that?”

“You have to meet my parents and I have to meet yours.  Can you arrange a meeting with your mother and Uncle Clay before I leave for London next week?”

“Yes I can. I will call my mother in the morning.  She handles news better in the morning than in the evening.  If I call her now she will interrogate me and then won’t be able to sleep. She has work tomorrow so she needs her sleep.  When will I meet your parents?”

“I will arrange it when I return to London.  I will fly you over so you’ll have to take a few days off because it’s a long flight.”

“One or two days with a weekend between should work don’t you think?  So if I fly over on a Thursday evening I will arrive Friday morning and we have Friday, Saturday and Sunday to spend time together with your parents and then I leave London on Monday morning and arrive back in Llanview still on Monday.”

“Yes that will work.  This is really happening isn’t it?”

“Yes it is and I couldn’t ask for anything more.  Ian Baxter we are getting married!”

“You bet we are Evangeline Williamson.  Now that we’ve settled that I want you to know that I will put an ad in the newspaper announcing our engagement.  I want to do it tomorrow.”

“Why the hurry Ian we still don’t have an exact date?”

“Evangeline you are a beautiful, intelligent, and desirable woman.  Any man in his right mind would want you for himself. I’m not usually possessive but in this instance I must be.  I don’t want anyone thinking that they have a chance with you. You are taken. I’m not saying that to imply that you are my property.  No that’s not what I mean.  You are no longer available as a mate to the general populace as I am no longer available.  This ring is evidence of my intent and the wedding announcement is evidence of our intent to become one.  I leave in a week’s time and I don’t want any strays coming around trying to entice you to leave me.”

“But even with the ring and the announcement they can do that Ian but rest assured I understand clearly what you mean.  I want the announcement in both newspapers here in Llanview and a newspaper in London.  I too don’t want anyone trespassing on what is mine.”

“That’s my girl.  I will have it done. Now let me get you home. This has been a great day for me. My love has agreed to be my wife and we will wed in June.”

Before we leave his room we kiss again.  It's like floating on a cloud because I didn't even realize that we arrived at my apartment building in no time.  Ian walks me to my door, kisses me goodnight and I go in, lock up, shower again and go to bed.  Sleep claims me and I dream about a little boy and girl with hazel eyes and curly brown hair.