QUOTE : She angled her chin proudly. “Very well. If you insist.<br />I’ve come to invite you to my wedding.”<br />He shook his head sadly. “That I cannot do, my<br />love.”<br />“But it shall be the talk of London. I want you there.<br />Desperately.”<br />He gazed out to the sea. “I never thought you to be<br />cruel, Tess. I can deny you nothing. But please don’t<br />ask this of me.”<br />“But if you’re not there, my dear, dear Leo, then<br />however shall I marry you?<br />She watched as the shock of her words rippled<br />over his beloved features.<br />“Me? But you always said no when I asked for your<br />hand.”<br />“I was a foolish woman. Lynnford was the love of my<br />youth. And as we have talked these many weeks as<br />we’ve not been able to talk in years, so we<br />discovered that neither of us is the person that each<br />of us fell in love with. We were holding onto someone<br />who no longer exists.” She took a tentative step<br />toward him. “You love me as I am now. And I shall love<br />you always. Marry me, Leo. For God’s sake, marry<br />me.