Choose the One You'll Marry (22 page)

“No, you needn’t. As you’ve been more or less the fairy godmother of this morning’s proceedings, you may as well hear me ask Ruth if and when she is going to marry me. I’d like a sympathetic witness of her reply—so that there can’t be any other misunderstandings.”

“Oh, Michael
...”
Ruth laughed, too, but there were tears in her eyes. “Are you—serious?”

“
Serious
, my darling? I’ve never been more serious in my life,” he said. And he released her hand so that he could put his arm around her, which she found even more exquisitely comforting than the feel of his strong, warm fingers.

“Then it’s—yes, of course. And—whenever you like.”

“Oh—my dear!” He evidently forgot then all about the fact that they were in the coffee lounge of the Excelsior Hotel. It is possible that he even forgot about Aunt Henrietta. For he drew Ruth very close and kissed her several times. And she—in a similar state of blissful forgetfulness—returned his kisses and whispered happily to him.

It was then that Aunt Henrietta rose quietly to her feet—and this time without any protest from anyone. She passed slowly through the lounge, a smile of such happiness on her face that one might have supposed it was she who had received the proposal of marriage.

At the door she encounte
re
d Mr. Naylor. A rather cross Mr. Naylor who, as he almost collided with her exclaimed, “I beg your pardon—I was looking for Miss Tadcaster. I can’t imagine—”

“She’s busy,” Aunt Henrietta explained kindly.

“Busy? She’s not busy at all. That’s the trouble. She ought to be in the office,” Mr. Naylor said irritably.

“No, no. For once, she ought not to be in the office, even though it’s office hours,” Aunt Henrietta assured him. “She’s busy getting engaged to my nephew. A charming arrangement, don’t you think?”

And because all the world loves a lover, the annoyed look slowly faded from Mr. Naylor’s face. He looked across the lounge to the happy, oblivious couple in the corner, and a faintly reminiscent smile passed over his middle
-
aged face as he said, “Dear me, yes. Perhaps you’re right. I’m sure Miss Robbins won’t mind remaining on duty just a little while longer.”