Your Interest At Heart

Chapter 9: It's tonight

Once everybody had finished their food, Samuel helped Jane put the dishes in the sink. I watched him out of my peripherals, seeing how Jane constantly told him that he didn't have to, and that he was too kind. Once they finished cleaning the table, people were conversing and didn't notice when he came back in. Wells mostly everyone. Me and my mother turned when he entered. He leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"May I speak to you outside?" He whispered. I nodded and followed him outside. Mother winked at me as we left.

We walked in silence down the winding stone path to the lush garden.

"Where does this lead?" He asked, walking on his tip-toes to try and peer ahead.

"Mother's garden." I told him. The sun was going down. We passed the tall hedges and entered the garden of bright flowers and big bushes. In the middle there was a stone seat and a matching bird fountain. We both say down at the seat. When Mother made this area, she angled everything. The sunset was pouring into the garden, but not blinding. It was pleasant. Samuel's eyes were more red than brown in the light. He didn't make eye contact with me.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I wasn't going to make myself forget what his letter said.

"N—nothing." He stuttered. "I sent your father a letter."

"I know." I nodded. His face flushed.

"So you know what I'm about to ask?" He checked, squeezing his fist tight. I nodded. The color drained from his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked again, forcing him to look at me.

"I... I need to get my coat." He said quickly.

He got a ring?

"Then let's go get it." I suggested. He shook his head and picked up a daisy that was growing at the base of the seat. He then looped it into a makeshift ring and held it up triumphantly.

"Bianca Schuyler." His face grew serious. Instead of getting down on a knee, he picked up my hand. "Will you marry me?"

"Of course." My voice trembled from the effort of trying not to bust out in a massive grin. He slipped the makeshift ring onto my finger.

"There aren't any spiders on it." He told me. I examined it and pressed my lips onto his. Samuel stiffed for a moment, then gingerly  put a hand on my  cheek and his other held my hand. I took my other hand and rested it gently on his shoulder. I then pulled away, but he was reluctant to. His eyes were still closed when I put a bit of space between us. They opened and he stood up. By now, the sun was down.

"Let's go back inside." He held his hand for me to take, and I did. He examined the daisy ring and kissed my hand. We then walked back to the back porch. "Would your father be okay with me holding your hand?"

"I don't know." I admitted. He let my hand go and opened the door for me. As soon as he did so, Eliza shrieked and rushed to see. She picked up my hand to see the ring.

"What's this?" She looked at me, then Samuel.

"I left it in my coat." He explained, reaching into the pocket of his dark blue coat and pulled out a small, black velvet box. My father came over and took it out of his hand. "Sir—"

"I'm just looking!" Father snapped, turning around and peering inside the box. My sisters and mother crowded around to see. The box was handed back to Samuel, who took the daisy off my finger and slid a real ring onto it. It had a gold band and a small diamond on it.

"It's my grandmother's." He told me quietly. I nodded, admiring it.

"Thank you." I told him sincerely. Eliza lurched forward and picked up my hand to see.

"It fits perfectly!" She gaped. Both Mother and Angelica were sniffling at the edge of the group.

"I'm never gonna get married!" Angelica complained.

"I don't want to get married." Peggy shrugged. "I'll be a lawyer and let all the boys chase me."

"Good plan." Father nodded.