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Edward shook out the tartan blanket and laid it on the soft grass. He stood up straight and took a deep breath, breathing in the warm, scented, summer air. The river tinkled musically by and the birds’ song trilled. It was a perfect English summer’s day. He decided to concentrate on the positives of the afternoon.
Beside him, Jane had knelt and was unpacking the picnic from the wicker basket. She glanced up, catching his eye and smiling. He smiled back warmly and watched her as she returned to her task. She was a lovely girl, interesting to talk to, quick to laugh, kind, pretty. He could do a lot worse, as his mother continually reminded him. And yet, although everyone expected it every day, he hadn’t quite found the right words for his proposal.
He seated himself comfortably and they ate their lunch mostly in companiable silence. He found himself taking in the details of her blonde ponytail, spotless white dress, yellow cardigan. She looked like she belonged in this meadow, another daisy.
Replete, he lay back and let the sun warm him. The lazy drone of a bee was lulling him into a snooze. Jane lay on her stomach beside him. She plucked a buttercup and twirled it between her thumb and forefinger.
‘Margaret and I went to the pictures last night.’
‘Oh yes?’
‘Just a romance thing, you know us girls.’
‘Hmmm.’ He could feel the combined effects of the sun, his lunch and the peace pulling him blissfully towards sleep.
‘She’s a great girl, is Margaret. My best friend.’ Jane plucked another flower. ‘I do believe that one should look for that in the person one marries. Don’t you agree? Someone you consider your best friend, someone who is always on your side, someone who makes you feel more joyful by just existing.’ She twirled the flower. ‘Don’t you think?’
‘Well…I….I don’t suppose I had really thought of it on those terms exactly.’
‘Do you think you’ll ever find a girl like that?’
Edward sighed deeply, the possibility of a nap sliding away.
‘I really couldn’t say.’
‘Because, do you know?’ Jane addressed the buttercup as if her words were merely thinking aloud. ‘I’d marry Margaret if I could, really I would.’ Suddenly she was looking directly at Edward and he blustered, uncertain of her meaning. She looked away again just as quickly and fiddled with another floral victim.
‘Yes, well, I’m sure many young girls feel that way about their best friends, perfectly natural, one supposes.’
Jane looked at him as if she were trying to puzzle him out.
‘Natural is not the word many people would use,’ she said, almost to herself. ‘On the other hand, perhaps the trick is to marry someone that one respects and likes and hope that will provide a solid basis for a lifetime together.’
Edward frowned. He really couldn’t understand Jane’s point. If she were trying to provoke him into proposing it seemed an odd way to go about it.
‘Mother thought you might propose this afternoon. It’s the only reason I managed to ditch Helen.’
‘Well your sister is very pleasant company, she is of course welcome to join us any time.’
Jane rolled her eyes.
‘But if she were here we wouldn’t be able to talk freely. And I really do think, Teddy, that it’s time we spoke freely.’ She rolled on to her back and sat up, resting back on her hands and watching the river flow past.
‘Because it occurs to me, that, if, for example, a handsome young couple, newly married and setting up home together were to, say, invite a young man of their acquaintance to stay for the weekend, that would be perfectly reasonable and no cause for any comment in the village. In fact, a couple like that would likely not have to field questions from well-meaning but interfering old biddies ever again about whether or not they will be left on the shelf and how they expect to manage without a husband.’
Edward sat up to be level with her. She glanced across at him.
‘And a couple like that, living so close to a best friend, would of course, invite that friend for dinner regularly and if that friend were to, say feel tired at the end of the evening and decided to sleep on the couple’s sofa, that would be entirely without note also.’
‘Jane…I…’
‘Come on, Teddy. Don’t you see? It makes perfect sense. I love you. In a brotherly way of course. We enjoy spending time together, we never argue. Don’t you want an end to the questions? And the speculation? And the pity?’
‘But. I thought you wanted me to propose? Our parents are waiting for it.’
‘I do. That’s exactly the point. But Teddy, I love you and I know you. You’re not waiting for the right girl. There’s no such thing.’
Edward blushed despite himself. He opened his mouth to refute her assertions but the way she held his eye made him realise it would be pointless. He hung his head in shame.
Jane tucked her finger under his chin and made him look at her.
‘You are who you are and I am who I am and it’s all going to be marvellous and no one need ever ask us ridiculous, annoying, personal questions ever again.’
His eyes raked her face, wondering if it could possibly be true, that she could know who he was and still want this. She smiled softly.
‘Say a couple like that were to invite a friendly young chap to stay for the weekend. Would you have a particular person in mind?’
Edward coughed uncomfortably.
‘And what would said chap’s name be?’
Edward took a deep breath.
‘Henry,’ he mumbled.
Jane grinned.
‘It really could work you know. Don’t you think?’
‘You do make a very good case for it.’
‘Thank you.’
‘How did you know? Aren’t you appalled? How can you even bear to look at me? Let alone tie your reputation to mine eternally.’
Jane rested back on her elbows and turned her face to the sun.
‘Takes one to know one, so they say. This is not self-sacrifice, you understand?’ She opened one eye and looked him sideways. ‘You would be saving me as much as I’m saving you. Possibly more so. There is no more pitiable crime than an unmarried woman. Or so the women of the village would have one believe.’
‘I think there are far worse crimes in their eyes, and in the eyes of the law, and this would be aiding and abetting one.’
‘Then we’ll have to be discreet. And clever. But we can be those things, for the sake of each other.’ She sat up. ‘What do you say?’
Edward watched her carefully, uncertain what to say. It all sounded so perfect that there had to be a flaw somewhere.
‘Edward.’ Jane got to her knees and took hold of both his hands. ‘Will you marry me?’
He shook his head in amused despair but when he looked up she was still staring at him, patiently waiting for an answer. He chuckled.
‘I’m fairly certain that is supposed to be my line but yes, yes, if you truly believe we can be happy this way.’
‘I do. Oh!’ Jane laughed at her inadvertent pre-empting of their vow. ‘This is probably the moment where we should kiss.’
Edward dropped her hands and ran one of his own nervously over his neatly Brylcremed hair.
‘Sorry, old girl, not terribly good at that kind of thing.’
‘We should probably try it at some point, need to be convincing at the altar if never again.’
Edward swallowed hard.
‘Yes, that’s….true.’
Jane smiled at him kindly.
‘It needn’t be that unbearable. We shouldn’t be passionate enough to scare the aunties and I promise to clean my teeth.’
Edward tried to look cross with her but failed.
‘Is this what I’m agreeing to? A lifetime of being teased?’
‘There are worse things.’ Jane grinned at him, entirely without remorse. ‘How about we settle for a hug in the meantime?’ She opened her arms and Edward held her to him. He pressed his lips into her hair. It smelled of lavender.
‘I do love you, Jane. I only wish it could be in the way the world wants.’
Jane pulled away just enough to look him in the eye.
‘One day, maybe not in our lifetime, but one day, I really believe the world will learn to accept that love is love. Until then, this will do.’ She put her head back against his chest.
‘I wish I shared your optimism. However, in the circumstances, to have found each other is the most marvellous luck. Thank you, Jane, from the bottom of my heart.’