Free Through the Glass by Lisa J. Hobman Page B

now…I’ve never loved you more… S-sorry, I digress…ahem…I was going to do it later…at…at dinner but seeing you like this…beautiful…wearing my favourite outfit yet…I had to do it now…Flick…Felicity…will you marry me?” His words came out in such a rush he could have passed out when he had finished.
    She gaped at him as he kneeled feeling quite vulnerable in every sense before her. He hoped she could see the sincerity in his eyes and not be too distracted by how ridiculous he must look. His heart pounded harder the longer she stared at him. He gulped and pleaded at her with his eyes, suddenly thinking he had made a mistake. He dropped his gaze momentarily along with his hand. When he lifted his head again, she had covered her mouth with her hand and tears had escaped from her glistening eyes.
    Oh no, this wasn’t meant to happen. “Flick?”
    She shook her head. “Oh Jim, I’m so, sorry. I ruined that whole thing. I was just a bit…stunned. And I thought you were joking.”
    He inhaled sharply. “No…I’ve never meant anything more…but I think maybe I shouldn’t have—”
    “Ask me again.” She wiped at her eyes.
    “Sorry?” He was confused.
    Her eyes softened. “Ask that important question again, please, Jim.”
    “Erm…okay…” He took a deep breath, and this time feeling a little calmer, he spoke more steadily. “Felicity, I’ve loved you since the day I met you. You make me so happy. I want to share my life with you. I want to be with you forever. Please will you make me the happiest man alive? Felicity, will you marry me?”
    “Oh yes, Jim! Yes!” She threw her arms around him and they tumbled back on the bed to start all over again.
     

Chapter 5
    September 2003 – East Boldre, Hampshire – Six Years Before the Break-up
    “Oh, my darling, you look…you look…radiant!” Edgar stood dewy eyed as his only daughter descended the wide, sweeping staircase at her family home. Seeing her dad wrought with emotion only served to make tears well in her eyes too.
    She had taken all of ten minutes to choose her wedding dress. It was long and fitted to accentuate her curves. The bottom kicked out and there was a long train to the back. The lace-up bodice was strapless to show off her beautiful décolleté, and the front sparkled with tiny diamantes. She had chosen white roses tied dimply with white ribbon. Her hair was smooth and sleek, in a low bun off to one side and dotted with crystals. To complete the look, she wore a silver tiara with real diamonds that her father had insisted upon for his adorable princess.
    The stunning and in-demand village church had been booked for the wedding ceremony, thanks to the connections of one Edgar Johnston-Hart. The beautiful building wasn’t huge but it held a special place in the hearts of the family, and Flick could think of nowhere else she would rather marry her darling Jim.
    The service was booked for noon on a chilly September Saturday. Flick couldn’t feel the cold. She was too excited. Thankfully, the sun made an early appearance and set a warm glow about the place, even though no one could feel the benefit of its radiating heat, just the colours made it feel warmer. The bridesmaids wore long sumptuous, burgundy gowns and carried white and burgundy roses tied with white ribbon. All four were friends of Flick’s from school and University. They looked stunning.
    The white Rolls Royce had already taken the bridesmaids and Flick’s sobbing mother to the church, and it now returned to take her on her way to becoming a married woman.
    There had been much debate about her name and whether she would take Jim’s as her own. Her mother was totally against it. She did make one valid point, however, that the Johnston-Hart name carried a certain amount of weight and that her Felicity was already building up a reputation using her maiden name as an art dealer at Art and Soul, a small but well thought of gallery on the outskirts of