Destiny Takes Time
The Proposal
Chapter 21 – The Proposal
In the time that followed, Christine, unknown to anyone else but Raoul, suffered greatly, often crying herself to sleep. Her thoughts so many times wouldn’t let her rest. Over and over she wondered what she could have done to displease Erik so much that he would never want to see her again. It never failed that every night since she had been about four and a half months pregnant, when she went to bed and tried to get settled down to sleep, the baby would begin to move actively in her belly. These times never failed to make her even more pensive.
She could still hear Raoul’s voice in her head telling her not long after she’d discovered her state and refused to marry him, that she didn’t have to continue carrying the baby if she was afraid. Indeed, she knew of some poor girls who had resorted to desperate measures when their lovers had abandoned them after getting them with child. Broken-hearted as she was, though, she could not think of her baby as anything but a blessing. Erik had disappointed her terribly, but she loved him, and being left with at least his child to keep her company was a comfort, not a curse. She loved it already and knew she always would, no matter if it turned out not to be “normal” by others’ standards. Christine couldn’t deny that she was frightened; women died giving birth. However, what worried her most was what might become of her precious little bundle if it inherited its father’s defect and she didn’t survive to care for the infant herself. Even though Raoul did his best to comfort her and promised that her child would lack nothing, she couldn’t be sure that he would want to take on such a responsibility, especially if she were not around and the baby shared Erik’s affliction.
Try as he might, Raoul could not convince her to be his wife. One afternoon, as Christine was just about to go for a walk, he stopped her and took her hand.
“We need to talk,” he said as he led her to the sofa.
“All right,” she answered.
He pulled a small box from his pocket.
“I want you to have this.”
She took it curiously and opened it to reveal a ring.
“Raoul, we’ve been through this before. My answer is the same. I can’t…,” she said, snapping the box shut and gently pressing it into his hand. Christine was grateful to him for all his help, but gratefulness was not the same as love.
“I know that you won’t marry me, but you’re starting to show, Christine. I don’t want people to start looking at you as if you’re a harlot. Just…take it. Wear the ring and let everyone think that you’re married.”
She looked at him a little worriedly. What he said came as unexpected, but she accepted. “All right then. I’ll wear it, but it doesn’t mean that I will ever…”
“I know,” he answered as he slipped the gold band onto her finger.