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“Yes!” his grandmother finally yelled “Yes! She’ll marry you!”

“She can speak for herself,” he said

“No,” Lady D said, “she can’t Quite obviously”

“Yes,” Hyacinth said, nodding through her sniffles “Yes, I’ll marry you”

He lifted her hand to his lips “Good”

“Well,” his grandmother declared “Well” Then she muttered, “I need my cane”

“It’s behind the clock,” Hyacinth said, never taking her eyes off Gareth’s

Lady Danbury blinked with surprise, then actually got up and retrieved it

“Why?” Hyacinth asked

Gareth smiled “Why what?”

“Why did you ask me to marry you?”

“I should think that was clear”

“Tell her!” Lady D bellowed, thuazed down at the stick with obvious affection “That’s much better,” she murmured

Gareth and Hyacinth both turned to her, Hyacinth somewhat impatiently and Gareth with that blank stare of his that hinted of condescension without actually rubbing the recipient’s face in it

“Oh very well,” Lady Danbury grumbled “I suppose you’d like a bit of privacy”