take our relationship further if we wish." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, watching her reaction. "Do you want to take it further?" He knew he did. If he'd thought she'd say 'yes,' he'd propose then and there.
Hyacinth bit her lip. "I suppose that depends on what you mean by taking it further." She wasn't certain she was ready for more than their casual courtship at this point, but she did have strong feelings for him. She just had to make certain he could remain sane.
He frowned. "I suppose I mean that I'm thinking it would be nice to maybe shop for an engagement ring and talk to your father about the possibility of us marrying."
"Let's give it another week or two," she suggested. She just wanted to make sure that his Tuesday strangeness didn't return. He was an odd man, and while she cared for him a great deal, she wasn't sure if she could deal with his 'affliction' very well. Of course, if he asked, she wasn't certain she could say 'no.'
"I can wait." He knew she was very young. He was ready for marriage, but that didn't mean she would be. "We'll talk about it again in a few weeks." She was being sensible, he realized, whether he wanted her to be or not. Her fath er would most certainly approve, even if Lawrence didn't.
Hyacinth's favorite part about spending time with Lawrence was that she genuinely enjoyed his company. They had lunch at the diner, and then they walked through the main part of town, doing a bit of window shopping. She clung tightly to his arm as they walked, and people that she recognized seemed to do double takes when they saw her. It was as if they were surprised to see her happy with a gentleman beside her.
"I got a letter from my mother yesterday," he told her. He hadn't talked to her much about his mother, but he'd talked to his mother a lot about her...through letters, course.
"Oh, really? What did she have to say?" Hyacinth was almost afraid to know. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if she had a son who was courting a young lady she'd never met. She'd definitely not want him to marry before she had a chance to meet the woman in question.
"She wants to meet you. I wrote her and told her I'd found a young lady who enjoyed writing as much as I do and who came from a good family who I am hoping to spend the rest of my life with. She said to give you her love, and to tell you that you need to make the trip to New York to meet her as soon as you get the chance." He watched her, wondering how she'd react to the idea of going off to New York.
Hyacinth frowned. "I can't just take off and go to New York. My mother would be mortified." He must not know her mother well at all if he thought that would be acceptable.
"Well, Daisy just took off to be a mail order bride, didn't she? What's the difference, other than you wouldn't expect to marry as soon as you got off the train." He wasn't certain why one was all right and the other wasn't. Surely if one daughter was allowed to take a train trip alone, then they all would be.
She grinned. "The main difference is that Mama went with Daisy when she went to be a mail order bride." She had to stifle the giggle that sprang to her lips at the look on his face when she said the words.
"You mean...she actually had to go to meet her future husband with her mother right there beside her?" He was stunned that Mrs. Sullivan had taken things that far. Surely she had to know that mail order brides were not supposed to show up with their mothers in tow.
"Yes! Jasmine told the whole story to us younger girls when she got back. She said that Eli didn't know she'd brought her mother and sister along, so when he saw her at the station, he grabbed her and just started kissing her right there in the middle of town in front of God and who knows who else...and our mother. Mama insisted he let her go, and he did, but he wouldn't put off the marriage even for a day.
Hyacinth bit her lip. "I suppose that depends on what you mean by taking it further." She wasn't certain she was ready for more than their casual courtship at this point, but she did have strong feelings for him. She just had to make certain he could remain sane.
He frowned. "I suppose I mean that I'm thinking it would be nice to maybe shop for an engagement ring and talk to your father about the possibility of us marrying."
"Let's give it another week or two," she suggested. She just wanted to make sure that his Tuesday strangeness didn't return. He was an odd man, and while she cared for him a great deal, she wasn't sure if she could deal with his 'affliction' very well. Of course, if he asked, she wasn't certain she could say 'no.'
"I can wait." He knew she was very young. He was ready for marriage, but that didn't mean she would be. "We'll talk about it again in a few weeks." She was being sensible, he realized, whether he wanted her to be or not. Her fath er would most certainly approve, even if Lawrence didn't.
Hyacinth's favorite part about spending time with Lawrence was that she genuinely enjoyed his company. They had lunch at the diner, and then they walked through the main part of town, doing a bit of window shopping. She clung tightly to his arm as they walked, and people that she recognized seemed to do double takes when they saw her. It was as if they were surprised to see her happy with a gentleman beside her.
"I got a letter from my mother yesterday," he told her. He hadn't talked to her much about his mother, but he'd talked to his mother a lot about her...through letters, course.
"Oh, really? What did she have to say?" Hyacinth was almost afraid to know. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if she had a son who was courting a young lady she'd never met. She'd definitely not want him to marry before she had a chance to meet the woman in question.
"She wants to meet you. I wrote her and told her I'd found a young lady who enjoyed writing as much as I do and who came from a good family who I am hoping to spend the rest of my life with. She said to give you her love, and to tell you that you need to make the trip to New York to meet her as soon as you get the chance." He watched her, wondering how she'd react to the idea of going off to New York.
Hyacinth frowned. "I can't just take off and go to New York. My mother would be mortified." He must not know her mother well at all if he thought that would be acceptable.
"Well, Daisy just took off to be a mail order bride, didn't she? What's the difference, other than you wouldn't expect to marry as soon as you got off the train." He wasn't certain why one was all right and the other wasn't. Surely if one daughter was allowed to take a train trip alone, then they all would be.
She grinned. "The main difference is that Mama went with Daisy when she went to be a mail order bride." She had to stifle the giggle that sprang to her lips at the look on his face when she said the words.
"You mean...she actually had to go to meet her future husband with her mother right there beside her?" He was stunned that Mrs. Sullivan had taken things that far. Surely she had to know that mail order brides were not supposed to show up with their mothers in tow.
"Yes! Jasmine told the whole story to us younger girls when she got back. She said that Eli didn't know she'd brought her mother and sister along, so when he saw her at the station, he grabbed her and just started kissing her right there in the middle of town in front of God and who knows who else...and our mother. Mama insisted he let her go, and he did, but he wouldn't put off the marriage even for a day.
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