"I won't marry you. "
"Of course you will," he said. "Why wouldn't you? You followed me around like a puppy dog all those years ago, which was pure misery, because I wanted nothing more than to toss you down in the straw and despoil you, and you were too damned young. Back then I had scruples. Fortunately, nowadays I have none. "
"Then why do you want to marry me?" she said, shoving her hair away from her face.
"I have no idea," he said idly. "I expect I love you. Nothing else could account for such bizarre behavior on my part. I imagine the captain of the packet ship can perform the ceremony. Are you ready?"
She didn't move. She couldn't marry him, and she needed shoes, and she wasn't sure which was the more important to argue about.
"Oh, shoes," he said, noting the obvious. "I have a pair of boots that will do. If you have trouble navigating, I'll carry you. "
"Through the streets?" she said, aghast and amused.
"It's Venice," he said. He reached over the bed and produced a key. "Shall we go, my love?" He held out his arm for her.
She hesitated for just a moment. "Oh, what the hell," she said, and ran into his arms, feeling them wrap tightly around her. He kissed her again, kissed her until she was breathless, and then unlocked the door.
"We'll live in Ireland, I think," he mused as they left the palazzo, wandering down one of the back alleyways. "You'll like it. "
She looked up at him. "I still love you," she said.
"I know you do," he replied with a cheeky grin. "I think we'll have horses. " And they strolled down the narrow alley, across St. Mark's Square, heading for the docks, and no one looked twice.
After all, it was Venice.