Their walk took in most of the ship, or at least as much of it as they could in the time they had, and although it consisted of what was almost silence, it was nice.
“Nice,” thought Jessica, “yes this is nice, and it’s almost certainly the last really nice thing that will happen to me for a long while.”
“Nice,” thought David, “nice that we can enjoy one another’s company, but not so nice that I’m going to let it be the last nice thing that happens to her”
They had so far been walking arm in arm, but in the last ten minutes or so of their walk David had leant into their point of contact and Jessica’s arm and hand were more or less fully hugging his upper arm.  Their not-quite-embrace was leaving them both a little addled, partly because of their proximity to one another, but because walking in this way was not too easy, for example getting up stairs of through small doors.
After about a quarter of an hour David steered them up to the port side observation deck.  The stars all seemed to twinkle at them in greeting. To the surprise and delight of both of them the entire are appeared to be deserted.
They walked to the railing at the edge of the deck, which struck out, from the ship, into the centre of the great glass bubble that separated them from the endless vacuum that they floated in.
Jessica’s eyes seemed well caught in gazing at the stars, but her mind was whirling, she knew why he had brought her here.  She knew that she would have to refuse him, she knew that she would have to face whatever was coming alone.  But, as she was keenly aware, she knew that this was to be the end.
They stood for some minutes, silently staring out at the stars, but the silence was making her anxious.
Perhaps she had been wrong, perhaps he wasn’t going to ask.  She thought that she knew that he would, now she began thinking that maybe it had only been hope even though she wouldn’t be able to accept.
She sighed, it was a little louder that she had meant to.
David finally turned to look at her, he would have asked her what was wrong, but it would be pointless.  Instead he asked, “How are you feeling?”
She looked a might surprised at the question, she had been expecting the former.  She sighed again, “Oh, I’m not even sure, I’m feeling sad and nervous, angry yet passive.”
He smile slightly and leaning forward, he brushed away a fleck of hair that had fallen over her eye, “Well I imagine that in cases such as this, those sorts of feelings are completely normal, even natural I’m sure.”
“Yes, I suppose,” she replied, “but there’s also a part of me that’s very excited, that can’t wait to go on this, well, this adventure.  It ought to be interesting to see the person I’ll become.”
David frowned, unsure whether he liked the idea of her changing, “Do you think she’ll be a completely different person?” he said, half jokingly, “are you sure you’d need to change at all?”
“I think that since last night the likeliness of me retaining much of who I was is very small.”
“You think you’ve already begun to change?”
She paused, “Well I’m definitely not the same person that I was this time yesterday.”  He raised an eyebrow, “For instance, there are certain decisions that if I had to make before yesterday, I would choose a completely different option, many things wouldn’t be happening as they are, and it wouldn’t have been for the best.”
“Would I be too presumptuous to ask for an example of one of these decisions?”  The look in his eyes and the tone of his voice seeking to find out the answer to an unasked question.
Her heart skipped a beat, he did mean to ask her, the thought brought an aching heart and a smile to her lips, “Oh, well, things like how I would have reacted to all this, the way with which I dealt with my siblings and friend,” seeing that his head had turned away she reached forward and gently turned his face back to hers, “but more importantly,” her hand still on his cheek, “I would have said yes.”
His eyes took on a glazed look and he was forced to swallow a large lump that had risen in his throat.  His eyes closed in attempt to fight off any tears that were trying to emerge, he fought to find his words, “And I haven’t even asked you any question yet.  Are you refusing me before I can ask, or will you hear it before you say your final no?”
He opened his eyes to find her smile had grown slightly, “You know the answer, but you have yet to ask the question.  Will you allow that to stop you from asking?”  Her face had taken on an expectant look.
It was in this moment that David saw her true needs, she wanted him to ask her.
It was now or never, she deserved to hear what she longed for.
He pulled her hand gently away from where it rested on his face and, not letting go, lowered himself to one knee.
Jessica suddenly found tears unexpectedly spring to her eyes and breathing sharpen and become heavy.
He reached into his jacket and she couldn’t suppress the laugh of joy that that burst from her lips as he pulled out a small square box.
His smile was so earnest that for several moments she forgot.  She allowed the feeling to wash over her.
“Jessica Margaret Faileas, ever since the moment I laid eyes on you I have found myself fully and wholly in love with you.” Releasing her hand momentarily he opened the box to reveal a ring of white gold with four diamonds, two descending from either side of a smoothed square moonstone.
He took her hand and gazing into her eyes, asked, “Will you marry me?”
There was silence in which Jessica found herself welling up, tears springing readily to her eyes.  Nervously she licked her lips, swallowed in an attempt to calm her breathing and whispered, “Yes.”
For a split second David couldn’t quite register what she had replied. 
“Wha-what did you just say?”  He had to be sure.
“I said yes,” her face bursting with the smile that had spread across it, her tears trickling down to the edges of her mouth, bringing a taste of salt, “as if I could ever refuse you.”
David pulled himself to his feet, his face still filled with wonderment as he brought her into his arms and embraced her.  “I don’t believe it,” he murmured in her ear.
They clung to one another for a few moments, savouring the sensation.
Finally Jessica pulled away and looking solemnly from one eye to the other she spoke softly, “wait, I must tell you what I mean by my actions.” 
With a sigh he put her from him, “As long as we are to be together, forgive me, but I don’t much need to know why.”
“Well that’s just the thing,” she started wringing her hands, “What I am saying yes is to your proposal, that one day we shall be man and wife.  That, I promise you.”
“But for now, I need to be away, away from everything, from society, from my family, from my friends and from you.  I need to reclaim my wealth and repair my reputation, I need to prove myself innocent.  Then and only then will I find myself suitable to be a sister and a wife, to be yours.”
He sighed, “I understand and believe me when I say that I have and will always consider you more than suitable to be mine, as I have always and will always be yours.”  And leaning forwards he planted a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Here,” he said pulling back and re-presenting her with the ring, “to seal it.”
Jessica reached forward and taking it, drew it behind her neck.  David frowned lightly as she fumbled for a moment before pulling both hands away.  A smile returned full force at the sight of the ring sliding down the silver chain of her necklace to join the caged gem, where they both now swung along the hemline of her dress.
“Always together,” she murmured, clutching at both, “from now until forever.” and staring at the gem in the cage and the five gems on the ring, she could have sworn that they glowed momentarily with light captured from the stars, almost in conformation.
Then, upon looking up, they locked eyes and, regardless of whether or not anyone was watching, drew one another close until their foreheads met, and without another moments thought, David brought Jessica’s chin forwards and…
“Would Miss Faileas and Mr Jacobs please make their way to the main docking bay.  I repeat, Miss Faileas and Mr Jacobs to the main docking bay.  Thank you.”
Jessica let out a laughing sigh, “I think that someone is scheming to stop us.”  She stroked his face, “Come love, my time is up.”
And walking arm in arm they left the port side observation deck behind them.