Encouraging yourself
She knew that thinking about it wouldn't change anything, but the images wouldn't go away. Raphael had invited her to his family's home for the weekend, which he had done numerous times before. His parents seemed to accept that she had been living with him in London for the past three months, his gentle mother always warm and friendly, and his father, while not openly denying the affair, made it clear that he thought his only child could do better than a young singer in a nightclub.
She and Raphael had gone to the local country club for dinner on Saturday evening, and as they walked outside in the moonlit garden after their meal, Raphael proposed to her. Her stunned expression must have revealed her surprise. 'Darling, it can't be such a surprise,' he'd laughed indulgently; he'd laughed a lot since they'd been together, no longer the distant man she'd met. 'It must be obvious from the way I can't take my hands off you, that I have to keep touching you, that I love you.'