Words on a page

Marguerite was very distressed.
It was just yesterday that she accepted Christopher Tout's marriage proposal, and she was very distressed. Ceci laughed heartily at her poor cousin's countenance as she crossed the room to the window where Marguerite sat.
"Underneath it all," Ceci said, beaming down at her, "I know you're in a state of absolute ecstasy."
Marguerite lifted her furrowed, worried face towards her cousin. "You're quite right," she said. To Ceci, the bright, joyful glow in Marguerite's eyes betrayed her delight. She knew her cousin well enough to recognize the way in which she hid her joy. She also understood, though not completely, the overwhelming enormity this engagement promised; how it meant to completely change dear Marguerite's life and shape her future. "Ceci," Marguerite said quietly, gazing listlessly down at her hands folded in her lap, "I can't concentrate on any one thought! What am I to do now?"
"Hmmm," Ceci hummed, reaching out for Marguerite's hands. She helped her cousin to her feet and wrapped her arm about her own. "First, you and I will go downstairs and see what your father has to say about the business. I expect your Mr. Tout has spoken to uncle?"
"Oh, yes, my... Christopher called early this morning," Marguerite replied.
"Hmmm," Ceci hummed again. She carefully guided her unsteady cousin down the stairs to the doors of her uncle's study. She rapped smartly on the thick door.
Of a sudden, Christopher Tout burst forth, missing Marguerite's shoulder but hitting Ceci's toe.
Ceci bit her lip to keep from yelping. When she looked up to Christopher's face, she started. She'd never seen a face so transfigured. He looked like a saint, his face was so aglow. And when his dark eyes fell on Marguerite, they very nearly glimmered with delight. Ceci released her cousin's arm, for Marguerite's face was fixed on his. He grasped her hands and pressed them to his chest. As he began to lift her fingers to his lips, Ceci stepped back around the corner into the hall, out of sight. As she turned in retreat, she just heard Christopher whisper, "He's given his consent."
Ceci abandoned her cousin, ducking out into the garden and climbing carefully over the garden fence. For some absurd reason, her face was flushed and her hands trembled slightly. The passionate happiness she'd accidentally come upon in that house brought unbidden thoughts to her mind and an odd extra warmth to her skin. She headed through her uncle's pastures, traveling the lonely way back home.