William gave her that sincere, gentle smile of his and squeezed her hands gently. Courtship was not something he had experienced before but there were certain pieces of knowledge he was aware of, as well as the customs that had been taught to him when he was a young boy by his parents.  It was only proper to do these things as they had been done for ages, tradition being as sacrosanct as it was in their society.  He held her hands while they spoke, his voice cheerful, full of hope.  Their future looked bright together.<br/><br/>"Well, I have never courted someone before either but I do know some of the traditions.  Most of it ... well, that's for us to decide.  We can go through the expected movements but we already know we love each other and what we want for our future. That is a lot of it, isn't it... I mentioned asking your father for permission and we should speak to either your mother or your aunt about setting up for an engagement party perhaps.  We could host it at my parents- er, my home.  It will soon be our home, of course..."<br/><br/>His voice trailed off as he thought of turning the drafty ancestral home of his family into one full of warmth and life again.  Being the only child, the home had passed to him with his parents' deaths and had remained closed up while he was away.  Coming home had meant working on the house, hiring the servants back and trying to turn it into the heart of his practice as well.  It was successful so far but having Catherine living there would complete it, turn it once more into a place he loved to call "home".<br/><br/>"We can speak to your father soon but for now, just know I love you."