Nearly Married

Mellie and I have been together for a little over 8 years. My partner of 10 years before that removed my furniture but left me the house just before the '99 eclipse, Mellie's husband buggered off in the September after, and we got together in mutual support, and haven't looked back since. Never a row (although I am sure I irritate her sometimes: try slipping an MG out of gear while she is revving it up at the lights).
Ever since, she has owned a one up one down house in Newton Abbot, purchased with her divorce settlement, making no money on it while renting it out (but with increasing equity) while living in mine (while she has been paying her way in bills and mortgage). Finances kept seperate, she living here almost as a tenant, paying over a regular amount, and me paying for the shopping and bills. Completely seperate banking arrangements.
Imagine my surprise, when last night she suggests a joint account when she sells her place after Christmas, and then doing this place up (there's some damp; the kitchen and bathroom ceilings need re-doing, and both rooms are "tired"; a rotten sash window) and buying a place of our own, the joint account for the mortgage and bills, based on 50% ownership of a new place and mostly joint input of about 6 to 5, me to her. It wont be entirely fair as my unearned equity on this place, and therefore my deposit on a new place, will be considerably more than hers, but I do owe her loads, and I cannot anticipate a circumstance where we will fall out (yes I know). I have never been happier since she moved in, despite occasional bouts of unrelated depression, but that's life. Mortgage will probably be 50:50, and expenses based on income, and still retaining seperate accounts for personal evil doing ie booze, fags, eBay. Obviously all personal indebtedness would be paid off from equity.
And last night, she not only didn't say no to getting married (which she normally does: I ask regularly (she's once bitten twice shy)), but challenged me as to where I would want to do it (Paris, New York, Paignton etc. One of those I didn't dare suggest: Oldway Mansion is more horrid than it looks). It's the drip drip drip of suggestion. I think she has made a decision. Plus obviously at her age she has to make the best of a bad job;-)