罗伯特第一次读了她的诗后给她写了封信：“亲爱的巴雷特小姐，我全心全意地爱你的诗篇——正如我所说，我确实全心全意地爱这些诗篇。”

有了这第一次心灵的相遇，两人之间的恋情就会绽放。伊丽莎白告诉马丁夫人，她“与诗人、神秘主义者罗伯特·勃朗宁的通信越来越深入；我们正逐渐成为最真诚的朋友。”在20个月的求爱期间，这对夫妇交换了近600封信。但是什么是没有障碍和艰辛的爱呢？正如弗雷德里克·凯尼恩（Frederic Kenyon）所写，“布朗宁先生知道他要求允许他管理一个病人的生活，他相信她确实比实际情况更糟糕，她绝望地无法自立——但他确信他的爱不会阻碍她。”

婚姻的纽带

他们后来的婚姻是秘密的，于1846年9月12日在马里勒本教堂举行。她的大多数家庭成员最终接受了这场比赛，但她的父亲与她断绝了关系，不愿打开她的信件，也拒绝见她。伊丽莎白支持她的丈夫，她认为他救了她的命。她写信给马丁夫人：“我钦佩他的坚毅、正直等品质。我爱他，因为他在逆境中表现出的勇气，而他对逆境的感受比我所能感受到的更为真实。他始终对我的心灵拥有最大的力量，因为我是那些敬畏强者的弱小女性。”

从他们的求爱和婚姻的早期开始，诗意的表达溢于言表。伊丽莎白终于把她那小包十四行诗送给了她丈夫，而她丈夫却不能把它们留给自己。“我不敢，”他说，“为自己保留自莎士比亚以来用任何语言写成的最好的十四行诗。”该集最终于1850年以“葡萄牙人的十四行诗”的形式出现，“除了罗塞蒂之外，没有一位现代英国诗人像这两位在自己的生活中给出了最美丽的爱情例子的诗人那样，以如此的天才、如此的美丽和如此的真诚来描写爱情。”

勃朗宁一家在意大利生活了15年，直到1861年6月29日伊丽莎白死在罗伯特的怀里。就在他们住在意大利的时候，他们俩写了一些最难忘的诗。

情书

罗伯特·勃朗宁和伊丽莎白·巴雷特之间的浪漫故事是传奇。这是罗伯特·勃朗宁给伊丽莎白的第一封信，伊丽莎白最终成为了他的妻子。

January 10th, 1845 New Cross, Hatcham, Surrey I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett,--and this is no off-hand complimentary letter that I shall write,--whatever else, no prompt matter-of-course recognition of your genius and there a graceful and natural end of the thing: since the day last week when I first read your poems, I quite laugh to remember how I have been turning again in my mind what I should be able to tell you of their effect upon me--for in the first flush of delight I thought I would this once get out of my habit of purely passive enjoyment, when I do really enjoy, and thoroughly justify my admiration--perhaps even, as a loyal fellow-craftsman should, try and find fault and do you some little good to be proud of herafter!--but nothing comes of it all--so into me has it gone, and part of me has it become, this great living poetry of yours, not a flower of which but took root and grew... oh, how different that is from lying to be dried and pressed flat and prized highly and put in a book with a proper account at bottom, and shut up and put away... and the book called a 'Flora', besides! After all, I need not give up the thought of doing that, too, in time; because even now, talking with whoever is worthy, I can give reason for my faith in one and another excellence, the fresh strange music, the affluent language, the exquisite pathos and true new brave thought--but in this addressing myself to you, your own self, and for the first time, my feeling rises altogether. I do, as I say, love these Books with all my heart-- and I love you too: do you know I was once seeing you? Mr. Kenyon said to me one morning "would you like to see Miss Barrett?"--then he went to announce me,--then he returned... you were too unwell -- and now it is years ago--and I feel as at some untoward passage in my travels--as if I had been close, so close, to some world's wonder in chapel on crypt,... only a screen to push and I might have entered -- but there was some slight... so it now seems... slight and just-sufficient bar to admission and the half-opened door shut, and I went home my thousands of miles, and the sight was never to be! Well, these Poems were to be--and this true thankful joy and pride with which I feel myself. Yours ever faithfully Robert Browning