Love Sneaked In (Montgomery Family Trilogy) (13 page)

“Henry wasn’t sure if he wanted to take his seat, but he knew it was expected of him, so he did, and he actually does enjoy it. He feels as if he can help his people by involving himself in Parliament. I’m glad to hear you plan to take your seat. Tell me more about your brother and sister. Will they be coming home for a visit soon?”

Matthew reached for his wine glass and took a sip, then replied, “I received letters from both of them. Gregory should be here next week, and Margaret could be here as early as tomorrow. I hope that won’t inconvenience you. I would have said something sooner, but I just received their letters this morning. You’ll like both of them. Gregory has a wicked sense of humor, and be prepared, he likes to tease. Once he gets to know you, I’m sure he’ll do so with you.”

“That’s all right. Henry was a big tease as we were growing up, so I’m used to that. I look forward to meeting both of them. Tell me about Margaret.”

Matthew looked over at her and smiled. “Margaret is constantly on the move, and she rarely stays still for any length of time at all. It can be quite exhausting just watching her. The twins are particularly fond of Margaret because she plays with them and tells them wonderful stories.”

“I’m sure the twins love her, what with all the energy she has. Children love it when you play with them. My nieces love to have me come for tea, and I spent many happy afternoons with them. I plan to do that with Christina and Catherine.”

“Thank you, Helen. I’m sure the twins will love you once they’ve had a chance to get to know you. Now, tell me more about Kathryn,” Matthew inquired, “She’s very shy and doesn’t talk very much, but I would have liked to get to know her better.”

Sighing, Helen said, “Oh goodness, where do I start. Kathryn has always been quiet, even as a very young child. She’s been artistic her entire life, and she started painting when she was about six years old. She showed a remarkable talent even at that young age. There was an incident a couple of years ago that greatly affected her.”

“What happened?” Matthew asked, as he reached for his wine glass.

Helen hesitated, wondering how much she should say. After all, Kathryn was such a private person that she might not want Helen sharing something so personal. On the other hand, Matthew was family now, and knowing might help him have a better understanding. “One of our uncles assaulted her. Thankfully, Henry and Melody were able to find her before he was able to do any physical hurt, but emotionally, she was broken. It’s made her very wary of men, and she says she’ll never get married.”

Matthew, with a look of concern on his face, said, “That must have been an extremely hard thing for your entire family to deal with. I’m sure your brother must have wanted to kill your uncle for hurting your sister like that. Thank God they were able to get to her before he did your sister any physical harm. If something like that were to happen to Margaret, I would definitely want the bastard dead.”

“Yes, it was very difficult. I’m pleased we’ve talked like this. Every time we talk, I feel as if we get to know each other better.”

Matthew stood up and came over to her, then knelt down. “Helen, I have a gift for you, and I hope you like it. I never gave you a ring, so before I left London, I bought one for you. I hope you’ll wear it as a token of our future friendship. There’s also a brooch to match.”

Matthew took her hand and slid the ring on her left hand right above the gold wedding band she was wearing. He turned her hand over, stroked her palm, then leaned over and kissed it. Helen was overcome with emotion. Matthew appeared to be something of a romantic, which surprised her, while it thrilled her at the same time. Then he pinned the brooch to the front of her dress, where the décolletage of her gown dipped down. Helen found this all quite titillating.

“Oh Matthew, thank you so much. I love this ring, and it fits perfectly. This brooch is also lovely, and I needed one. I’ll be happy to wear both of them in the promise of our blossoming friendship. I’ve enjoyed this evening, and I know we’ll grow to know each other better if we spend our evenings together like this. Since we’re finished with our meal, can we go to the library so I can pick out a book?”

“Certainly my dear, we can go there now.” Matthew stood up, offered his arm to Helen and they went to the library. The one she wanted was too high for her to reach, so Matthew reached for it. When he came back down, she slipped and fell against her, startling Helen.

Matthew turned her around and slowly lowered his head. She could tell he was about to kiss her, and she felt an odd feeling coil in the pit of her belly. When he slowly kissed her lips, an immediate jolt of energy rushed through her body, and she kissed him back eagerly. Deepening the kiss, Matthew pulled her close. It felt so incredible she wanted it to go on forever. This was much better than any kiss she’d ever experienced before. Cupping her breast, he started kneading it, and her nipple grew taut as he gently squeezed it.

Sensations were coursing through Helen’s body, and her breathing became shallow. Running his other hand down her side, he reached down and pulled up her skirt. She felt his hand touch her bare thigh and move upward, until he was touching the red-gold curls covering her core. Feeling her passion rise, her heart pounded as she felt his finger enter her secret place.

The feelings coursing through her body were stronger than any Helen had ever felt before. Having her hand lying on his chest, she could feel his heart beating rapidly, along with her heart. Their tongues were dueling, and with each thrust of his tongue she could barely breathe. She closed her eyes in ecstasy. Flicking his finger across her core, she felt a tingling sensation course through her lower region. Something was building, and she wasn’t sure what it was, but it felt incredible.

Then Matthew gently slowed his stroking, removed his hand, and lowered her skirt. “I’m sorry. I didn’t plan on that happening. I know I promised I’d give us time to know each other better before we became intimate, but I’m not sorry I kissed you. Helen, I’ll wait for you to be ready, but I do desire you and want to make love to you as soon as you’re ready. But, as I promised, I’ll try to control my desire for you.”

Breathless, Helen asked, “I know we agreed to wait, but surely a little kissing would be permissible, unless you would rather not? I found your kiss quite enthralling and I enjoyed your touches.”

Oh, why did he have to stop when he did?

She just knew something incredible was getting ready to happen!

A fine time for him to remember his promises!

“I just don’t want you to think I’m pushing you into something you’re not ready for. I would enjoy kissing you again, as long as you’re all right with it. We need to spend more time getting to know each other. I enjoyed talking with you this evening, and I look forward to having many more evenings like this one in the future. Let me escort up to your room, and I’ll see you in the morning at nine o’clock for our ride.” Matthew walked her to her room, and at the door he smiled, then kissed her cheek and said good night.

It took Helen quite a while to fall asleep that night. She kept thinking about what had happened in the library. Finally, sleep slipped over her as she dreamed of Matthew’s passionate kiss.

Chapter 9

Mid July 1820

When Matthew entered the breakfast room the next morning, he went to the sideboard, piled his plate high with coddled eggs, bacon, kippers, and toast slathered with butter. As he sat down at the table, Helen came into the room, filled her plate, and joined him at the table.

Matthew smiled over at Helen as she sat down. “Good morning, my dear. Are you ready for your first ride on the beach? The tide is low, so the beach will be perfect for our morning ride. I thought that after we take our ride, we’ll visit some of my tenants. I’ve asked Cook to pack us a picnic lunch, as we’ll be gone for most of the day.”

He could see the excitement in Helen’s eyes as she answered, “I’m looking forward to it tremendously. When I caught my first sight of the ocean, it astounded me. I never imagined the ocean would be so breathtaking. I look forward to meeting your tenants, because I feel it’s important that they know me and know that I’m willing to help them.”

After they finished their breakfast, they went out to the stables. Ginny was in the last stall on the right. Helen pulled an apple from her pocket and fed it to her. “Hello, girl. I’ve brought you your special treat,” she said, as she rubbed Ginny’s nose.

Matthew’s horse, Apollo, was in the stall across from Ginny’s, and as Matthew opened it, Apollo started pawing the ground. “He knows it’s time for our morning ride, and he’s anxious to be out of his stall. He’s a great brute of a horse, but he listens to everything I say. I’ve had him for six years, and there isn’t a better horse alive. My father gave him to me for my twenty-first birthday, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. How long have you had Ginny?”

While Helen stroked Ginny’s mane, she replied, “Ginny was my eighteenth birthday present from my brother, Nelson. There’s nothing in this world I enjoy more than riding her. When I lost my father and Nelson so close together, riding Ginny helped me deal with the pain.”

As they led their horses out of the stable, Matthew said, “I’m glad you had Ginny to help you with your grief.”

They took a steep, narrow path down to the sea. Once they were on the beach, Matthew watched her stop her horse and look out over the ocean. He could tell that the sight of the sea was affecting her profoundly. “Take your time getting used to riding on the beach. Your horse’s hoofs will sink into the sand, but when we get to the edge of the water, the sand is firmer. I suggest that we walk them first until you get used to how it feels.”

The beach ran in both directions as far as the eye could see, and they headed east. At first he set a slow pace, and when he felt she was ready, he started to gallop. The wind blew her hat loose, and it fell down her back, but the ribbons kept her from losing it. Her short hair blew all around her face. She looked radiant.

As they pulled back on the reins, she said, “Oh Matthew, I’ve fallen in love with the sea. When you told me about your morning rides on the beach, I never imagined it would be so invigorating.”

Matthew looked over at Helen with an enthusiastic grin on his face. “I told you it was an exhilarating experience, didn’t I? I felt sure you would love it. Here, let me help you down.” He helped her dismount, and then stood there and watched her—immersed in the wonder of the sea, breathing deeply the tang of the salt water and sand. He could see the amazement on her beautiful face, as she felt the sand beneath her feet for the first time.

“It’s absolutely amazing. Can we walk along the beach for a bit?” Helen asked. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I want to take off my shoes and stockings so I can feel this glorious sand between my toes! Do you think it would be all right?”

In response to her question, Matthew knelt down and took her half boots off. While gazing up at her, he untied her garters and slowly rolled down her stockings. His hands were shaking from touching her bare leg, which felt as soft and smooth as the finest silk. It was astonishingly arousing just seeing her beautiful slender legs, let alone actually touching them.

Once Helen had her boots and stockings off, she wiggled her pretty toes in the cool damp sand. He removed his boots and stockings as well, and then rolled up his trousers to keep them from getting wet. Helen held the skirt of her habit up as they walked along the shore.

Helen looked adorable as she laughed and shouted for joy. “Matthew, I want to swim in the sea. It seems quite private here. If I leave my shift on, I should be fine, don’t you think?”

“Whatever you want is fine with me.” He watched as she rushed to remove her riding habit, the excitement of a child gleaming in her bright blue eyes. Matthew stripped off his clothes down to his smalls, and then they clasped hands and ran into the water. He enjoyed just watching her as she played in the waves. As the waves washed in and back out again, he could see the amazement on her face when one minute the water was at her knees, and then the next moment it was at her waist.

While Matthew gazed at her, he was thunder struck…he had fallen in love with her, and it astonished him because he never thought he could feel this way. This wasn’t something that he’d ever expected, but he knew in his heart that he would love Helen for the rest of his life. He realized he couldn’t tell her, because she wasn’t ready to hear it yet. Since Helen had insisted she didn’t want a love match, he would have an almost insurmountable wall to overcome.

When he saw her in her wet shift, he became fully aroused. Her nipples were twin peaks and he wanted to suckle them desperately. Matthew felt emotions he’d never felt before, so he pulled her close and kissed her. When she responded, he deepened the kiss. Unable to resist, he just had to touch her luscious breasts.

Helen gasped as he squeezed her taut nipple. Lowering his head, he suckled her other nipple through her wet silk shift. Raising her chemise, Matthew slid his fingers through her curls, felt her core. Passion shot through his body when he felt how dripping wet she was. He inserted one of his fingers into her tight sheath and began to slide his finger in and out. He felt the muscles of her sweet passage tighten around his finger while he flicked her secret spot with his thumb, and he felt himself begin to lose control. Back and forth, in and out, he moved his fingers. Then she whimpered as she fell over the edge into oblivion for the first time. It was the most blissful sound he’d ever heard.

Helen was so beautiful with the signs of her release glowing on her lovely face. Slowly he removed his hand and just held her in his arms as she came back down to earth. This was the first time in his life he had sought only to pleasure a woman without seeking to pleasure himself as well. With Helen, it was different than with any other woman. He found he could feel pleasure just watching her become lost in ecstasy.

As he held her, he kissed the nape of her neck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so carried away, but you’ve set a fire in my blood that’s very difficult to control. You’re so beautiful, and when I saw you in all your glory, I couldn’t resist. I had to touch you. I know I told you I would wait on you to be ready, but I hope you’ll be ready soon. You seem to enjoy my touches, do you not?”