Love Sneaked In (Montgomery Family Trilogy) (21 page)

Why did she keep saying they had so much in common?

That was the second time Mrs. Arlington had said that. When she finally made eye contact with Helen, Mrs. Arlington had that same wrathful expression in her eyes that Helen had seen when she first met her. Matthew’s arm was all tensed up, and he was clinching his teeth.

Helen knew something was going on, but she wasn’t sure what it was. When they returned home tonight, she was going to question him again on his relationship with this woman. It was obvious that they had been more than just acquaintances as Matthew had told her before. There had to more for Mrs. Arlington to dislike her so much.

Matthew took Helen’s arm and started to guide her away as he said, “Good evening, Mrs. Arlington. I hope you’re having a pleasant evening. We would love to stay and chat, but my wife and I were on our way to the drink table, so please excuse us.”

They walked over to the drink table, and Matthew handed her a glass of champagne. He drank his glass down quickly and took another. Helen couldn’t figure out what had him so tense, but she just knew it had something to do with that woman. The string quartet was tuning up, which meant the dancing was getting ready to start. Matthew took her glass from her and sat it down, and they took their places. The opening set was a waltz, and soon Helen was enjoying herself so much that she forgot all about Mrs. Arlington.

After the dance ended, they went over to Lord and Lady Ralston. While Matthew was talking to Lord Ralston, Helen turned to Lady Ralston. “I love the way you’ve decorated your ballroom, and I’m surprised by the amount of people that are here. I didn’t realize there were so many people in the area. I’ve been looking forward to your ball. I thought it would be a good opportunity to meet more of my neighbors.”

“I’m pleased you could attend, and I’ll be happy to introduce you to some of the ladies that are here tonight. Please, call me Cassandra. I’m not a formal person at all. I’m sure we’re going to be good friends.”

“I’d like that, and please call me Helen. I’m surprised we’ve never met before. Do you go to London for the season?”

Cassandra sighed. “We haven’t been able to go for the past four years because I’ve been too busy having children! I have three boys, and they’re only a year apart, so I have my hands full. As much as I love my children, I do hope that I don’t have any more for a couple of years, at least. I need a break. Why don’t we stroll around the room, so I can introduce you to some of my friends?”

She took Helen by the arm, and they began to stroll. Lady Ralston was true to her word and she introduced Helen to several other women. As they walked, Lady Ralston told her all about everyone and more about herself. “My father is Viscount Reading, and I grew up in Yorkshire. I met my husband five years ago when I had my first season. Oh, here are some ladies I would like you to meet.”

Several of the ladies Cassandra introduced her to asked Helen to tea, which pleased her immensely. Helen had always made friends easily, so it seemed that would be true here also. They also talked with Meredith. While standing beside Meredith, Helen said, “I’m looking forward to going to St. Stephen’s on Friday. I thoroughly enjoy working with children.”

“I’m looking forward to it also. Mrs. Mullins will be thrilled with your help,” Meredith said.

Cassandra interrupted, “Helen, there’s another group of women I want you to meet.” Turning to Meredith, she added, “Sorry, Meredith, but I want to introduce Helen to these ladies, so I’m going to pull her away. I’ll see you at church on Sunday. I hope you have a pleasant evening.”

As they approached the next group of women, Helen noticed that Mrs. Arlington was part of the group. Cassandra started to introduce her to everyone, but Mrs. Arlington interrupted. “We’ve already met. Lady Margaret introduced us one day when they were in town. The decorations in your ballroom are delightful, and everyone in the neighborhood seems to be here tonight. Thank you so much for inviting me. You always have such magnificent balls. After all, you’re the most prominent member of society in our neighborhood.”

Mrs. Arlington was gushing all over Cassandra. It was almost embarrassing to watch. Cassandra was polite and took it in her stride. Helen got the feeling that Cassandra didn’t care for Mrs. Arlington. Since Helen was beginning to feel that way also, she was relieved that she wasn’t alone in these feelings of dislike. It was very unusual for Helen to dislike someone, since normally she liked everyone she met.

They moved on and Cassandra whispered, “I don’t like to speak ill of anyone, but I really don’t care for that woman. She’s far too forward, and she’s always fawning all over me. I’m really just a simple person, and it makes me uncomfortable for anyone to do that. I hope you don’t think poorly of me for saying this. I already feel comfortable with you, so I’m hoping we can become close friends.”

Helen was relieved to hear Cassandra say this. “I’m glad you feel that way about Mrs. Arlington, because it confirms my own feelings about her. I look forward to getting to know you better, because I feel the same way as you.” By this time, they were back to where they had started, and they rejoined their husbands. Matthew asked Cassandra to dance, and Lord Ralston asked Helen.

The rest of the evening passed quickly, and just before it was time to leave, a commotion broke out in the card room. Helen and Matthew went to see what was happening, and it was Gregory. Evidently, he’d just lost money in a card game and was accusing the gentleman he’d been playing with of cheating. The situation was escalating into fisticuffs, and Matthew went over to his brother and pulled him away.

“Gregory, please calm down. I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding. How much did you lose? You know you’ve already overspent your allowance, so how do you plan on paying this gentleman?”

With a surly expression on his face, Gregory said, “I’m not going to pay him, because he was cheating!”

The Gentleman spoke up. “I…do not…cheat, sirrah! You have impugned my honor, name your seconds!”

Matthew grabbed Gregory up by his coat and demanded, “You will apologize to this gentleman right now!”

Gregory shrugged Matthew off and retorted, “I will not apologize! He was cheating, and I can prove it. Peter saw the whole thing. This man switched cards under the table. He can demand satisfaction, and I’ll be happy to give it. Peter, Melvin, will you be my seconds?”

They nodded their heads, and Matthew was at a loss for words. His little brother was going to fight a duel, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. After discussion between the seconds, Gregory chose pistols, and the site was to be on the beach at dawn the next morning.

Matthew knew he had to try to convince his brother to apologize. He was too young to fight a duel. If he couldn’t get him to apologize, he would try to get the gentleman, whose name was Barnaby Sexton, to withdraw his challenge. What a way to end the evening. Helen was standing there looking shocked at what had taken place. In fact, everyone in the room was shocked.

What a scandal this was going to create!

When everyone arrived back at the house, Matthew grabbed Gregory’s arm and hauled him to his study. “Gregory, I demand that you apologize to Mr. Sexton. You’re entirely too young to be fighting a duel. You shouldn’t have been playing cards anyway! Why do you keep getting yourself into so much trouble?”

Gregory’s eyes flashed, and his face turned red as he yelled, “That man was cheating, and I want to duel him. In fact, I hope I kill him so he can’t cheat anyone else!”

Running his fingers through his hair in frustration, Matthew realized he wasn’t going to talk Gregory into apologizing. Wearily he replied, “Well, if you won’t apologize, then you need to go get some sleep so you’ll be ready to face him at dawn. Please reconsider and apologize. It’s not too late to change your mind. For God’s sake, you’re only eighteen!”

Gregory just shook his head and stalked out of the study.

Matthew had found out where Barnaby Sexton was staying, so he went to him to try to convince him to withdraw his challenge. If he had to, he’d try to bribe the man into withdrawing.

When Matthew returned home from meeting with Sexton, he went to his study and poured a snifter of brandy and drank it down in three gulps. Matthew had been unsuccessful in getting Sexton to withdraw, and he’d learned that Sexton had fought other duels in the past. He was extremely worried about his brother. The door to his study opened, and Helen was standing there.

Oh God, she was so beautiful.

Matthew just wanted to hold her and make this all go away, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen. She looked at him with concern in her beautiful eyes as she asked, “Matthew, what is going to happen? Is Gregory really going to have to fight a duel? He’s so young. Does he even know how to shoot?”

Matthew poured himself another glass of brandy, and then poured a glass of sherry for Helen and handed it to her. “Gregory’s going to have to do it, unless he changes his mind and apologizes, and I don’t think that’s going to happen. I went to Sexton, the man that issued the challenge, and tried to get him to withdraw. I even offered him five hundred pounds to call it off, but he refused. He said this was a matter of honor. I was the one who taught Gregory how to shoot, and he’s actually quite good, but he’s such a hot head, I’m afraid he’ll do something stupid.”

“Will you be able to go to the duel? I don’t know how they work. I’m so worried over Gregory, and he’s only eighteen, which is entirely too young to be engaging in a duel. Of course, I don’t understand why men think they need to fight them to begin with! At least he does know how to shoot. Could one of them end up dead? Oh, this is truly horrible!”

“Now, my dear, I don’t want you to worry. I’m sure Gregory will be fine. I’ll be there, and since dueling is illegal, I’m hopeful that neither one of them will be seriously hurt. Most of the time, the duelists will purposely shoot wide, so I’m hoping that will happen. This isn’t going to do Gregory’s reputation any good. Well let’s go to bed so I can try to get a little sleep before the duel in the morning.”

There was a crowd of men at the beach the next morning. Gregory looked stony-eyed and determined, but Sexton looked just as determined. Matthew again tried to get Gregory to apologize. “Please, Gregory, just say you’re sorry. This is ridiculous. You’re only eighteen, and I don’t want you to be harmed.”

Gregory shook his head, shrugged off Matthew’s hand, and walked over where the seconds were. Gregory elected twenty paces, and the seconds handed each of them a pistol that had been checked over by both of their seconds.

They stood back to back and walked twenty paces, turned and looked at each other, and waited for Peter call out, “One…Two…Three.”

On the count of three, they fired their pistols.

Matthew watched in horror as his brother fell to the ground. He rushed over to him with the doctor. There was a hole in his brother’s chest, but he was still breathing. The doctor examined him. “We need to get him to his bed right away. The bullet is lodged inside him. I won’t know how serious the wound is until I can examine him further.”

Sexton casually walked away as if he were taking a morning stroll. Obviously, he felt no remorse at all over shooting an eighteen-year-old boy! Matthew got Gregory up to the house, and they carried him to his bed.

As they laid him down, Gregory moaned and opened his eyes. “What happened to my chest…It hurts like hell…Did I at least hit the bastard? Matthew, am I going to…be all right?”

“You need to lie still so the doctor can examine you.” Seeing Wells hovering at the door, Matthew yelled, “Wells, bring me the brandy right now!”

Dr. Moore probed the wound. “I don’t think any vital organs have been hit.” He pulled out his instrument and dug around until he found the bullet and pulled it out. Matthew could tell Gregory tried to be brave, but the pain was just too much for him. He screamed in agony and then passed out.

Once Dr. Moore removed the bullet, he cleaned the wound and bandaged Gregory’s shoulder. He looked over at Matthew and said, “Well, your brother should be fine, as long as his wound doesn’t become infected. He’s a very lucky young man because the bullet missed his heart by inches. You’ll need to watch him for fever, and if any redness occurs, send for me immediately. Change his bandage every four hours, and don’t give him any solid foods for at least forty-eight hours.”

“Thank you, Dr. Moore. I’ll make sure his bandage is changed.” Matthew had Wells escort the doctor out, and then spent the entire day by Gregory’s side. Helen came to check on them several times throughout the day and offered to relieve him, but Matthew refused to leave. That evening Gregory developed a fever, and the wound was red and swollen, so Matthew sent for the doctor.

Once Dr. Moore examined Gregory, he said, “There are definite signs of infection.” He mixed a poultice and treated the wound with it. As he was bandaging the wound, he continued, “You need to change this poultice and put fresh bandages on the wound every four hours as before. If he’s going to survive, his fever needs to break soon, and this poultice has to pull the poison out. Keep bathing him in cool water, and get as much water down him as possible. I’ll return in the morning to check on him. Good luck, my lord. It’s in God’s hands now.”