Love Sneaked In (Montgomery Family Trilogy) (42 page)

That evening after dinner, Helen and Matthew, along with Melody and Henry, went to his study to talk about how to prove that Mrs. Arlington was guilty. Helen and Matthew were leaving to go home tomorrow, so they wanted a plan in place.

Mulling the situation over, Matthew said, “Cecilia will be livid when she hears that Helen is back at Collingswood Hall, safe. I think we should have a dinner party for the neighbors and invite her. That way we can watch her reaction when she sees Helen alive and well. We’ll have to give some kind of story about the abduction, because the whole area knows she went missing and that the babies were abducted. No one needs to know she was in a brothel. Does anybody have any ideas?”

“Matthew, we could say that you rescued me from the man that abducted me,” Helen replied, “and since we were so close to London, we went to my brother’s so I could recover from my ordeal. We’ll let people know that you found me before I was harmed. We’ll tell them that the man was going to ransom me, but we foiled his plan. There will still be some scandal, but since I was found unharmed, it shouldn’t be too awful.”

“Helen, that’s brilliant, and I think we can pull it off. It’s just as well that the Bow Street Runner was unsuccessful. Cecilia will think we don’t know of her involvement. I’ll hire some more guards so that you’re constantly with someone at all times. That way Cecilia can’t try anything again.”

Helen hesitated. “Matthew, I know you aren’t going to like this, but we need to use me as bait. You can have the guards hidden so that no one knows about them. Maybe at the party she’ll be so desperate that she’ll make a stupid mistake, and we’ll catch her trying something.”

Henry immediately stood up. “I don’t like it. I will not take the chance that you could be hurt again. Are you sure you didn’t hear anything when you were with Louis that would point to Mrs. Arlington? Did you notice anything about him that may help to find him?”

“Hum, let me think. He was a portly man, probably average height, with light brown hair, and gray at his temples, so he’s probably in his late thirties. His eyes were light brown, and he had a mole on the left side of his lip. He was clean-shaven and was dressed in the latest style. He was definitely cultured, because he spoke like a gentleman.” Then remembering something important, she added, “Wait a minute! He had a scar on his right hand, probably from a burn. That’s all I can remember.”

“That’s a much better description than I was able to get from the thug that had our sons,” Matthew remarked. “When we get back home, I’ll go around to some of the taverns and see if anyone can remember seeing someone of his description hanging around the area.”

Other than Helen’s suggestion to use her as bait, everyone agreed on the plan to have the party to see if Mrs. Arlington would make a mistake that would give her away. Henry and Melody wanted to come to Devonshire, but it just wasn’t possible for Henry to leave London at that time.

Chapter 26

May 1821

Helen and Matthew left the next morning. The weather was so pleasant that they were able to make the trip in four days. They decided they would have the party on the twenty-fifth of May. That would give Helen four days to get everything ready. As they drove up to the house, Helen looked out over the ocean, and emotions overwhelmed her when she saw the beauty of the sea. Seeing it brought back all the wonderful times they’d had with Christina and Catherine. She could see in her mind’s eye the girls playing in the waves with Matthew. She couldn’t wait to ride on the beach as they did last summer.

A footman came out to help them out of the carriage, and Wells greeted them at the door. Helen was so grateful to be home at last. She’d tried to be positive while she was at the brothel, but it had been very difficult. She’d feared she would never see Collingswood Hall again. She rushed upstairs to the nursery so she could see her babies.

When she entered the nursery, Christina and Catherine ran to her, and she knelt down and gave them both hugs. As Catherine hugged Helen’s neck, she said, “Mama, we’ve been so scared! We didn’t think you were ever coming back! The babies are asleep. That’s all they do is sleep. When will they get big enough to play?”

Helen kissed her cheek. “Darlings, I’ve missed both of you so much! Your brothers won’t be able to play for a while, but now that I’m back, you can hold them when I’m with you.”

Christina looked at her. “Mama, I missed you
so
much.” She hugged Helen so tightly around her neck that Helen was moved to tears.

Helen patted her on her back. “Sweetheart, I’m back now, and I’ll never leave you again. Now where are my sons?”

The nursemaid, Katie, came forward. “Milady, they’re asleep in their cribs. They should be wakin’ up soon because it’s time fer them to nurse again.”

Just as Katie finished speaking, Helen heard one of her sons begin to cry. She stood up, ran to their room, and rushed over to their cribs. Nelson was awake and crying, so Helen picked him up and cradled him in her arms as she kissed his forehead.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she gazed at her precious son, so thankful that they were all right. Little Matthew woke up and also began to cry. Helen handed Nelson to Mildred, bent over and picked up little Matthew, then kissed him. She rocked him back and forth in her arms and cooed at him. He quit crying and looked at her as she held him in her arms.

Matthew walked into the room, came over, and put his arm around her and the baby, cradling them. When Helen looked up at Matthew, she saw tears in his eyes, and it moved her greatly. “Matthew, they’re so beautiful. Look how much they’ve grown in just six weeks. I feel as if I’ve already missed so much. At least we’re home now. I’m never going to be separated from them again.”

“And you won’t have to be until they get old enough to go away to school. I can’t get over how much they look like you. Since they’re identical, it’s a good thing that Nelson has that birthmark, or we’d never be able to tell them apart.”

Gazing lovingly at their sons, Helen said, “I don’t need a birthmark to tell them apart. I can do the same thing with Christina and Catherine.”

When Mildred finished feeding Nelson, she traded him for little Matthew. Nelson was cooing and looking around. He was so alert, and such a delight to watch. Helen felt such sadness, knowing she couldn’t feed her sons. That was another consequence that Cecilia had caused. Matthew knelt down, his daughters ran into his arms, and he hugged them close. Their family was together again, just as it was meant to be. Helen met Matthew’s brilliant green eyes and gave him a beatific smile.

Since they had traveled all day, they decided to have their dinner in their sitting room instead of the dining room. Cook had fixed all their favorite foods. They had crab bisque, trout with Sauterne sauce, rice with wild mushrooms, and a vegetable medley. For dessert, Cook fixed lemon custard. Everything was delicious, and they both ate ravenously. Once they finished dinner, they sat down on the sofa to relax and just enjoy being home again.

Helen started dozing off, so Matthew carried her to her room and called for Sally so she could help her get ready for bed, and he went to his room. Jennings was in his room when he entered, and already had steaming water ready for Matthew. After he completed his ablutions, he put on his dressing gown and returned to Helen’s room. Helen was sitting at her dressing table brushing her hair. “Here, let me brush it for you. I just love your hair. It feels like silk, and now that your hair is getting longer, it’s curling up. It’s truly lovely.”

Matthew brushed her hair until it shone. After he finished, he started massaging her neck and shoulders. Soon he had Helen purring from the titillating feelings that were running through her body. Kneeling behind her, Matthew continued to massage down her back as he kissed where his hands had massaged first. Helen felt a haze of fierce sensations rush down her spine. Matthew turned her around and kissed her tenderly as he massaged her breasts. Her nipples grew taut as he gently squeezed them. Helen’s breathing became shallow, and she trembled from the sensual storm that flowed through her body.

As Matthew stood up, he pulled her to her feet. Carrying her to her bed, he gently laid her down, and then he took off his robe and joined her. Slowly, he pulled her night rail up and over her head, then tossed it to the floor. Gathering her into his arms, Matthew tenderly kissed her. He lightly stroked her body with his fingers, and shivers ran up and down her arms. He followed his fingers with gentle kisses.

When Matthew came to her curls, he leaned down, nuzzled them, and inhaled deeply. Parting her lovely thighs, he licked her love bud, and Helen arched upward. As she was nearing her release, he moved between her sweet thighs and sank into her feminine core. He began to move slowly in and almost out, again and again, as their passions soared. Helen felt Matthew lose his tenacious hold on his desire, and he drove into her sheath as a torrent of pleasure sweep them away. Gently pulling her into his arms, they slipped off to sleep.

The next morning, Helen made out the invitations for their party, and then sent the footmen off to deliver them. She met with Cook, and they put together the menu for the party. Helen decided she would set up tables in the music room so they could play cards after dinner. She hired a string quartet to play for the evening of the party. She met with Mrs. Smith and requested that the house be cleaned thoroughly. Once she finished with her meetings, she went upstairs to the nursery and spent an hour with Christina, Catherine, and her sons.

Overall, she had a pleasant morning. At luncheon, she told Matthew about the plans, and he was amazed she’d been able to accomplish so much. That afternoon, she took Christina and Catherine to the garden so they could weed and fertilize around the rose bushes, which she had promised them they could do. The girls had a wonderful time, and Helen enjoyed spending the afternoon with them. The rest of the day passed quickly, and that night, they spent a quiet evening reading in the library.

When Helen finished reading, she brought up something she’d been thinking about. “Matthew, I wanted to talk to you about little Matthew. How would you feel if we called him Winston, instead of Matthew? I don’t think he’ll like being called little Matthew when he grows up.”

“I like the idea. It will certainly save confusion when we’re all together. Little Matthew works now while he’s a baby, but he definitely won’t like it when he gets older, and I know he’d hate being called Wrothford for his title. I know I did. Until he goes away to school, Winston will work best.”

“Oh, Wrothford is terrible! Winston is much better. I’m glad you agree. I’m so glad to be home. While I was in the brothel, I tried to remain positive, but there were times that I despaired, thinking that I would never see you or our sons again.”

Matthew pulled her into his arms and gently kissed her temple. “I felt the same way and knew that if something happened to you, there would be a part of me that would wither and die.”

“Well, fortunately we’ve been reunited, and I never want to be parted from you again. I felt so safe when I woke up this morning in your arms.”

Pulling her closer, Matthew murmured, “Last night was incredible. Now that we’ve confessed our love for each other, making love seems richer and even more fulfilling. I love you more than life itself, and I’m so relieved you decided to forgive me. I was a stupid ass, and I know I don’t deserve you. I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy. We’ll get Cecilia to confess that she’s been behind these attempts on your life and the abduction.”

Helen smiled over at him as she closed the book they’d been reading. “I still think you should let me be the bait so we can get her to confess.”

Matthew gently stroked her hand. “No, I won’t allow you to do that. I’ll figure out some other way to get her to confess. I’m going into the village tomorrow and see if anyone has seen Louis around town. If we can find him, then we’ll get our proof that Cecilia was the mastermind behind this whole debacle. I’m getting tired, so let’s go to bed, and I’ll make sweet passionate love to you all night.”