Love Sneaked In (Montgomery Family Trilogy) (7 page)

That afternoon, Helen spent quite a bit of time getting ready. She had Sally draw her a bath, and she washed her hair. She used fresh lemons to rinse it so that the gold highlights would shine. Madame Devy had sent over her new gown, and it was simply beautiful. It was aquamarine with an underskirt of deep rose, and it was a striking combination.

Her parents had given her a beautiful strand of matched pearls when she was seventeen, so she decided she would wear them. Once she was dressed, she went down to the drawing room to wait for Matthew to arrive. She felt a shiver of anticipation when she thought about seeing him again.

Matthew arrived promptly at seven o’clock, and Bradford showed him to the drawing room. The green of his eyes was dark and intense, and she could tell he wasn’t happy about something. She hoped it didn’t have anything to do with his visit to her brother.

Helen met Matthew’s gaze as she asked, “How did your meeting go with my brother? While he isn’t intimidating to me, I know he can be that way with others. I hope he didn’t give you too difficult a time. Did he give us his blessing?”

“Your brother was arrogant and tried to be very intimidating, but he did give us his blessing. Of course, he threatened me with my life, if I ever hurt you in anyway, as he so politely put it. At one point, I think he contemplated coming to blows when I told him we would marry even if he didn’t give us his blessing.”

Helen looked at him with astonishment in her lovely blue eyes. “Oh Matthew, you didn’t really tell him that! No wonder you made him mad. Henry doesn’t like ultimatums, so I’m sure he did want to hit you. He has always been an overprotective brother, so I’m not surprised that he would threaten you. I hope you at least reassured him that you wouldn’t hurt me. If I thought for even a minute that you would, then there would be no way I would consider marrying you.”

“I made sure he understood I would protect you and keep you safe. But he made sure that I knew he would have me checked out thoroughly.”

“I’m sure that once Henry does that, he’ll calm down and accept my decision to marry you. Now, when do we want to get married?”

After Helen took a seat, Matthew sat down beside her and took her hand. “I thought we could marry the end of June. I’ll be out of mourning by then, and I don’t see any reason to put it off any longer than that. I need to get back to Christina and Catherine. Will that give you enough time to plan a wedding?”

“I see no reason to put it off either,” Helen replied, looking down at Matthew’s hand and realizing it felt nice holding hands with him. “The thirtieth of June will do well for both of us and will still give me enough time to plan a small wedding. I’d like to get married at St. Nicolas, the parish church in Cranleigh. I’ve always dreamed of being married there. If that is acceptable to you, I’ll go down to Sanderford Park the day after tomorrow and get everything ready. I’ll also talk with my brother and reassure him that this is truly what I want.”

Oh Lord, she could just see Henry now.

He was probably livid over what Matthew had said.

“That will be fine with me. Whatever will make you happy. The only person I would like to invite is Bradley Fox. I’ve been friends with him since my school days. His uncle is Viscount Harrington, and Bradley’s his heir. He’s in town so he won’t have far to come.”

“Are you sure that there’s no one else you would like to invite?”

“My father was an only child and so was my mother, so I don’t have any family other than my brother and sister, and they’re still in school. Margaret is sixteen, and she attends Mrs. Manning’s School for young Ladies in Bath, and my brother Gregory is attending Cambridge, and he’s eighteen. He may want to attend, so I’ll let him know all the details and see if he wants to come down.”

“Are you sure you don’t want them there? I look forward to meeting both of them.”

Matthew shrugged. “Margaret is just too far away, but I’ll try to get Gregory to come. Helen, I want you to know that I’m very pleased that you’ve agreed to be my wife. I know we’ll be very compatible. I promise to take care of you and be your friend. Since we’re now officially engaged, I’d like to kiss you, all right?”

Helen nodded, and Matthew helped her stand up and gently kissed her. His lips felt warm and moist, and Helen felt heat run through her body, finding his kiss very tantalizing. It was a brief kiss, and she would have preferred him to kiss her with more passion. Of course, this wasn’t a love match, so maybe it would be better if he didn’t kiss her that way. When he stepped back, he smiled. “Shall we be off? My carriage awaits, my dear.”

When Helen and Matthew arrived at the Royal Opera House in Covent Gardens, they ran into Susan and her husband. “Good evening, Susan. Arthur.” Helen looked up at Matthew and said, “Lord Collingswood, this is Lord and Lady Hastings. Lady Hastings and I volunteer together at the orphanage.” She smiled at Susan and her husband as she added, “Please, let me introduce you to the Earl of Collingswood.”

Matthew shook hands with Lord Hastings. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.” Then he addressed Lady Hastings, “Lady Helen has mentioned you on several occasions. I know she values your friendship greatly.”

Helen spoke up. “Susan, I’ve agreed to marry Lord Collingswood, and we’re getting married on the thirtieth of June. I hope you’ll be one of my attendants. We’re getting married at St. Nicolas in Cranleigh. Please say you’ll come.”

Susan grinned and gave her a hug. “Oh Helen, I’d be honored. I hope you’ll be as happy as my husband and I have been. You never said a word to me, you sly thing! I had no idea you were even thinking about getting married. Have you picked out your colors for the wedding yet? I’m sure your mother is thrilled.”

“No, Susan, I haven’t picked out anything yet, and my mother doesn’t know about my engagement. Lord Collingswood just returned from speaking with Henry today. I’m going to Sanderford Park the day after tomorrow, and Melody and I will plan everything then. I’ll send word to you as soon as I make my plans.”

“I’ll be happy to help you. Just let me know what I can do.”

“Thank you, Susan. Well, we need to go to our box. The opera is getting ready to start. I’ll tell you more tomorrow, when we go to the orphanage. See you then.” Matthew and Helen turned and made their way to the ducal box they were using.

They had a pleasant evening at the opera, and when he returned her to Lady Helton’s, he tenderly kissed her lips. “I’m pleased you’ve agreed to be my wife. I know we’ll get along splendidly. I’ll take my leave now, and I’ll see on the twenty-ninth.” As she watched him leave, she wondered what it would be like if he did kiss her with passion.

Oh well, that wasn’t what she needed.

All she wanted was a nice, safe, unemotional marriage.

She would save her love for her children.

Chapter 5

Late May 1820

The next day, when Helen arrived at the orphanage, Susan rushed over to her and hugged her. “Helen, I can’t believe you’re getting married. You’ve only known Lord Collingswood for a couple of weeks. How in the world can you be in love with him this quickly? You told me you’d never fall in love again. I’m happy for you, but I must say I’m shocked.”

Helen hesitated before she spoke, wondering how much to say, but since Susan was really her closest friend, she decided to tell her everything. “Susan, it’s not a love match. You’re right. I don’t want to fall in love again. I’m marrying Matthew because I’m ready to be a mother, and I can’t do that without a husband. We’ve decided that we would suit, and since he already has children, I’ll be a mother right away. We actually have quite a bit in common, and I know I’ll be very content. Please, just be happy for me.”

Susan looked disappointed, but then she smiled. “I had hoped you would meet someone and fall in love. I know how hurt you were over the dastardly thing the Duke of Somerset did. I just wish you were in love with Lord Collingswood. Of course, he’s deliciously handsome, so I can always hope that love will grow between you. He seemed to be a very pleasant gentleman. Of course, I wish you happy.”

Helen was relieved that Susan had capitulated so quickly. She hoped she would get the same reaction from Melody, but she doubted it. “I promise you, this is what I want. He lives in Devonshire next to the sea, and I feel that I’ll love that, and we truly are very compatible.”

“That does sound fascinating. I’ve been to the sea with Arthur, and I found it quite exhilarating. I do wish you knew him a bit better.”

“I know that two weeks doesn’t seem like much time to get to know one another, but we saw each other two times a day, and since we had already decided to see if we would suit, we intently focused on whether we would be compatible. Now, help me decide on the colors for my wedding. It’s going to be small, and you and Kathryn will be my only attendants.”

As they played with the children, Susan and Helen discussed the wedding. Helen ended up choosing ice blue and silver as her colors, and Susan gave her several additional suggestions for her wedding. As they were leaving, Susan promised to come down to Sanderford Park three days before the wedding to help with the final details.

Helen left for Sanderford Park the next day. She didn’t see Matthew before she left. Kathryn told Helen that she felt terrible about not going with her, but she couldn’t take time off from the Art Institute. She would come down with Aunt Miriam for the wedding and promised to get with Susan about their dresses for the wedding.

It was a peaceful drive, and Helen caught up on her reading. While she wasn’t the avid reader that Melody was, she still enjoyed a good book every now and then. Trepidation consumed Helen when she thought about seeing Henry and Melody, because she knew they weren’t going to be happy about her decision to marry without love. They had a love match, and she knew that was what they had wanted for her.

When Helen’s carriage pulled up under the portico, one of the footmen came down the stairs, lowered the steps for her, and helped her out of the carriage. Simpson was there to take her wrap. “It is good to see you, Lady Helen. The family is in the drawing room getting ready to have tea.”

“Thank you, Simpson. I’ll go right in.” As Helen approached the drawing room, she hesitated and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Then she went in and said, “Hello, everyone. It’s so good to see all of you. How are my precious nieces and nephews?”

Melody ran over to her and gave her a hug. “The children are as full of energy as ever, and Magnus is a delightful baby. He’s already sleeping through most of the night. Helen, it’s wonderful to see you. We received your note letting us know you were coming.”

“I’m glad all of you are well. Now, let’s discuss my wedding plans,” feeling it was better to get it all out in the open.

“You know four weeks is not much time to plan a wedding. Are you sure you don’t want to delay it until later in the summer? I just feel that you’re rushing into this marriage, and I don’t want you to regret it later. If you waited until August, it would give you time to be sure, and it would give us more time to plan.”

“I know it isn’t much time, but I’m confident we can get everything done. Susan and I met yesterday, and she gave me some excellent suggestions. I promise you, I won’t regret this marriage.”

“But Helen, you’ve only known him for a couple of weeks. How can you be sure this isn’t a mistake?”

“Matthew and I are very well suited. We have many common interests, and I feel that I’ll love living by the sea. You would be surprised how well you can get to know someone, especially when each person has a goal in mind.”

“What do you mean a goal in mind?” Melody asked as she sat down and started pouring everyone their tea.

“The second day I met Matthew, we agreed to spend two weeks getting to know each other, and if we felt we would suit after the two weeks, then we would marry. I found Matthew to be sincere and very candid, and I know that I can trust him. This may seem a cold way to decide to get married, but this is what I want.”

“Well, trust and respect are important in a marriage,” Melody replied, then sighed, with resignation in her voice, she asked, “Helen what kind of wedding did you have in mind?”

“I don’t want a large wedding,” Helen explained, “mainly just family and the neighbors. I never dreamed about a big wedding at St. George’s, like so many of the ton have. I just want to get past the wedding and get on with my life.”

“I know you’ve always wanted to marry at St. Nicolas’s, and I can understand you wanting to get on with your life. What have you planned so far?”

“Mainly just the colors, and of course, Matthew told me who he wants to invite. Kathryn and Aunt Miriam will come down closer to the time of the wedding, and Susan and her husband will be here a few days early. She’s promised to help us with the last minute details. Kathryn didn’t feel she could afford to be away from the Institute for very long.”

“How is Kathryn? Her letters only talk about the Art institute. I hope she’s at least going to some of this season’s parties.”

“Kathryn goes, but she isn’t very enthusiastic about it. She’s so enthralled by all she’s learning, it’s to the point where she can think of nothing else. Let me tell you, she’ll immediately want to paint you with Magnus. She’s already said something about it to me.” Helen decided to mention Matthew’s arrival and her hopes that they would make him feel welcomed. “Matthew will be here on the twenty-ninth. Please welcome him into the family.”

“Of course, we’ll welcome him. I’m sure he’s a wonderful man, or you would never have agreed to marry him.”

Accepting Melody’s word, Helen turned to Henry and asked, “How are you Henry? Have you been missing Parliament? I’m sure your colleagues are missing you.”

Henry shrugged his shoulders. “Not particularly. Even though I know I’m not taking care of my responsibilities, I would much rather spend time here with my family.”

“I can understand that. Thank you for giving me your blessing, Henry. That means the world to me.”

“Now, sweetheart, we need to talk. I’m concerned about you rushing into this marriage and that you’ll live to regret it later. I know this is what you said you wanted, but I had hoped you would give yourself more time to get over your disappointment regarding the situation with the Duke of Somerset. You deserve to have someone who will love you, not just see you as a mother for his children. Will you please reconsider and at least delay the wedding? Please give yourself time to make sure this is what you want.”