Montgomery Family 01 - Lost Pleasures Found (11 page)

And he did.

O
VER THE NEXT few days, Henry and Melody spent as much time together as possible. They went riding through the park and took the gig into the village. They made love everyday and Melody was becoming much more comfortable with her body. Henry made her feel so pretty, because he always complimented her on what she was wearing and how she looked. Before they realized it, Sunday had arrived, and they got up and went to Mass. After church, they had luncheon with the family, and then it was time for Henry to leave. They went out to the stables, and he pulled Melody into his arms and gave her a tender kiss. Then he led Jupiter out; he got on his horse and looked down at Melody.

“Take care of yourself and write me everyday. You don’t know how much your letters mean to me. I’ll write as often as I can and let me know if you need anything at all. If my parents become too unbearable, I’ll find some way to get you out of here. I love you, my darling. See you soon.” Melody stood there and watched Henry ride away; then she slowly turned and walked back to the house.

The next couple of weeks went by quickly, because they started getting ready for Christmas. The duchess had everyone helping with the party they held each year for all their family and neighbors. She looked forward to this, because so far, the only people she had met were at church.

It was getting too cold to go riding, and Melody missed it terribly. Nelson still spent time with her, and she had grown quite fond of him. Since Melody was an only child, she enjoyed having a brother and sisters. It was the best part about living here. She would miss them if Henry was able to find a place for them, but she would still much rather be with him.

Dinner was the hardest time of the day because there was no way to avoid spending time with their graces. They were so cold and unfriendly, that it made the meal very long. After dinner, the men would stay in the dining room and have their port, and her grace would gather the rest of them and go to the drawing room. Melody always hated this part of the day. Her grace would make little hurtful comments about the way Melody looked and how she acted. Nothing she did pleased Henry’s mother. Helen tried to steer the conversation in another direction, but her grace would always find some way to focus the conversation back on her faults. Once the men joined them, Nelson would get Melody to play chess or cards, and then the evening would go better.

Thank goodness for Nelson, for he was such a peacemaker. Melody wished he could meet someone to love. She knew he still mourned his wife, but it was time for him to move on and find some happiness in his life. She wanted him to have the kind of relationship she and Henry had. Of course, Nelson did not seem to be interested in doing this. Helen had told Melody all about Nora, and she could understand why Nelson missed her so much. They had been very much in love and had been so excited about having the baby. When she died, it just devastated Nelson. It was hard enough losing their child, but when Nora died also, it was almost more than Nelson could bear. It did not help that their graces were putting pressure on him to remarry. They wanted him to marry Lady Penelope, now that Henry had married Melody. They really wanted to join their properties together. Lady Penelope was the only daughter of the Earl of Stanton, and the property was unentailed, so Lady Penelope would inherit it upon her father’s death. Helen did not seem to like Lady Penelope very much, so Melody hoped Nelson would not feel compelled to marry her. After having been married to someone he loved, he would not want to enter into a marriage, solely for financial gain.

Finally, the evening ended, and Melody went up to her lonely bed. She usually read for a while, and that normally helped her go to sleep. However, that night, it did not seem to be working. She kept reading long into the night. She heard the clock strike three, so she decided she would go down to the kitchen and get a glass of warm milk. She lit a candle and headed down the hall. As she approached the stairs, she heard a noise. She went to investigate and found Kathryn walking down the hall. She went over to her and started to ask if she was all right, when she noticed Kathryn looking very strange. Melody realized Kathryn must have been sleepwalking, so she gently guided her back to her room. Suddenly, Kathryn stiffened and gave out a startled cry. She looked over and started crying upon seeing Melody.

Melody gathered Kathryn in her arms to comfort her as she said, “Shush, it’s all right, sweetheart. You must have had a bad dream. I found you walking in the hall, but you didn’t seem to recognize me. I think you may have been sleepwalking. Have you done that before?”

“Oh no, I did it again!” she said. “I haven’t done that in years. I used to do it quite a bit, a few years ago, but then it stopped. I hope it’s not going to start up again. My parents get so angry with me over it. They can’t know I’ve done this again. Please don’t tell them about this.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t say a word. Why don’t you get back into bed. I was on my way to the kitchen to get a glass of warm milk, so I’ll get you some. Will you be all right if I leave you alone?” she asked.

Kathryn looked relieved as she said, “I’ll be fine. A glass of warm milk does sound nice. Thank you, Melody, for being so understanding about this.”

Melody went down to the kitchen, got two glasses of warm milk, and returned to Kathryn’s room. “Here you go, Kathryn. Hopefully, this will help you get back to sleep. I’m going back to my rooms now. If you need anything or you ever want to talk, please let me know. Goodnight, my dear.” Melody returned to her rooms and thought about what had happened. She wondered why Kathryn was so scared when she realized she had been sleepwalking. She was sure their graces were appalled that they had a child with this affliction. They probably made her feel as if it was her fault.
Poor
child,
she
could
not
control
this.
She wondered if Henry knew about the sleepwalking. When he returned, she would ask him. Thank goodness, he would be home in the next couple of days.

The next morning, Melody got up and called for her maid. Millie came and readied her bath. This was one luxury she really enjoyed. Melody had always enjoyed a bath, but at home, it was so difficult, because all the water had to be carried upstairs and they only had one maid. Here, all she had to do was have Millie fill the tub.
Imagine
having
running
water
in
a
house!
What
a
modern
convenience!
She took off her robe and night rail and sank down into the tub. Millie had used her special lemon scented bath oil. Henry had told her several times that he loved her scent, and relaxing in the bath felt wonderful. She put her head against the back of the tub and closed her eyes. Suddenly, she felt someone’s arms around her. When she looked up, she saw Henry was there and said, “Henry, when did you get here? I thought you weren’t going to be here until Saturday. My love, I’m so glad you’ve come home. What a pleasant surprise!”

“I was able to leave sooner than I expected. I left last night and rode through the night to get here this morning. I wanted to see you in your bath. You smell wonderful. Hand me that sponge, and I’ll wash your back.” Melody handed him the sponge, and he slowly slid the sponge down her back. Then he lathered both of her arms; only it was not the sponge he was using but his hands. He slid his hands around her shoulders and started stroking her breasts, and Melody felt desire rising in her. His hands moved down lower and lower, until he touched her feminine core, and then he leaned forward and kissed her. As he put his finger inside her, she shuttered, for it felt so sublime. Then he stood up and tore his clothes off. Once he was naked, he stepped into the tub with her. He pulled her to him, so she was straddling him. She could feel his manhood hard against her belly, and it excited her. He lifted her up and then lowered her down onto his shaft. He started slowly moving in and out, by lifting Melody’s hips. Soon, she was writhing and twisting from the pleasure of it all. Henry touched her little nubbin, and she came apart as wave upon wave of pleasure rippled through her. Then Henry surged upward and groaned as he filled her with his essence. She slumped against his chest and sighed deeply. They lay there until the water grew cool. Henry stood up and pulled her to her feet, and they stepped out of the tub. There was a big fluffy towel lying beside the tub, so he picked it up and dried them both off; then she reached for him, pulled him down, and kissed him.

Henry asked, “Did you miss me? Now that was a wonderful way to be welcomed home.”

“That was the best bath I’ve ever had! Anytime you want to help me take a bath, go right ahead!” Melody said.

“I agree that was the best bath I’ve ever had also! How have you been?” he asked. “Have my parents been giving you a hard time?”

“No more than usual. I’m getting used to it by now, and I just ignore them. I’ve developed the ability to not let it bother me. We better put some clothes on before we catch a cold!” she said.

“Why bother, we would just have to take them off again because I’m certainly not satisfied yet.” Henry threw her over his shoulder and carried her to the bed, dropped her in the middle, and fell down beside her. Then he kissed her all over, and they made love again.

They did not come down for luncheon or tea. They did come down to dinner, and Henry’s parents glared at them when they entered the drawing room.

“It is about time that you joined us,” the duke said. “I understand that you got here at ten o’clock this morning, and you could not even be bothered to let us know you were here. Simpson mentioned that you had arrived. Henry, this is simply appalling behavior. This is not the kind of example you should be setting for your sisters.”

“Sorry, your grace, I needed to speak with Melody about an important matter, and then since I traveled through the night, I decided to take a nap. Was there something you needed to see me about?” he asked.

“When are you going to sell your commission so you can start taking care of your responsibilities to this family?” he asked. “You promised you would take over the management of Doncaster Stables in Yorkshire, and you have not done so.”

Henry sighed in exasperation as he replied, “I’ve explained to you on numerous occasions that I need to settle my men first. I’ll have everything taken care of by late March, and then I’ll be more than happy to meet my responsibilities to the family.”

The duchess spoke up and disdainfully said, “It will not be a day too soon for me! Then you can take your wife and get out of here. I am so sick of her and her common ways!”

Melody knew he wanted to explode, but he controlled his anger as he said, “My wife is far from common! Don’t worry, your grace, I’ll be taking Melody with me when I return to my regiment. I’ve found a place for us to live while I finish up with the army. You don’t have to be further bothered by either of us. Now, can we move ahead and go into dinner?”

Everyone went into the dining room. Conversation was very stiff throughout dinner. Henry knew he had not heard the last of this from his father. He was sure he would start in on him again, once the ladies left them alone with their port.

It was just as he suspected; his father had quite a bit more to say. He was being very stubborn about the issue of when Henry would leave the army. He did not want to hear about how his men needed him. He finally told his father that he did not want to discuss it any further and left him to go join the ladies.

The rest of the evening went better. He had a chance to talk with his brother about how he was doing. He was worried about Nelson because he looked tired, and there were lines of tension around his mouth. So he asked, “Nelson, are you all right? You look terrible, and you seem to be all tensed up. Is there anything that I can do to help you?”

Nelson sighed and shrugged his shoulder, then said, “I’m just a little tired. I haven’t been sleeping well, that’s all it is Henry. Father has been after me again about marrying Lady Penelope. Sometimes, I think it would just be easier if I went ahead and did it. I won’t ever love anyone like I loved Nora, and I do need to have an heir. I guess, one female is as good as another. I just don’t like the idea of giving into our father on this issue.”

“I can understand how you feel, but don’t give up,” he said. “You know how selfish Lady Penelope is. She would make your life a living hell.”

“You’re right, Henry. I won’t give in to him. As I told you, when you first got back, I’m planning on going to London for the season, this coming year, and I can find a wife then. I want someone of my own choosing … someone older than the average debutant. I want someone who may have lost her husband and is looking for companionship and not a love match.” Poor Nelson looked so troubled by all this. Henry wished there was something more he could do to help.

“That’s a very good idea. In fact, I know of someone just like that. Remember me mentioning Matthew Bronson. He has a sister who lost her husband about eighteen months ago. I met her, and she seemed quite pleasant. Her name is Mary. She was married to Captain Harrison, and he was killed in Portugal. She has a young son, and she has been struggling financially ever since he died. Why don’t you look her up when you get to town?” he asked. “She may be just what you’re looking for.”