Love Sneaked In (Montgomery Family Trilogy) (19 page)

For the drawing room, Helen had the walls painted a pale silvery blue and had new drapes made in a deep gray blue. She had the furniture reupholstered in a paisley print with the right shades of blue and gray and just a touch of mauve. The Persian carpet in the music room was in good shape, and it had the right colors in it, so she had it put down in the drawing room.

The dining room Helen did in soft shades of pale yellow with accents of green. She particularly liked the way the dining room turned out. There was just something about those colors that made the room warm and inviting.

For her room, she found peach and cream flocked wallpaper. She had the drapes made out of muslin that matched the wallpaper, and it helped to give the room a light and airy look. The new counterpane was a deep peach with ecru lace trim around the edge. The bed skirt was a striped fabric with several shades of peach and cream.

In the sitting room, Helen placed two deeply cushioned chairs in front of the fireplace, and this winter she pictured the two of them spending quiet evenings by the fire. She did have to buy a new oriental carpet, because the one that was already there wouldn’t go at all.

Then Helen went to the nursery and had it painted a soft shade of yellow. The furniture was a dark wood, so to help brighten up the nursery, she had it painted white and had curtains made of a deeper shade of yellow with small white flowers woven into the fabric. For the girls’ bedroom, she painted it a delicate pink with deeper rose curtains at the mullioned windows.

Helen found a local artist and had him paint a fairy castle in a rose garden across one wall. Christina and Catherine got so excited when they saw the mural that they ran to her and hugged her tightly. By the end of the week, the house was coming along nicely, and she would start on the rest of the rooms next week.

On Sunday, they went to the parish church and Helen took the children with them. Since their behavior had improved so much, she felt they would do fine. Christina and Catherine were actually excited, because they had never been to church before. Margaret came along, but Gregory and his friends decided to stay home, since they’d been out late the night before. It felt so right to be in church with Matthew. It was the first time they had attended mass since their wedding. Helen had always loved going to church, and it was an even richer experience, sharing it with Matthew.

As they were waiting to speak to the vicar, Helen turned to Matthew. “I’d like to invite Vicar Winslow and his wife to dinner tomorrow night. Would that be all right with you?”

“I think that would be an excellent idea. Please do.”

When it was their turn to speak with the vicar, Helen said, “Vicar Winslow, I enjoyed your sermon today. I’d like to invite you and your wife to dinner tomorrow night at seven o’clock. Would that be convenient for you?”

Vicar Winslow looked over at his wife and she nodded. “Thank you for asking us. That would be delightful. We look forward to it.” Matthew smiled approvingly at her and it pleased her that he liked the idea of having the vicar and his wife over.

Once they returned home from church, she talked Matthew into taking the girls to the beach again, and they had a lovely time. They played in the water for at least an hour, and then they built another sand castle. The wind started to pick up, and it looked like there was a storm brewing out over the sea, so they packed up everything and hurried up to the house. The rain started just as they got back. The girls were asleep on their feet, so they carried them up to the nursery and turned them over to Katie.

Helen and Matthew walked down to their sitting room, and as they entered she said, “Well, that was a close call. I was sure we were going to be rained on. That was so much fun. Did you notice how much better behaved Christina and Catherine are? I’m so glad I found Miss Wilson. She has done an astonishing job with them. They’re both very bright children, and they have learned their letters and numbers much quicker than I would have thought possible.”

Matthew sat down next to her on the sofa. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for my daughters. They’re like different children, since you came here. You’re a wonderful mother, but I knew you would be.”

“Thank you. I’ve already grown quite fond of your daughters. I’m glad you liked the idea of inviting Vicar Winslow and his wife to dinner tomorrow night. They seem like a nice couple and close to our age, don’t you think? She looks vaguely familiar to me for some reason. I wonder if I’ve ever met her before.”

Picking up Helen’s hand, Matthew began to play with her fingers. “I’m glad you invited them. They do seem like a nice couple and I agree she does look to be close to your age. I want you to have friends here, because I know you had quite a few in London.”

“I do want to get to know some of the women here. I also think it’s important to get to know the vicar. I used to help our vicar in Cranleigh, and I want to do that here also.”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” then with a look of gratitude on his handsome face, Matthew said, “I’ve wanted to tell you, what you have accomplished with the house is just short of being miraculous. I worry that you’re doing too much. I know you haven’t been getting much sleep lately. I hope you don’t mind that I can’t keep my hands off you.”

Helen laughed and coyly looked at him. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have a secret. I’ve been taking a nap every day for an hour right after tea, so that I’ll be able to stay awake for you at night. I’m glad you’re pleased with my decorating endeavors. I’m going to start on the rest of the house next week. Would it be all right if I redecorated your room? Just let me know what your preferences are, and I’ll make sure that I keep those in mind when I decorate it.”

“I’d love to have you decorate my room. It’s much too dark for my tastes. The furniture is in good shape so there’s no need to replace it. Oh, and I would say that I would join you for your nap, but that would defeat the purpose of you taking it!”

Laughing, Helen said, “You’re right about that. Oh, I just remembered, we have the Marquess of Ralston’s ball to go to on Wednesday night. How well do you know them?”

“Actually, I went to school with him. He was a few years older than I was, and he wasn’t the marquess then. Over all, we got on quite well. He actually tried to protect Bradley and me from some of the bullies in school. I also know he’s very well thought of by all of our peers and is active in Parliament. I’ve only met his wife a few times, but she seems to be a lovely person.”

“Well, I look forward to meeting both of them. Do you have any plans for this afternoon? I think I’ll just stay here in our sitting room and do a bit of reading.”

“I’m meeting with Wilcox, and we’re going out to the Wilkerson’s farm,” Matthew said, while continuing to toy with her hand. “He broke his leg recently, and I want to see if he needs anything. His wife is with child, and she isn’t able to do any of the heavy work, so I thought I’d get him some extra help while he’s laid up.”

Helen was pleased that Matthew was such a conscientious landowner. He truly cared for his tenants and that just made her love him even more. “Do you want me to come with you? We could get Cook to put together a basket for them and take it with us. I want to be actively involved with your tenants, so I’d like to go with you, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Are you sure you want to come out in the rain? We can take the carriage so that you don’t get too wet. If you’re coming, I’ll let Wilcox know that he doesn’t need to go after all.”

“A little rain won’t hurt me. I’ll go to the kitchen and get Cook to prepare the basket and meet you out front in fifteen minutes.”

Mr. and Mrs. Wilkerson were overwhelmed by the basket of food and Matthew’s offer to find extra workers to help out until Mr. Wilkerson was back on his feet again. Mrs. Wilkerson offered them tea, and because Helen realized it was important for Mrs. Wilkerson to offer them her hospitality, she agreed. Helen went with her into the kitchen to help her prepare it.

Noticing how immaculate the kitchen was, Helen said, “Mrs. Wilkerson, I like your kitchen. I love those pretty curtains at your window. Did you make them yourself?”

As Mrs. Wilkerson prepared the tea, she answered, “Yes milady. I made all the curtains in th’ house. I’ve always liked t’ sew. Me mother, God rest her soul, taught me ever’thin’ I know.”

“Mrs. Wilkerson, when’s your baby due? I hope you have someone to help you when your time comes. I just love babies and hope to have one of my own soon. Do you have any other children?”

“Me auntie is a mid-wife, and she’ll be ‘elpin’ me when me time comes. Me babe is due in September. I ‘ad me a little girl, but she died at six months. Me husband really wants a son, but I want another little girl. There, th’ tea is ready. Milady, if it’s all right with you, maybe we should go bring th’ men their tea.”

“Of course, I’ve enjoyed our talk and please let me know if you ever need anything.” They spent about thirty minutes with the Wilkerson’s and then they departed for home. By the time they left, the rain had stopped so it was a pleasant drive back.

The next morning Helen and Matthew had agreed to get up before dawn so they could go to the beach in time to watch the sun come up. Once they arrived, Matthew helped Helen dismount, and they started walking to the east just as the sun was coming up. After walking for a while, Matthew stood behind her and pulled her up against him. He put his chin on her shoulder, and as he watched the dawn break with her, he felt a huge sense of peace roll over him. Every time he spent time with Helen, his love for her deepened. Never in his wildest imaginations had he ever expected to find someone as wonderful as Helen.

Matthew kissed her cheek and nuzzled her neck as he fought the temptation to tell her that he loved her. He would just need to hold his love for her in his heart until she was ready to hear it. He’d never been a patient man, but he knew he needed to be patient now, because it would bring him great rewards later.

Matthew turned her around and gently kissed her. Stroking her beautiful face, he marveled at the softness of her luminous skin. “What do you think of your first view of the sun rising over the sea? I’m so pleased you were willing to get up early so we could enjoy this together. I always find it so peaceful and serene. Just listen to the waves as they wash in and out.”

With a soft, dreamy look in her eyes, Helen replied, “Thank you for suggesting we come. It’s an incredible sight. I always found Sanderford Park peaceful, but I find the ocean even more so. I love living here, Matthew. As much as I miss my family, I would rather live here next to the sea.”

Helen looked radiant as she gazed out over the ocean, and Matthew thought she’d never looked lovelier. Once the sun was completely up, they remounted their horses and raced down the beach, laughing and just enjoying each other’s company.

Looking over at Helen, Matthew said, “Well, my dear, as much as I’ve enjoyed spending time with you this morning, I need to go to my room and get cleaned up. Wilcox and I are going to see some of my tenants today to check on how their crops are coming along. I promise I’ll be back in plenty of time for our dinner tonight. I haven’t forgotten that we’re having Vicar Winslow and his wife over for dinner. What do
you
have planned today?”

As they took their horses around to the stables Helen replied, “Oh, just my usual. I’ll meet with Cook about dinner, and I’m going to work on decorating another bedroom. Then this afternoon, I’ll spend some time with Christina and Catherine. Are you coming in for breakfast? I’m famished.”

Smiling over at her, Mathew replied, “Certainly, I’ll meet you in the breakfast room in fifteen minutes. See you then.”

Matthew hurried to his room and rushed through his ablutions. His mind went to their ride on the beach. He was finding it increasingly difficult to not tell Helen that he loved her. If he could just find out why she had insisted that she didn’t want a love match, then he might know how to go about getting her to love him. Their lovemaking was incredible, but he wanted her heart and her soul. Realizing the time, he threw his clothes on and headed back downstairs to the breakfast room.

After enjoying breakfast with Helen, Matthew met Wilcox, and they headed out to visit some of his tenants. The weather was still being consistent, and it looked as if there would be another good harvest this year. Last year had been very plentiful, so with this one being good also, his coffers would be in much better shape. Now that he had Helen as his wife, he had an even better reason to prosper. He wanted her to see him as a good provider, and he didn’t want to use her dowry. He wanted to keep that for their future children.

Thinking about children, Matthew certainly hoped that she would conceive a child soon. He’d caught Gregory gambling again and had to bail him out. His brother was just so reckless. At the rate he was going, Matthew knew he was likely to get into some serious trouble. Wilcox asked him a question so he pulled his thoughts back.

“I think we ought to go visit the Miller’s place. Do you want to head over there now?” Wilcox asked. “It’s been a couple of weeks since we checked on him, since his place is so far away.”