Miss Merton's Last Hope (17 page)

When she relaxed, he set both hands to the bed on either side of her shoulders, lifted his body up and put his heart and soul into every thrust.

Her eyes opened and a tender smile greeted him. A shiver of desire stroked his spine as his release became imminent. He withdrew and turned aside just as his seed spilled from his body onto the bedding. When he was steady again, he gathered her close and groaned against her neck, completely overcome with intense satisfaction from their joining.

She struggled out from under him suddenly, her breath fast and rough. She put the whole of the bed between them—eyes wide with fear and trembling.

He waited till her breathing evened out then stretched to caress her cheek. “My Mellie forever. There’s nothing to fear. I only wished to hold you a moment.”

She slithered back toward him and collapsed on his pillows. “It was too much all of a sudden. I’m so sorry.”

“I understand, Mellie. Truly I do.” He eased close to her so they shared the same pillow. “Is it better if you hold me?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “I would enjoy that.”

He shifted and put his head on her shoulder. He caressed her breast and then let his hand rest on her belly rather than wrap around her. “You can hold me for as long as you like,” he whispered. “And later if you want more, you only have to ask for what you need.”

Her arms tightened about him, and she pressed a kiss to his hair. “I just need you like this, Walter. Just this and you.”

Seventeen

As the sun set on Brighton at the end of another day, Melanie paced the parlor in her newest day gown, seething with frustration and troubling confusion. She had been uncommonly alert to every sound since daybreak had stirred the house, but the sound, the man, she’d expected to call on her had never arrived. She stared out the window in consternation.

Walter was late. Unbelievably late, in fact. She’d expected him to present himself at first light to speak to her brother and propose. She was dying to say yes to him. She loved him and he’d proved himself a man of his word last night.

She could marry him and not bear him children.

But she could not have a chance to say yes if he did not come to call in the first place.

Her sister-in-law eased into the room slowly, arm bound in a sling but dressed to go out. “I have the most extraordinary news.”

 
“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Melanie snapped without thought then winced at how waspish she sounded. Melanie was always calm, always in control of her emotions, except when Walter George featured in her thoughts too heavily. She was annoyed at him for that. “Forgive me.”

“If I am careful, I feel quite fine. No pain, thanks to the laudanum.” Julia peered into her face and then smirked. “Did you not sleep last night?”

She had actually slept very well, with Walter in her arms or close by, and the rightness of their lovemaking soothing her senses. Except, she wasn’t now sure last night was so perfect after all. When she considered the matter, it became obvious that at no time had Walter alluded to a desire to actually propose marriage to her. In anyone else she would say that she’d been utterly duped and she was beginning to feel foolish not to have sought that assurance before she’d climbed into his bed.

She bit her lip. She hadn’t planned on ensuring her own ruin but that was precisely what she’d done.

“Well, my news is a treat for all of us. As you know, Valentine and I were to dine out tonight at Sir Peter’s again but the venue has changed. Walter George has usurped his sister’s plans to host a dinner and has invited everyone to him at the last moment. How extraordinary?”

So he was avoiding her now, too. She covered her face with both hands. Had last night been terrible for him? Had she not been affectionate enough to suit?

“I say, dear sister, are you well?”

Melanie jerked her head up. “I wasn’t invited to dinner.”

“Walter’s invitation included your name, silly.” Julia caught her hand and squeezed it. “He would never snub you.”

Melanie’s doubts remained. She hadn’t seen him since the early hours of the morning when she’d slipped from his bed. Their last kiss had been sweet, but they’d not spoken about today. Could she pretend she wasn’t in love with him enough to fool an entire room full of people?

“You look frightened,” Julia whispered.

“That is because I am.”

“Everything will be well. You’ll see.” She winked then turned to the doorway as Valentine appeared. “Always the last to be made presentable. Are you ready to go?”

Melanie glanced down at her gown. “I should change.”

“Of course. We shall be fashionably late so you will dazzle him.”

“Dazzle who?” Valentine asked.

“Never you mind,” Julia quipped as Melanie slipped around them.

Although her hands were shaking, she managed to change into something more appropriate for dinner and restyled her hair with the assistance of her maid. She took one long last look in the mirror before squaring her shoulders and heading downstairs to join with her family. She followed her brother and sister-in-law from the house and along the short distance to Walter’s front door in a state of panic.

Walter’s occasional butler offered a ready smile as he took shawls and hats and bade them wait a moment in the hall to be announced. She glanced around anxiously. Could anyone tell that she had crossed this front hall last night and given her virtue to the man that lived here?

A shiver of that remembered desire stroked her spine now. She clutched her hands together tightly and wrestled her apprehension under control. What on earth could she say to him now?
Why haven’t you proposed
seemed an inappropriate way to start any conversation between them.

The butler finally came to usher them forward. Melanie bumped into Valentine as he paused at the threshold, surveying an already filled room. Mr. and Mrs. Hartwood waved. The vicar did not. He stared at her so hard that she was certain he knew what she and Walter had done last night.

“Are we terribly late?” Valentine asked.

“You are right on time,” Walter promised as he came forward to greet Valentine and Julia. They shook hands and he organized a comfortable chair for Julia. He stopped at her side, offered a wry grin that caused her heart to skip a beat. “Miss Merton.”

“Mr. George.”

He cleared his throat as he faced the room. “If I could have your attention. I suppose you are all wondering at your invitations. Please do thank my sister for being gracious enough to humor me tonight.”

Imogen surveyed her brother with barely concealed curiosity. “Well, I don’t know about being gracious. I am still waiting for an explanation and I reserve the right to be ungracious when I do finally hear it.”

“I’ll get straight to the point then.” Walter cleared his throat. “I would like to announce a wedding.”

Stunned silence filled the room and Melanie stared at Walter.

Linus Radley moved to the fore, eyes narrowing. “Whose?”

Walter caught her hand in his and threaded their fingers together. “Well, ours of course.”

“But of course,” Radley whispered with widened eyes. “I should have guessed when you thumped me.”

Melanie couldn’t keep her eyebrows from shooting upward in astonishment. “I never heard a proposal.”

“Well, given your track record for saying no, I wasn’t keen to go down on bended knee and risk being unlucky number thirteen,” he shot back immediately.

Melanie blinked as she realized he was utterly serious. “You have to ask.”

He faced her. “Not a chance. We are getting married.”

Melanie couldn’t speak.

“You are out of line, sir,” Mr. Hartwood insisted. “The lady deserves a proper proposal or there can be no marriage.”

“Walter, please. You cannot deny her this moment?” Julia cried out, and soon everyone else voiced his or her opinions on the subject too.

Embarrassment brought an uncomfortable heat to her face. This was not how she’d envisaged this moment. She had thought they’d be alone so she could tell him she’d changed her mind about marriage. He’d silenced her doubts about becoming his wife with his tender lovemaking and his actions to avoid pregnancy had been appreciated. But she couldn’t discuss that here in front of everyone.

She glanced at her brother and saw confusion on his face. Valentine turned on his wife and regarded her suspiciously even though Julia ignored him and kept grinning. Melanie prayed he never guessed Julia had urged her to slip from the house last night.

As she was about to nod to cut off any further debate, Imogen’s spluttering laughter filled the room. She risked a peek and saw Walter’s sister double over in mirth—and soon everyone else joined in, holding their sides.

Everyone but Walter and herself.

Melanie wrenched her hand from Walter’s, shame filling her. The situation was not at all funny. “I cannot marry you without first hearing a proposal,” she whispered.

“Oh, stop, stop. This is no way to start a life together.” Imogen gestured to Valentine to join her and moved closer. “Let’s see if we can speed this up for everyone’s sake.”

Valentine glared at Walter. “Walter, marry my sister.”

“That is what I’m trying to do,” Walter grumbled.

Imogen patted her brother’s shoulder solicitously then faced Melanie. “Dearest Melanie, since my brother hasn’t the wits to realize a sure thing when he sees it, I would like to ask for your hand in marriage on his behalf. He clearly adores you by making sure we were all here to witness this moment, and I for one want nothing more than to make you both very happy for all the days of your life. Please do us all the great favor of accepting him so we might all live peacefully ever after.”

Despite the fact it was Imogen asking and not Walter, his eyes glowed with hope and an affection she had glimpsed in private these past weeks. She nodded. “Yes. I would like very much to be Walter’s wife.”

Their friends cheered and chatted among themselves, but Melanie only had eyes for Walter. She loved him and they would be husband and wife. She caught his hand and held it tightly. “I cannot believe you would think I might say no to you.”

He caressed her cheek with a soft and gentle touch. “I have learned never to assume anything where you are concerned. You surprise me every moment, but I will give you the life you want because I want
you
more than anything else.”

“Thank you.” She leaned into his fingers, her mind making plans for what she needed to do in the next few weeks. “The banns can be called on Sunday and that gives us time to organize everything.”

“Ah,” Walter’s face colored, “about that. I wrote to Hawke for advice and he delivered a special license on his arrival. We can be married today—tonight in fact, —if your brother is in agreement and we can come to terms. Mr. Pease is here to do the deed so there’s no need to delay, is there?”

“Today?” Her mind raced. Her trunks were still packed in readiness for her aborted departure. Her parents were so wrapped up in their own affairs they probably would not protest about missing the wedding. She was of age to make her own decisions without deferring to them.

It was rather clever of Walter to have everything done so they could marry tonight. She frowned at that thought though. “When did you know you would propose to me?”

“I was never going to propose, but I decided I’d like you for my wife after our first kiss.”

“And when did that happen?” Valentine cut in loudly.

Walter’s smile was a trifle sheepish. “Close your ears.”

They had argued not long after their first kiss. And yet, that still didn’t explain his sudden decision to marry her. It made no sense. Unless…

She checked the location of their friends and family and, seeing none near, she leaned into Walter. “When did you fall in love with me?”

A shy smile crossed his lips as he smiled down at her as if she should know the answer already.

Melanie had known Walter almost her whole life. He was the only one she’d ever trusted implicitly not to overstep and as a child she had always liked to talk to him most out of everyone. He had always been there, in the background of her life, stepping in when a partner was needed for dancing or when she was uncertain. “A long time ago?”

“Yes, Mellie.” His eyes sparkled. “A very long time ago. No doubt about the time you fell in love with me.”

Her feelings for Walter had grown so gradually that she still wasn’t sure when they had begun. Although she had loved her brother dearly, she had always envied Imogen and Walter’s closeness. Had her feelings not been envy at all but the beginnings of a crush that she had misunderstood? She smoothed his cravat and stared up into his eyes as she accepted that her heart had been lost long ago, and she’d never realized that fact until this moment.

“Well, that is perfectly all right then. It is horrible to be in love alone.”

Melanie rose up on her toes and kissed Walter full on the mouth before their family, their friends and the vicar. It didn’t matter what anyone said about her behavior tonight. Walter had a special license and in less than an hour perhaps, she would be exactly where she wanted to be. Safe and loved in her Walter’s arms.