Montgomery Family 01 - Lost Pleasures Found (2 page)

Miriam entered the breakfast room, and as she filled her plate, she turned to Melody and asked, “Are you going to the orphanage again today? I really think you are spending too much of your time there, Melody. By the way, don’t forget to go to the dressmaker to pick up your new riding habit. It should be ready today.”

“Oh, goodness, Aunt Miriam, I forgot all about that. What time do I need to be there?” she asked.

“You should to be there by one o’clock and don’t be late, because you’ll need to be home in plenty of time to get ready for your drive with Lord Montgomery. You need to be sure you make a good impression on him this afternoon. I’m so pleased that he has shown an interest in you. He is considered to be a very well-thought-of young man,” Aunt Miriam said. “He was in the army, you know, during the war with France. I’m so glad that war is finally over, and that awful Bonaparte is safely locked away on the island of Elba. It’s incredibly sad that so many of our fine young men were lost in that terrible war. I just hate to see all those other young men who came back wounded, with missing limbs and eyes and such. It’s just terrible. Oh, I hate war! I know you were devastated about losing your dear cousin Herbert last year, but at least we have finally defeated that nasty Bonaparte! I wonder what Lord Montgomery is going to do now that the war has ended?”

Melody smiled and said, “He mentioned this to me last night, as we were dancing. He said he was on an extended leave and would soon be going to his family in Surrey. After his leave is up, he’ll be rejoining his regiment. He mentioned that he eventually plans to sell his commission, but he wants to help his men get settled back into civilian life, first. How do you know so much about Lord Montgomery?”

Melody’s aunt looked knowingly at her and said, “Oh, I have my ways. I know all about his family. After all, they are very good ton. His father, the Duke of Sanderford is very prominent in the House of Lords, and their family goes back to William the Conqueror. But, of course, your family is very well respected, if not as prominent as his. Yes, indeed, this would be a very fine match for you, my girl!”

Melody stood up and turned to leave the breakfast room as she said, “Aunt, please don’t get your hopes up. I’m sure that nothing will come of this. It’s not as if I’m a great beauty, and I really am just a simple country girl. I don’t want you to be disappointed. I’m certainly not going to get too excited about anything at this point.”

A footman entered the breakfast room and politely said, “Excuse me, my lady, but there is a delivery for Miss Canterfield-Smyth.”

Melody looked up in astonishment as her aunt asked, “What is it Charles? Do you know who the delivery is from?”

“It’s a bouquet of yellow roses, and I believe that the livery belongs to the Duke of Sanderford, my lady. Where would you like me to put them?” asked the footman.

“Well, bring them in here, of course, so we can admire them, Charles!” Aunt Miriam said. “Oh, this is wonderful, Melody. I told you he was interested. This is so exciting. I just know this is going to be something wonderful for you.”

Charles returned with the most beautiful bouquet that Melody had ever seen. With a dreamy expression on her face, as she gazed at the gorgeous flowers, she said, “Oh my, they are certainly lovely. I don’t think I have ever seen such beautiful roses in my life, but I’m still not going to get my hopes up yet. Remember, I did just meet the man for the first time last night. I’m sure he does this all the time and it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Well, I still say it’s a very good sign, and I, for one, am going to enjoy watching how this all comes about for you,” she replied.

Melody said, “If I’m going to get to the orphanage in time, I need to leave right away. I’ll see you this afternoon when I get back.”

As Melody turned to leave the room, Aunt Miriam said, “Make sure that you take your maid with you and the footman also. Remember, you must be very careful to protect your reputation at all times. This isn’t like the country where you had more freedom. You must be extremely cautious, and make sure that you don’t give anyone any reason to think poorly of you.”

“Yes, Aunt Miriam, I’ll take them both with me, and I’ll be very careful. I do know what is expected of me while in town.” Melody left the breakfast room and returned to her room to get her pelisse. She then went back downstairs and left for the orphanage. It was such a fine morning she decided to walk. Soon, she was at St. Mark’s; she saw her friend Susan Wilton and waved to her.

“Melody, I saw you dancing with a gorgeous man last night at Lady Walton’s ball. How did you meet him? What is his name? I’m so envious!” Susan said.

Melody laughed, and replied, “His name is Lord Montgomery, and he’s the second son of the Duke of Sanderford. Lady Walton introduced us last night, and then he asked me to dance, but I actually met him earlier on the terrace, before we had been formally introduced. He seems to be a very pleasant young man, and he has asked me to go driving with him this afternoon.”

“Oh, Melody, how exciting! I would just die for the chance to meet someone like him. Do you think he has a friend for me?” she asked.

Melody sighed as she said, “Susan, you sound as bad as my aunt. She’s already got us walking down the aisle to get married, and all because some attractive man asked me to dance and go for a drive. I’m sure that it won’t amount to anything, so let’s not talk about it anymore, all right?”

Susan and Melody went into the orphanage and started helping with the children. Soon she forgot all about Lord Montgomery and had a very pleasant morning playing with all the children. Before she realized it, the time had flown by, and it was time to leave. Melody and Susan hugged each other as they said good-bye, and they agreed to meet again in two days.

The bookseller was on the way to the dressmakers, so she stopped in to see if the new Minerva Press novel was in. She was delighted to find that they did have it in stock. Next, she went on to the dressmaker and picked up her new riding habit, which was deep emerald green with red piping on the sleeves and around the waist of the jacket. This was a very good color for her, because it brought out the green flecks in her eyes. Melody could hardly wait to wear it on her morning rides. She loved to ride, but she had never had much of an opportunity when she lived at home, so she was just beginning to become proficient. Lady Helton had a good stable of horses and encouraged her to ride as often as she wished. Melody had taken advantage of this and had gone riding several times during the season with some of her gentlemen callers. She noticed the time and knew that she needed to hurry, if she was going to have time to get ready for her drive with Lord Montgomery.

When she arrived back at Lady Helton’s house, she hurried upstairs and changed. She picked out a sprigged muslin yellow gown, with white ribbons tied under her breasts. It was one of her favorite gowns, and she hoped Lord Montgomery would think she looked pretty in it. Millie fixed her hair, braiding a matching ribbon through it. As she was leaving her room, she glanced over at the beautiful yellow roses she had received from Lord Montgomery that morning. Again, she grew excited about seeing him. Would he look at her the same way he had looked at her last night, or would he realize she was too short and plump to be of interest to him. When Melody heard someone knocking on the front door, she thought that it must be him. The footman came to let her know that Lord Montgomery was there and that he was waiting for her in the drawing room.

Once she arrived downstairs, she stopped at the door to take a deep breath, hoping it would slow her heartbeat down. She did not want to appear too anxious, so she calmly opened the door and entered the room. Lord Montgomery was standing by the mantle and looked up as she entered. Their eyes met, and again, she felt that same sensation she had felt last night when she first saw him on the terrace. Lord Montgomery bowed to her as she curtsied and lowered her eyes.

Lord Montgomery asked, “Are you ready for our drive? I brought my new curricle, and I thought we could go to Hyde Park this afternoon, if that’s agreeable with you?”

Melody looked over at Henry and said, “Good afternoon, Lord Montgomery, that sounds delightful. It’s such a beautiful spring day, and for a change, there’s not a cloud in the sky. I noticed that this morning on my walk.”

Lord Montgomery turned to Lady Helton and said, “My lady, we’ll leave for the park now. I’ll return Miss Canterfield-Smyth within the hour.”

Lord Montgomery offered Melody his arm, and they walked out to his curricle. He helped her up into the seat, and soon, they were off. The traffic was extremely heavy, and there were dozens of carriages all going in the same direction. Lord Montgomery had to give his full attention to driving, so they did not talk. Melody looked around and noticed all the people walking along the street. There were street vendors hawking their wares and little street urchins running up to carriages trying to earn a coin or two. She realized she would miss all the hustle and bustle of London when she returned to Little Smythington. Melody sighed deeply as she thought about leaving London. Now that she had met Lord Montgomery, she was not as anxious to go home as she had been. She surreptitiously glanced over at Lord Montgomery and thought about how much she enjoyed meeting him last night. Even though they were not talking, they were very in tune to each other, just as they were when they were dancing the night before.

Soon, they arrived at the park, and the traffic cleared out. Lord Montgomery turned to Melody and smiled, then said, “You look lovely today, even lovelier than you did last night. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. I know we only met last night, but I’m certainly looking forward to getting to know you better. Did you have a pleasant morning?”

Melody looked at Lord Montgomery as she replied, “I’ve been looking forward to our drive also and, yes, I did have a very pleasant morning. I volunteer at St. Mark’s Orphanage, so I spent part of my morning there. I want to thank you for the beautiful roses … Yellow roses are my favorite.” Melody glanced around at all the other carriages with so many of the ton and felt a twinge of pride because she was with such a handsome man as Lord Montgomery. Several people were looking at them as they drove by in his curricle, and she could see envy in some of the other young women’s eyes. This was the first time that anything like this had ever happened to her, and she was not sure whether she liked it or not. Mostly, she found it a bit embarrassing.

Henry smiled as he said, “The roses reminded me of your smile, all sunny and bright. I’m glad you liked them. They came from the hothouse at my parents’ house.”

They looked into each other’s eyes and smiled. She had never felt so connected to anyone in her life. This instant attraction was puzzling to her, because it had never happened to her before. Not knowing how to handle it, she looked away.

Henry boldly gazed into her eyes as he said, “I would like to get to know you better. I know we’ve just met, but it feels as if I’ve known you much longer. Have you always lived in Lincolnshire? How much longer are you going to be in London?”

As Melody looked around at all the beautiful gardens, with a myriad of color surrounding her, she said, “I’ve lived in Lincolnshire my entire life, and until I came to London, I had no idea how wonderful all the entertainments could be that are available here. I had never been to an opera or a play, and I found out that I love both of them. I’m supposed to leave London in three weeks, and I’ll miss it terribly. Of course, I do look forward to seeing my parents again. My lord, you told me last night that you were in the army and that you have just returned from the continent. How long have you been in the army?”

“Yes, I’ve just returned, and I’m so relieved that we’ve finally defeated Bonaparte. War is very brutal, and I lost several very close friends over there. These were men that I have been fighting and serving with, for six years. I went into the army when I was eighteen years old. It was always a dream of mine, and since I was a second son, my father bought me my commission when I finished school. I’ll never regret joining the army, but I’m glad the war is finally over. I’m going to be helping my brother with some of the ducal holdings, eventually. I really want to see you as much as possible over the next few weeks before you go back to Lincolnshire. Will you allow me to see you again?” he asked.

Melody felt a tremor in her belly, and her palms were damp with perspiration. It thrilled her that he wanted to see her again. “If it pleases you, I would like to see you as often as you would like.” She looked up at him and just knew, she was in love, and it scared her to death. She had heard others talking about love at first sight, but she never expected it to happen to her.
She
did
not
want
to
be
hurt,
and
she
was
afraid
that
she
would
be,
because
surely
he
could
not
return
her
regard
so
quickly,
could
he?
She did notice that he looked so determined and earnest when he gazed into her eyes.