Montgomery Family 01 - Lost Pleasures Found (20 page)

Henry sighed deeply, then he stood up and began to pace the room in agitation as he said, “Well, I need to go find her. She’s my wife, and I want her back.” Then, with a look of bewilderment, he continued, “I suppose I can understand why she wanted to be with her parents but to break off all communication baffles me.”

Henry’s father looked at him and said, “I understand that you want to go get her, but all I ask is that you wait a little while longer. Nelson will not make it much longer, and he needs you, Henry. You have always been so close. I also need to show you all that is involved with the ducal holdings. Please come here tomorrow morning, and I will start showing you everything.”

“I know that I need to stay with Nelson, until the end, but then I’ll go get my wife!” he said with exasperation in his voice.

His father looked at him with relief in his eyes as he said, “I appreciate your willingness to put off going to get your wife until after Nelson is gone. I know that it will be difficult to wait, but Nelson does need you.”

Henry left his father in his study and went to his rooms. When he walked into the sitting room, all the memories of Melody came flooding back. In his mind, he could see her sitting on the couch reading a book.
How
was
he
going
to
have
the
patience
to
put
off
going
to
her?
Melody
meant
everything
to
him,
but
so
did
his
brother.
What
a
conundrum!
Would
Melody
have
moved
on
with
her
life?
Could
she
have
met
someone
else?
Why
would
she
have
stopped
writing
to
Helen?
He knew how much she loved his sisters.
Well,
as
hard
as
it
would
be
to
wait,
he
really
could
not
leave
Nelson
.

That evening, dinner was the most pleasant meal he could ever remember having in this house. His father was so different, and it seemed as if his mother had softened up also.
Helen
truly
was
a
beauty,
and
my
god,
she
was
twenty
years
old.
She had had her first season back in 1815, but she obviously did not marry. Kathryn had changed so much, and she was so pretty. It was hard to imagine that she was sixteen now. After dinner, they elected to forgo their port and cigars and went with the ladies to the drawing room instead.

Henry glanced lovingly over at Kathryn and asked, “Kathryn, how have you been? Are you still painting? And did you enjoy your art lessons?”

Kathryn sat down beside him on the couch and reached for his hand. “I have been doing fine, and yes, I still paint, and take art lessons. I still want to do your portrait. Will you sit for me?”

As they sat there holding hands, Henry said, “I will. However, I’m going to be very busy, what with learning about all the responsibilities that are entailed with running the ducal holdings. I’ll also be spending time with Nelson. Then I’ll be going to get Melody and bringing her home.”

Kathryn’s face lit up when he said he was going to get Melody. “Oh, Henry, please bring her back. I have really missed her. I don’t understand why she quit writing to us.”

“I don’t understand that either, but I’m sure there must have been a good reason.” Henry turned to Helen and asked, “How have you enjoyed your seasons? Did you meet anyone special?”

Helen smiled as she answered, “I had a splendid time. And no, I didn’t meet anyone special. I just wanted to have fun. I particularly enjoyed volunteering at the orphanage, and I’ve gotten to know Melody’s friend Susan well, and we have become good friends. She’s married to Viscount Hastings now, and they have a son. She was just as confused as I was when Melody stopped answering our letters.”

Henry turned to his mother and said, “Mother, you look splendid. It’s so good to see you again. I’m sure that with all that has been happening, you have had a difficult time.”

The duchess sighed as she replied, “It has been very difficult. First, we thought you were lost to us, and now we are losing Nelson. We decided to forgo the season this year because of Nelson’s illness.”

Henry gazed over at his mother and said, “Well, that makes sense. In some ways, time has stood still for me because of losing my memory. In many ways, it’s like waking up after a long sleep and finding out that life has gone on without you. It’s going to take me a while to catch up on what has happened while I was gone.”

Soon, everyone went upstairs to bed. Henry dreaded the nights. Since he had remembered everything, he did not get much sleep, because he kept remembering Melody. He burned to see her and make love to her again. When he did sleep, his dreams were filled with erotic images of the two of them making love. He woke up every morning hard as stone. Of course, it was not just making love he missed. It was just being with her and being able to talk to her. He remembered all the wonderful times they shared, especially the time they spent in Canterbury. They had been so close. Surely, she had not forgotten him. He certainly had not forgotten her.
It
was
such
a
puzzle:
Why
had
she
stopped
writing
to
everyone?
Oh well, it would serve no useful purpose worrying over it, because he could not do anything about it until Nelson died.
Oh,
the
pain
of
it!
Why
did
Nelson
get
this
terrible
disease?
He hoped that he had a satisfying relationship with Mary. He would find out more when they talked tomorrow.
God,
he
was
tired;
he
hoped
he
could
sleep
that
night
without
waking
up
thinking
about
Melody.
Henry went into his room and went to bed.

For the next fortnight, Henry spent his mornings with his father going over all the books regarding the ducal holdings. Each afternoon, he spent time with Nelson and the evenings with the rest of the family. He got to know Mary better, and it was obvious that she was deeply in love with Nelson and that he returned her love. His niece, Angela, was delightful and so adorable; she looked just like Mary—lots of dark brown curls and big brown eyes, and she was just beginning to walk. She was such a whirlwind that she was already trying to run. Her big brother, Roderick, watched over her, and he reminded Henry of Nelson when he was a child. Of course, not in looks, since Nelson was not his father, but in personality they were very alike.

About a week after he had returned home, he went for his usual visit with Nelson, and his mother was there, but she left so they could talk privately.

Nelson looked at Henry and said, “Henry, I’m sure you’ve seen the change in Father. It started when he found out about your supposed death. It really hit him hard, and I think it opened his eyes to the fact that he had been way too hard on you. I know he’s thrilled that you’ve returned to us safely. I appreciate you staying here with me. I’m sure that it must be difficult having to wait to go get Melody.”

Henry looked at Nelson and said, “I do want to go get her, but I would never leave you until you don’t need me anymore. I know Melody would want me to stay.”

“Poor Melody! She was so lost without you, and she couldn’t stand to see me,” he said. “When I took her to her parents, she cried the whole way there, and I couldn’t get her to eat anything. She lost quite a bit of weight. I know it’s hard to understand why she stopped writing, but I think it was because she found it too difficult emotionally. I know she hasn’t forgotten you, so if you have been wondering about that, let me put your mind at ease.”

Henry leaned forward in his chair and said, “I needed to hear you tell me that because I’m so afraid she may have moved on with her life and forgotten all about me. Melody means the world to me, and I can’t wait to see her again.”

“I owe you a huge debt of gratitude for introducing me to Mary. She is the light of my life, and I have truly been blessed to have her as my wife. I need you to promise me that you’ll take care of her when I’m gone. I’m so thankful that we had Angela before I became so ill. She is the apple of my eye. I know that I can count on you to take care of my family. I’m glad we had this chance to talk. Go easy on Father, for he’s having a struggle with all of this, and he’s getting up in years. I think my illness has been particularly hard on him, and it has affected his health,” he said as he tried to sit up.

Henry stood up and helped Nelson with his pillows so he could get more comfortable, and then he said, “Anything you need, Nelson. You know I’m willing to do it. I appreciate you taking care of Melody for me. I’m sure that going to her parents was what was best for her. I just wish she had continued to write to our sisters so I would know that she was all right. I told you that Mary would be right for you. I can tell that you love each other very much. Melody and I used to hope you would meet someone and fall in love again. You deserved to have someone in your life like Mary, and your daughter has stolen my heart. You don’t need to worry. I’ll take good care of your whole family when the time comes. Well, I can see you’re getting tired, so I’ll take my leave of you until tomorrow, old friend!”

Nelson took a turn for the worse the next day after their conversation. The doctors had to put him on a high dosage of laudanum for the pain, so he slept most of the time. Mary never left his side except to see the children. On March 10, Nelson passed away. In some ways, it was a relief to know that he was no longer in pain, but it did not make it any easier to lose him. Poor Mary was devastated by her loss, and Roderick was lost without him, because Nelson had been the only father that he had ever known. Little Angela was too young to understand what was happening.

On the day of his funeral, it rained, and the sky was dark. Mary silently wept throughout the entire service. He was entombed in the family mausoleum, and everyone in the village and all the tenant farmers came out to show their respects. Many of the members of the ton traveled down from London to attend, and it was obvious that Nelson had been loved and respected by everyone who knew him.

I
T TOOK A fortnight, after Nelson’s funeral, before Henry was finally able to leave to go get Melody. He decided to go to London and talk with Melody’s aunt, Lady Helton, first. She would know what was going on with Melody. It rained the entire trip, so it took eight hours instead of the normal five, and he was drenched by the time he got to London. He went straight to Sanderford House when he got in town. He called for a bath and then got out of his wet clothes. The bath arrived, and he took a long soak. While he was soaking, he made the decision to go to his club and find some of his friends. After all, it was too late to visit Lady Helton today. He got out of the tub and dressed for the evening; he then headed for his club. He wondered if his membership would still be good, since he was supposed to be dead. He also wondered what type of reaction he would get from his friends, especially Weston and Hayden. He arrived at his club at seven o’clock and went inside. The majordomo questioned his membership, and the manager of the club verified that he had been a member, so they let him in. Henry walked into the main room and looked around.

He spied Weston over against the wall, walked over, and said, “Hello, Weston, how have you been?”

Weston looked up and nearly dropped his drink. “My god, I must be seeing things! I thought you were dead! Hayden told us that he saw you fall. He even brought your body back with him. How can this be?”

Henry smiled sardonically as he said, “I don’t know whose body he brought back, but it wasn’t mine, as you can see. I was injured after the battle and was left for dead. Some Franciscan monks found me and nursed me back to health, but unfortunately, I had no memory of who I was. Almost two months ago, I was hit on the head, and my memory was restored to me. I came home as fast as possible.”

Weston grinned broadly at him as he said, “It’s great to see you, Montgomery. What an amazing story! Who else have you seen? Oh by the way, I was sorry to hear about your brother. I missed the funeral, because I arrived back from the continent the same day.”

“Thank you, Weston. Nelson will be greatly missed. As you know, we were very close. You’re the first person I’ve seen other than family and servants. I’ve come to town to speak with Melody’s aunt. Since she stopped communicating with the family, they aren’t sure what she’s doing.” Then with a worried expression on his face, he added, “All they know is that she went to her parents after I was reported dead, and then after about a year, quit writing. Have you heard anything from her?”

Weston looked over at him and said, “I just know that she was completely undone when she found out you were supposedly dead and that Nelson took her to her family. I talked with Susan Wilton, who is now Lady Hastings, by the way. She indicated that Melody was at her parents and was very melancholy for a long time. Lady Hastings would just say that she was recovering and leave it at that. I got the impression that your wife wanted to cut all ties to anyone she had known here in London.”

Henry sat down across from Weston and poured himself a glass of brandy as he said, “Well, I’m counting on Lady Helton to tell me how she’s doing. Hastings’ family seat is in Kent, is it not?”

As Weston sipped on his brandy, he replied, “Yes, but I think they’ve just arrived in town. So you might want to speak with her. I get the feeling that Lady Hastings knows what is happening with Melody, but, for some reason, isn’t willing to talk about her.”

Henry sat up straight when he heard this and wondered what Susan might know about Melody. This business of her breaking off all lines of communication with everyone was deeply troubling. “I appreciate the information, and I’ll try to talk to Lady Hastings as well as Lady Helton. Do you want to go get some dinner? I haven’t eaten since this morning and I’m famished.”

As Weston adjusted his waistcoat, he said, “I was just getting ready to leave for Lady Millet’s soiree, but I would much rather spend some time with you, unless you want to go with me to Lady Millet’s.”

Henry vehemently shook his head as he answered, “I’m not ready to face the ton yet, and anyway, as you can see I’m in mourning for my brother, so that wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“Well, let’s go and get something to eat, and you can tell me what you’ve been doing for the last two and a half years!” Weston said, clapping Henry on the shoulder as they left their club.

The next morning, Henry went to Lady Helton’s and found out that she was out of town and was not expected back for another two months. Her butler mentioned that she was on extended trip to the continent. He then went on to Lady Hastings, but she was not at home and would not be back for the rest of the day, but at least she was in town. After that, he then went to see his solicitor, because he needed to send funds to Father Francis so he could pay him back. His solicitor was in his office, so his clerk immediately showed him in. Mr. Cook looked up as Henry walked in and he said, “My lord! How can this be?”

Henry told him what had happened over the last three years, and then he said, “I need to send some money to Father Francis.” Henry handed him a slip of paper with the pertinent information on it, then asked, “When was the last time you heard from my wife?”

Mr. Cook nervously replied, “I haven’t heard from her at all, my lord. In fact, she never used any of her allowance since before you died. After you ah … supposedly died, I wrote to her at her parents’ house, but I never received any answer. Things were quite confusing, since it appeared that you had died without a will. All your assets were frozen for several months. Once everything was cleared up, I wrote her again, but I never received a response then either. Now that you are back, it will take a few days to get your funds released back to you. Your investments have continued to grow and I know you’ll be quite pleased, my lord.”

Henry said, “Well, I’m pleased hear about my investments, but I’m extremely disappointed that you didn’t try harder to contact my wife. I expect a full accounting of all my assets immediately.”

Mr. Cook went to his filing cabinet, pulled out a file and handed it to Henry, and then he said, “Everything is in here, my lord. Again, I am so sorry that I did not get in touch with your wife.”

All of this concerned Henry greatly, since he knew Melody’s parents were not well off.
Why
would
she
quit
getting
her
allowance?
Why
did
she
not
answer
Mr.
Cook’s
letters?
Well, hopefully Susan would be able to tell him what was going on with Melody. He would go to see her first thing in the morning.

When he arrived back at Sanderford House, there was a messenger from Sanderford Park. His father had had a heart attack! His mother needed him to come home immediately.

He thanked God; the weather was fair, and Henry made it to Sanderford Park in record time. He dashed up the stairs and rushed into the house. Simpson was at the door and informed Henry that her grace was upstairs with his father. He took the stairs, two at a time, and went to his father’s chamber. He entered and found his mother beside his father’s bed. His father was just lying there, not moving, and his eyes were closed. His mother stood up and motioned for Henry to step out of the room with her.

The duchess looked exhausted as she said, “Henry, your father’s condition is very grave. His doctor says he is in danger of having another heart attack at any time. He has been calling for you, but he is resting right now, so please do not wake him. Go sit with him so you can talk when he wakes up. I need to go freshen up, since I have not left his side for the last twenty-four hours.”

“Please, Mother, go and get some rest. You need to keep up your strength. You look very tired. Where are Helen and Kathryn?” Henry asked as he glanced back at his father through the crack in the door. His father looked diminished, much smaller than he usually looked and much older. He had deep lines all over his face with dark circles under his eyes. Henry was shocked to see the change in his father in just a few days.

His mother sighed deeply and replied, “I sent them to bed hours ago. They were exhausted. I will rest for a little while. Come and get me if there is any change with your father.”

Henry went back to sit by his father, and all through the night, he prayed for him. He finally woke up the next morning, but he was too weak to talk. Henry told his father that he would be there whenever he was up to talking. His father fell back to sleep, and Henry continued to watch over him. His mother came in and told Henry to go get some rest and that she would sit with his father. Everyone took turns sitting with him, but he never woke up again. The seventh Duke of Sanderford passed away on April 5.

His funeral was held two days later. Many of the ton and all of the tenant farmers and villagers attended his funeral, and he was entombed in the family mausoleum beside his son. Henry was now the eighth Duke of Sanderford.

He spent the next fortnight going over everything to do with the ducal holdings with Stallings his father’s secretary. Henry was relieved to find that all the holdings were in excellent condition. He was grateful for the time he had spent with his father when he first came home. He was much more aware of the magnitude of all the ducal holdings than he would have been if he had not had that time. Henry’s mother and sisters were devastated over the loss of his father and Nelson. He did not have time to grieve because he had so much to do. He needed to travel to all the ducal holdings. Again, he was delayed in going to Melody.

It took Henry three weeks to visit all of his properties. He could not get used to being addressed as his grace. He never expected that he would have to take on the responsibilities of the dukedom. He finally made it to Doncaster, where he now owned Doncaster Stables. He saved it for last, since it was the property closest to Lincolnshire where Melody’s home was.

It was now the middle of May, and finally he was able to go to Lincolnshire to get Melody. The rains made travel excruciatingly slow. It took him twelve hours to get to Little Smythington. It was much too late to go to Melody’s house by the time he arrived there, so he spent the night at the local coaching inn. Henry had a difficult time sleeping even though he was exhausted. He kept replaying his reunion with Melody. He knew she would be shocked to see him alive. He could not wait to hold her in his arms. He finally fell asleep around three in the morning, but he dreamed that Melody did not want to see him, so needless to say, he was very anxious by morning. Henry arrived at her home the following morning, only to find out that Melody’s parents had died in the spring of 1816. The new vicar did not know where Melody had gone. All he remembered was that she had moved to a small cottage on the edge of town. Henry remembered that Susan’s family lived in the village, so he went there to see if they knew where Melody was living. Susan’s mother was amazed when she saw Henry. She could not believe that he was alive. She was very guarded about Melody, but finally she gave him an address for her, and she was now living in Doncaster!
God,
how
frustrating!
Now
he
had
to
go
back
to
Doncaster,
and
he
had
just
left
there!
Could
his
life
get
any
more
complicated!

Henry headed back to Doncaster, but, at least, this time, the weather cooperated, and he made it back to the Doncaster Stables in eight hours. At this point, he would need to wait until morning to go see Melody, so he went to bed. Again, he had a hard time sleeping, for all of his dreams were very erotic, and he woke up fully aroused. It was so painful that he had to relieve himself, which was not very satisfying, but at least he was no longer in pain. After breakfast, he left to find Melody’s house. Her house was on the edge of town, and it was a pretty cottage, but the yard was overgrown, and over all, it had an unkempt look about it. He went and knocked on the door. An older woman answered, and she had two small children with her: a beautiful little girl, who looked to be around two or three years old, and a boy child under a year.

Henry looked at her with trepidation and asked, “May I speak to Lady Montgomery, please.”

The woman looked exasperated as she said, “There’s no Lady Montgomery that lives here, only Mrs. Foster, and she’s very ill. I don’t have time to talk to you, so good day!” Then the older woman began to shut the door.

Henry put his foot in the door to keep it from closing as he yelled, “Wait, I know that Melody lives here, and I demand to see her at once!”

With a shocked expression on her face, she said, “Who are you to be demanding to see my mistress! She’s extremely ill and can’t see anyone. Who are you anyway?”

Henry folded his arms and said, “So Melody does live here. Take me to her at once! I’m the Duke of Sanderford, and Melody is my wife. You will not keep me from her!”