by Heather Boyd
Melanie took a great gasping breath and held her hand up to her mouth. “Well, that is something. I could not have borne any more disappointments today.”
Julia rubbed her arms. “Tell me why you are angry with Teresa?”
After a moment, Melanie straightened. “My cousin likes to pretend that she is my parents’ daughter, even to me, and I am tired of how she speaks as if she knows them so well. They treat her like a pet, spoiling her with gifts and such. She has no more value to them than what she’s willing to do for them in return.”
“I thought I had imagined her slip of the tongue.”
“No, but we’ll be gone tomorrow and then you and Valentine can both get on with your lives, with the shop, without any more interference from the family.”
“I am sorry to hear that. I had hoped we could all be friends but at least you and I understand each other better now.”
“We do indeed. I do wish my brother had waited for the wedding or at least for banns to be read on Sunday. A sister does not like to imagine her brother’s armors.” She shuddered, swallowed, and hastily pulled on the strings of her reticule, revealing the pouch hidden inside. “I have the money with me. We can see Valentine together if you like, and I can explain to him that our father caught you by surprise and that you’d never intended to keep it, as Father likely will claim.”
“I’d like that. Valentine thinks the world of you.”
Imogen edged into the room, her expression one of disbelief.
Julia ignored her friend for a moment. “If you’d not been with me that day, I don’t know what I’d have done. I would have worried I wasn’t good enough to marry your brother. You saved me so much anxiety.”
Imogen drew closer, her gaze fixed on Melanie. “Are you saying you actually approve of the match, Miss Merton? Because I’ve been led to believe you’d tried everything in your power to stop it.”
“Stop it? I told him to marry her three months ago.” Melanie appeared shocked. “I disapprove of the circumstances, of course I must, but Julia has the makings of a good wife. He cares for her. I’m certain she might, one day, learn to curb her more reckless tendencies.”
Julia grinned, remembering Valentine’s assurances last night that she need not change. “I will always try to be the best wife he could ever want.”
“Make my brother happy.” Melanie drew close, her face serious and determined. “Because his happiness is all that matters to me anymore.”
“I will. I promise.” She laughed suddenly, as a warm glow filled her at the thought of her intended. She embraced Melanie quickly. “You won’t even have to dare me to look after him.”
Fourteen
Valentine met with his father in a private dining room in the hotel. He chose this place for the distance between them and his future bride. Lovely, gloriously wild Julia. His heart skipped a beat at the memory of her lying over him on the parlor floor, and the lack of concern that had given her.
He stood as his father entered the small chamber. As usual his father was dressed in stern black and white with a red-striped waistcoat to offset the bleakness. Immaculate. A figure to intimidate. Not for the first time did Valentine wish he’d been born into another family. One that embraced after a prolonged separation. Any affection had been left to the servants to dole out sparingly during his childhood.
Tea had been delivered, and small cakes, none of which he needed. He held out his hand to his father reluctantly and they shook in a perfunctory manner.
When his father sat, a smug smile graced his face. “I take it you’ve come to your senses.
“Yes, I have,” Valentine agreed. He was done listening to his father. “I have given everything you’ve said considerable thought and I can’t believe how much time I’ve wasted.”
His father grinned. “I thought to leave tomorrow. I can delay a day so you can return with us.”
“I’m not leaving Brighton. I’m not returning to Oxford. I don’t want the life you and mother offer there and I am so tired of telling you both. We will never have this discussion again, sir.”
A muscle in his father’s jaw twitched. “She’s pretty but only passably.”
Valentine clenched his fists. “Have a care, sir, how you speak of the woman I love.”
“Love,” his father snorted, dismissing his claim with a wave of his hand. “What do you know of love, boy?”
“A hell of a lot more than you do. Did you and Mother ever love each other?”
“Do not speak of my wife,” his father hissed, his face mottling red.
“Then do not speak of Julia. She will be my wife, and I will brook no discussion on the subject.”
“A wife with an unsavory character will do you no credit.”
“For god’s sake, whatever past she has is with me. Do not ever make the mistake of thinking I was an innocent party to our scandal.”
“I’m not referring to the race, but your lack of good judgment. To take on a wife with the morals of a fortune hunter is foolish.”
“She’s no fortune hunter.”
“Then why does she have three hundred pounds in her possession? Tell me that.”
Valentine swallowed the lump in his throat. Her dowry was much less than that princely sum. “I’m sure she doesn’t.”
“Then you don’t know her as well as you believe. The girl is like all the others; a bit of coin goes a long way to turning their hearts in a new direction.”
“What others have there been, Father?”
His father shook his head. “You should be grateful for the care we’ve taken over your future. Your mother and I gave it much more consideration than you ever have.”
He stood and towered over his father, leaning over the chair so he could not escape. “What other women have you thrown money at?”
His father fell silent.
“Eve?”
“An eager trollop.”
Valentine straightened, and turned away in disgust when his father laughed.
He’d lost his heart to Eve, or thought he had at the time. “So you gave money to Julia, too. To make her go away.”
“Nary a word of protest,” his father crowed. “Took it and kept it.”
If Julia had taken the money then there had to be a good reason for her decision not to speak of it. He’d never believe her a fortune hunter. Quite the opposite.
He smiled and faced his father again. “I have bad news for you. Your plan hasn’t worked this time. She’s still in Brighton with no plans to leave, and she is mine. I have no doubts about where her loyalties lie.”
“She doesn’t deserve to share our name. It is shameless the way she carries on in public. Shameless, I say, and I will not have her throwing fruit at people!”
Valentine narrowed his gaze on his father. “You knew the good Julia had done for the Faradays, too, and are still determined to think badly of her.”
His father sniffed in distain. “The wildness of that girl knows no bounds. You cannot bring her to Oxford. You cannot marry her.”
“But I will marry her. And since I’ve no interest in returning to Oxford, it shouldn’t bother you what she does. Our life is here. My future is here with her.”
His father sneered. “You would hardly choose her over your allowance?”
“In a heartbeat.” He held his father’s gaze. “I would marry a woman I adore rather than some insipid connection of yours.”
“Harsh words when the truth is more telling. She’s just like every woman you’ve ever fallen under the spell of.”
“That’s a lie.”
His father tossed his head. “How little you really know of the world. If you doubt me, ask your sister. She was there when I handed the funds over. She knows everything.”
Valentine considered that. Melanie had always been forthright. “What right do you have to interfere in my life?”
“Every right. It is time to cease this ridiculous rebellion and take up your future, sir!” His father’s voice rose to a shout.
Valentine was just getting started. “I have my own responsibilities now. To make my own way, and to protect my future wife from scurrilous men like you.”
“Now you listen to me—”
“No. We are done, sir. I will listen to no more of your blather. Leave my Julia alone, leave Brighton, and never come back here again. There is no one who wants you here.”
“She will be your ruin,” his father predicted.
“Undoubtedly, after your talk, she’ll believe I am hers.” Valentine scowled. “I’m glad I finally got to see how ruthless you can be with my own eyes and ears. Goodbye, Mr. Merton. Go back to your university and the fellows who slavishly curry your favor. Give my regards to Mother.”
He collected his hat from the side table and strode out. Undoubtedly he’d be cut off without a shilling. That would make life somewhat less comfortable, but they would manage well enough if they lived modestly. His plan for the shop had been drawn up with the likelihood of his father’s disapproval taken into account anyway.
He hurried to the Radley home and knocked on the door. When he was directed to Linus instead, he grew alarmed. “Where’s Julia?”
“Merton, do you believe me a tolerant man?”
He listened carefully but detected no other presence in the house. “Yes, of course.”
Radley pinched the bridge of his nose. “Then why do you persist in trying to pull the wool over my eyes?”
“I’m not sure I’m following you. Where is she?”
Linus stood and smoothed his waistcoat. “Invitations to tea at your home will raise eyebrows, even when they come from your esteemed sister.”
“Julia is at my home with Melanie?” He sighed. For a brief and terrifying moment, his father’s insinuations about her leaving had seemed possible. He should have known better, especially after last night’s activities.
“As if you don’t know that already.” Linus scowled darkly. “I cannot be fooled twice.”
Linus had been fooled at least four times so far but it wasn’t wise to gloat. “I was with my father at the hotel, saying goodbye. I’ve only now just returned. I had no idea Melanie had invited her to call.”
Radley peered at him. “You do seem a little wild.”
“It was not a pleasant conversation with my father.” He winced. “Now if you will excuse me, I really do need to speak to Julia to ensure she’s all right. I fear my father may have been unpleasant to her when they last spoke.”
Linus shrugged. “She said nothing to concern me afterward.”
“Well, then perhaps I have misunderstood him.” He relaxed a little. “I’d still like to talk to her today, if I may.”
“By all means. Your sister is a suitable chaperone for a few moments.”
“Then I will see you at St. Nicholas’s tomorrow when the banns are read.”
“And at long last too.” Linus sighed and led him to the door.
Fifteen
“Well?” Melanie asked as she settled into a chair and poured from the second pot of tea.
Julia flicked the curtain closed. “I can’t see him still. Oh, this waiting is torture.”
“He will be back soon.” Melanie breathed a heavy sigh before sitting forward and holding out a piece of paper. “In the meantime, I know you won’t lack for advice but the first thing you really must do after the wedding is invite these women and their husbands to dinner.”
The list was intimidating, all the more because she had to make a good impression for Valentine’s sake. “I don’t know if I can do this alone.”
“Of course you can. You have my brother, don’t forget,” Melanie chided. “Just remember, these women, when they get to know you, have exactly the same hopes and dreams as you do.”
“They dream of besting Valentine?”
Melanie burst out laughing but quickly recovered her poise. “Perhaps not that, but having a happy, harmonious home, respect of their peers. They long for acceptance just as you do. It is what every woman wants.”
The front door opened and banged closed and they both glanced toward the sound.
Valentine grinned. “Found you at last. What are you pair doing here again?”
“I wanted a private word and arranged to meet here instead of the hotel. I hope you don’t mind.” Melanie held out her hands. “I came to congratulate my future sister again and offer a small suggestion to ease her way before I depart Brighton.”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
“Father insists on an early start tomorrow. Teresa supports his decision to go, so we will.” Her smile was a touch tense at the mention of Mr. Merton Senior and her cousin. “I don’t believe I will be allowed time to see you both again in the morning.”
Valentine’s gaze snagged on hers and she could tell he was struggling against the idea of his sister leaving again, and likely for good this time. Melanie had surprised her with her cunning and unflinching support of her brother’s ambitions. The least she could do was make things easier for the pair.
She nodded, keen to prove that no matter what he decided to do, it would be right.
Valentine crossed the room. “Stay with us instead of returning to Oxford.”
Melanie shook her head. “It’s not necessary to say such things. I will be in the way, and so long as you do marry Julia, I will be happy.”
He knelt and caught Melanie’s hand. “Brighton isn’t the same without you.”
“Valentine. You should only worry about your future. You and Julia have a lot to do in the coming months and years.” From her reticule, Melanie produced the bribe her father had forced on Julia and held it out to him. “Here, this will help you start your shop. Father forced it on Julia before she realized his intent. I’ve had the money all along but I don’t want it either. It would have been yours anyway. Consider it a wedding gift.”
The large pouched contained more money than she’d ever seen in her life. A third viewing didn’t make the insult Valentine’s father had delivered any easier to bear.
Valentine took it slowly, and nodded. He glanced at Julia, his expression troubled. “Father mentioned this today.”
“We thought he might.” She sighed and flopped onto a chair. “He took advantage of my shock. I should have tossed it at his head like I tossed those oranges at that thief.”
“I’d have liked to have seen that.” He grinned and then glanced at his sister. “My future wife might value your advice from time to time. Oxford is such a long way away when hosting a dinner you’re nervous about.”
“Can I think about it?”
“Indeed you can,” Julia answered, and then she tugged her pocket watch from Valentine’s waistcoat pocket and stared at the hands. “You have until I finish speaking to form your answer. I hope you remember I’m not a complete chatterbox.”
She looked expectantly at Valentine’s sister and waited. Melanie didn’t seem to know what to say, and Julia smiled warmly. Melanie had been the confident one. A seemingly unflappable woman. But Julia suspected she’d only ever seen the surface.
“I understand now what Teresa has said of you to others, sister,” Valentine murmured. “How she twisted your words and made everyone believe the worst of you behind our backs. Let her have our parents’ undivided attention if she is so desperate for their approval. She will one day discover how little comfort those expensive trinkets they buy her can be when they are given without love and only growing expectations.”
Julia leaned forward in time to see tears fill Melanie’s eyes. “Please stay. I would like to get to know my new sister and I cannot do that by letter. I promise to pay attention to your instructions and to try not to embarrass you.”
Tears slipped down Melanie’s cheeks and she turned her face to wipe them away. After a moment she turned back, her control restored. “I’m more concerned at being an embarrassment to you. I don’t do well around people our age, but it’s home. However, I can promise to keep out of your way and only step in if you need my guidance.”
Impulsively Julia threw her arms about Melanie and kissed her cheek soundly. “We will become the best of friends, I promise.”
Melanie fought free of her embrace and stared at her. “Do you want to know what I really want? I’ve always suspected you and Valentine possessed similar natures. Prove it to me.”
“We will.” Valentine pushed to his feet. “I’ll inform Father that you will remain a part of my household indefinitely and make arrangements with the hotel for your luggage to be delivered here tonight. Since you are of age now, he cannot prevent it either. You don’t have to see them again today unless you really want to.”
“Thank you. I’d rather not see them. I’ve listened to more than my fair share of complaints lately.”
Valentine pointed at them both. “You two better start making plans for the wedding now before the shop gets in the way. And I’d better go speak to Father again. Wish me luck that we don’t come to blows.” He grimaced and met Julia’s gaze. “Come and see me off.”
“I’ll give you a moment,” Melanie offered graciously before turning toward the pianoforte that had remained silent while she’d been away. Her fingers trailed over the keys lightly.
Valentine smiled and caught her hand as soon as they were in the hall. “I was so worried about you. My father went beyond the pale.”
“He did. Melanie believes he may have done it before, too.” She leaned in to him for comfort. “It’s a relief to talk about it. I never wanted to cause trouble between you and your father and I was taken by such surprise by what he insinuated. He doesn’t like me.”
“He doesn’t like anyone much, least of all his children. He doesn’t matter now anyway. He might threaten to cut me off but the next in line to inherit his estate is a distant relative he considers a blithering idiot. He won’t rush to disown me I should think.” He kissed her brow and her legs trembled. “The banns will be read tomorrow.”
