Colette looked at her sister and her niece expectantly.
“What do you think made him suddenly change his tune about everything?” Paulette asked. “Was it his talk with Jeffrey?”
“No, although I’m sure Jeffrey offered him good advice, I think it is something much grander than that.” Colette was more than pleased with the latest development. She paused for effect. “I think Phillip is in love.”
“In love with whom?” Mara asked, as she held her hand protectively over her growing belly. Recently married, her first pregnancy brought her great joy and possibly twins. “Please don’t tell me it’s that dreadful Vickers woman.”
“No, it’s not her,” Colette said.
“It isn’t Miss Remington, is it?” Paulette said in wonder.
Colette could hardly contain her glee. “I think it is.”
Paulette gasped. “It would be just too perfect if it’s true.”
“Miss Remington is your new writing protégé, isn’t she, Aunt Colette?” Mara moved to stand by the wide counter with Colette and Paulette.
“Yes, and you simply have to meet her, Mara,” Colette explained excitedly. “She’s a wonderful girl, and I just know the two of you would become good friends. And Sara would too. They have so much in common.”
“How do you know Phillip is in love with her?” questioned Paulette.
“He’s acted so differently since he met her. When I think about how he’s changed, I realized it happened around the time he met Meredith Remington. And if you’d seen the two of them together . . .” Colette couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “They are like two little magnets that can’t stay away from each other.”
Mara asked, “Do you think she loves him too?”
“Of course, I don’t know any of this for certain, but I saw the rapt expression on her face when Phillip walked in the room. She absolutely lights up when he is near her. If Meredith Remington is not in love with him, I would be very surprised.”
“And what about Lady Katherine Vickers?” Paulette made a bit of a face.
Colette clapped her hands together. “That’s the best part of all! I think that Vickers woman is completely out of the picture now!”
“That is wonderful news!” Paulette cheered. “How did you find out?”
“It was Simon who told me. Apparently, Phillip mentioned to him that he ended things with her for good. Simon also thinks that Phillip and Meredith Remington are in love with each other. He and I had a long talk about it last night. But I haven’t said a word to Phillip about any of it yet. I’m afraid to jinx it.”
The last thing Colette wanted to do was ruin the blossoming romance between her son and the lovely Meredith Remington. Having the two of them married would be a dream come true, for Meredith would be a perfect daughter-in-law and wonderful addition to their family.
“Don’t worry, Aunt Colette. I have a good feeling about the two of them,” Mara said with a secretive smile.
Mara had a way of knowing things, and Colette tended to believe her. This particular prediction by her niece made her extremely happy.
“So Miss Remington has been a positive influence on him?” Paulette asked.
“Yes, and I don’t think he even realizes it,” Colette added. “That’s what is so incredible. Who would have guessed that this American girl who wants to be a writer would cause Phillip to give up his wild ways?”
“Love can do that,” Mara said softly.
“If I could have set the two of them up, I would have. It never occurred to me that he would fall for her. But they met on their own, completely by chance. At the same time, I met Meredith and we became friends, and I took on the role as her mentor. She doesn’t even know this yet, but I spoke to a publisher friend of mine, John Murray, about her book, and he wants to see it when she’s finished. Lucien and I both adore her and so does Simon. She would fit into our family so beautifully. Meredith even said I reminded her of her own mother who passed away. How sweet is that?”
“It almost seems too good to be true,” said Paulette.
“It’s a miracle. But to be safe, I’m going to help this romance between them move along just a little,” Colette confessed. “They need to spend more time together. I shall invite Meredith to supper at Devon House. And I would like you and Foster to come, Mara. And you and Declan as well, Paulette. When you see the two of them together, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Yvette noticed it when we were at Lady Abbott’s ball.”
“And what shall this dinner accomplish?” the pragmatic Paulette inquired.
“It will show my rather reticent son that Meredith Remington fits in perfectly with our family, and that she is undeniably the woman for him.” Colette nodded her head emphatically.
* * *
“So you see, Mrs. Remington, I only have the most honorable intentions toward your niece, and I would like your permission as her only guardian to ask for her hand in marriage.”
Delilah Remington was about to burst with excitement. The Duke of Havenfield wanted to marry Meredith! She could hardly believe their good fortune!
That evening, while she was attending the grand supper party for Lord and Lady Shelley’s thirtieth wedding anniversary, the duke had asked to speak to her privately. Delilah had shot her sister a knowing look before the duke escorted her to Lord Shelley’s private salon after dessert.
Now she mustered her most dignified manner.
“Yes, of course, you have my permission, Your Grace. I would be honored to have you ask my niece to marry you, as I am sure Meredith will be most honored to accept your offer of marriage.”
“Thank you. I am aware of the great difference in our ages and that I have four children, while Miss Remington is rather young still,” he said, looking a trifle nervous. “It would be quite brave of her to take me on.”
She looked him up and down. He really was a very attractive man. She guessed they were close in age, with young children of similar ages. It was a terrible shame that he was so fixated on Meredith and not on her.
Delilah still had her pretty looks and hadn’t lost her figure, even after giving birth to two children. She would suit the dignified duke far better as a wife and mother to his children than Meredith would.
Yet Delilah had a few contenders of her own in mind. One gentleman in particular had caught her eye . . . again. He was a former suitor of hers from way back before she had even married her first husband, Peter Martin. After Peter died, she went to New York on a whim with her cousin and ended up in a whirlwind romance with Joseph Remington. That man had taken her breath away!
But seeing her old sweetheart, Nicholas Clark, again after almost twenty years had been a shock. He, too, was a widower and he had been delighted to see her and renew their friendship. It would be poetic somehow if she ended up with the man she had once thought she’d marry.
Suppressing a sigh at the unfairness of life, she mustered a smile for the duke and waved her hand airily to show how little she cared about his situation.
“Meredith loves children and practically dotes on my Lilly and Harry. She’ll make an excellent mother. Truly, Your Grace, age does not matter in the least if two people are well matched in character.”
Doesn’t it though?
When the duke was a feeble old man, Meredith would still be a beautiful woman in her prime, forced to take care of him. Was that fair to her?
Life is not fair to anyone, Delilah!
She was proof enough at the unfairness of life. Here she was, almost forty years of age and having to search for yet another husband to support her and her young children or live on her sister’s charity for the rest of her life.
The very least she could do was to marry off her only niece in style to a wealthy duke.
The duke in question cleared his throat.
“I also want you to know that I have tender feelings for Miss Remington, and I shall endeavor to make her happy and take good care of her. And I can assure you, Mrs. Remington, that I am not the lea
st bit interested in her fortune.”
Thank heavens for small favors!
A little sigh of relief escaped her. Delilah hoped the duke would remember this conversation when the truth came out. Would he become angry to discover that his heiress bride was, in fact, quite broke? She shuddered at the thought.
Delilah could only hope that she would be able to find an understanding, wealthy husband as well. Money was a very tricky business.
“Thank you for your honesty, Your Grace. There are so many unscrupulous men out there who would take advantage of a woman like my niece. And of myself.”
The duke gave her an imperious look. “I have more than enough money of my own, and I would not care if Miss Remington hadn’t a penny to her name. I would still want her as my wife.”
Just wait until we get the telegram telling us we’re penniless.
Delilah smiled graciously at him. “When do you think you shall be speaking with Meredith about this?”
“The sooner the better. I was greatly disappointed that she was not here with you this evening. I had hoped to enjoy her company at supper,” he said.
“Yes, she was feeling rather under the weather after your ride in the park with her this afternoon,” Delilah explained.
She was a bit worried about her niece. It was unlike Meredith to suddenly take to her room, claiming she wasn’t feeling up to going to the supper party with her and Lavinia. Delilah reminded herself to check in on the girl when she got home, to make sure she was recovering. The last thing they needed was for Meredith to fall ill just when the duke was about to propose!
“Why don’t you come by the day after tomorrow, Your Grace? Perhaps for tea?” Delilah suggested brightly. “She should be feeling much better by then, and, even so, a visit from you would greatly lift her spirits. I know just how much Meredith would love to see you.”
18
I Can Read You Like a Book
Meredith could hardly breathe. She knew what was about to happen between them, and she wanted it. She didn’t care what would happen afterward or if they were discovered together. She wanted to be with him. She wanted Phillip. Nothing else was important.
Nothing else mattered but the two of them. Together.
He carried her to the bed and gently laid her down upon the quilted bedcovers and the down pillows. Slowly, he began to unfasten the buttons along the front of her plain dress. His undressing her filled her with a wild desire she didn’t know she possessed.
Too impatient to wait, Meredith sat up to assist him with the task of removing her clothes, cumbersome as it was. In heated silence, they both undressed themselves and then found their way back to each other.
His skin was smooth and warm to the touch and the temperature surged between them. As he covered her small body with his masculine one, it created an intense cocoon of desire around the two of them that blocked out any thoughts and made everything else in the world irrelevant.
Being naked in bed with a gorgeous man left little room for any other thoughts.
As Phillip kissed her mouth, their tongues intertwined hungrily. She lost herself completely in the sensation of being with him. The feel of his naked body next to hers was deliciously exquisite, and she found her hands exploring the broad expanse of his back. He was all muscle and bone, purely male. The scent of his skin enveloped her, and she grew heady with it.
“You are so beautiful, Merry,” he whispered in her ear, his breath sending shivers of delight through her body.
He began to kiss her neck, murmuring sweet words as his head made a slow trail over her chest, leaving heated kisses in its place. He cupped her breast and took her nipple in his mouth. Meredith gasped and her fingers splayed through the thick dark hair on his head.
Any lingering nervousness or fear within her about what they were doing vanished completely as she melted into him, becoming closer to him than she ever imagined possible. Sharing this kind of intimacy with another person seemed almost magical, almost sacred.
Her hands glided over the smooth bare planes of his back, the tensely corded muscles moving beneath her fingers. She marveled at his male body, fascinated that it could be so hard while at the same time be so smooth and soft. And hot. The warmth emanating from his skin ignited the space between them.
He continued his torrid descent of her body, creating a trail of hot kisses across her taut stomach and leaving her breathless in anticipation. When he parted her thighs and kissed the intimate place in between, Meredith almost flew out of the bed. Instead, she gave herself over to his skillful ministrations with his mouth and his hands and lost herself in the waves of exquisite sensations that began to wash over her, until they suddenly crashed in an explosion of bliss so sublime and stunning that she cried out.
It was then that he rose over her and entered her in a motion so swift and sure that she barely noticed the slight twinge of pain before he was fully immersed inside of her. He began to move in even strokes, which became more forceful. She wrapped her legs around him to draw him closer to her.
The waves of desire began to build once again, catching her somewhat off guard. Yet she succumbed to the pleasure that mounted within her, and gave way to it, with every thrust he made against her.
She never imagined it would feel like this or be so intense. Nothing in her life had prepared her for these kinds of passionate feelings or deep emotions. Tears welled in her eyes at the emotionality of being with him this way. It was so elemental, so primal. It stripped them of all pretenses.
It was just the two of them, bared bodies, bared souls, face to face.
“Phillip.” She murmured his name so softly she wasn’t sure he even heard her. “Phillip. Don’t let me go.”
“I’m here,” he answered in a voice thick with emotion, looking into her eyes. “I’m here. I won’t ever let go of you. You’re mine now, and I’m yours.”
She gripped him tighter, pressing her fingers into his back, wishing she could draw him even closer. “You’re mine,” she echoed as if in a fever dream while he continued to thrust in and out of her. “And I’m yours.”
He lowered his head and kissed her mouth with a searing kiss. They were bound together as one now. She almost didn’t know where her body ended and his began. She was completely consumed by him. They could have been like this for mere minutes or hours or days, she had no idea, and she didn’t care.
All she cared about was Phillip right then, right there. She belonged to him, and they belonged together.
His pace quickened, and she gasped at the sudden strength of him within her, yet wanted more and more. Over and over he moved within her, and she felt herself drifting closer to the edge of bliss once more. An unexpected burst of pleasure washed over her and again she cried out his name, as a thousand stars seemed to crash around her.
She was just floating back down to earth when he found his release on an agonized groan, and then he collapsed beside her.
As she lay in his arms and they both struggled to regain their breath, Meredith’s eyes tried to adjust to the darkness of the small bedroom. She fixated on the small rosebud wallpaper, feeling languid and relaxed, longing to stay there in that bed with Phillip all night long. She would stay there forever if she could.
One would think she would feel embarrassed or awkward after what they had just done together, but Meredith felt completely at ease as she rested her head on Phillip’s bare chest. Her hands idly stroked the length of him.
She felt him press a kiss upon the top of her head and her heart melted.
“I love you, Merry,” he whispered softly.
“I love you too, Phillip.”
“Would it be terribly bad form if I asked you to marry me right now?” he asked.
Meredith stilled, his words causing utter joy to flood her body. She turned her head so she could see him. The serious expression on his face caused her pulse to race.
“Are you going to ask me?” She could hardly believe that it was going to happen. The pounding of her
heart echoed in her ears, and she held her breath.
“Yes.”
“Then no, it’s not in bad taste at all.”
“Are you sure? You wouldn’t want to wait for a more proper proposal with a ring and flowers and whatnot? . . . And perhaps some clothing?” He grinned at her cheekily.
She laughed at him. Lying naked in his arms was not the traditional setting for a marriage proposal by any means, but she didn’t mind in the least.
“Now is the perfect time. It’s just the two of us, together like this.”
“In that case . . .”
He rolled over, moving her with him, until he was lying alongside of her. Propping himself on one elbow, he cupped her face with his other hand and looked deeply into her eyes.
“Meredith Rose Remington, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife and marrying me?”
His voice shook slightly as he spoke, endearing him to her even more.
Tears welled in her eyes once more at his words and the enormity of what they were doing. “Yes, I will marry you, Phillip.”
He kissed her.
“Thank you for saying yes. And I’m not asking you simply because of what just happened in this bed. I’m asking you to marry me because I want you to be my wife, Merry. You inspire me and give me hope that we shall do things differently in our marriage. We shall be equals. I don’t wish to control you or tell you what to do. I don’t want to ever keep you from your writing. In fact, I want you to write.”
Joy swelled within her at his words. Here was a man who wanted her to write. As if someone waved a magic wand, her problems suddenly seemed to have evaporated, yet still, she was a bit unsure.
“I thought you said you didn’t wish to get married for years yet,” she said slowly.
“Meeting you changed my mind. Meeting you has changed everything,” he explained. “We will only make each other’s lives better.”
“Yes, I think we shall be very happy together, Phillip.”
“I do too,” he said. “I feel oddly calm about all this. You do that to me, Merry. I can’t explain how or why, but I feel such a sense of peace when I’m with you, such a sense of rightness and belonging. I don’t feel like I have to be anything other than myself when I’m with you.”
The Unexpected Heiress Page 18
