Never Run From Love (Kellington Book Four) (19 page)

“Are you saying you’d force me to marry against my
will?”

Lynwood was silent for a long moment.  “Are you
saying that in a case such as this, with right and wrong so clearly delineated,
that I would be forced to force you?”

Hal didn’t respond.  He knew if it came down to it,
he would do the right thing.  And, truth be told, he might even enjoy being
married to Melanie.  But he wasn’t sure that she would ever consent to marrying
him.  Her uncle might force her into the arrangement if scandal threatened, but
that was an even more depressing thought.  He didn’t want a wife who didn’t
want him.  Especially if that wife was Melanie.

Vanessa cleared her throat.  “If I may bring the
discussion back to the subject at hand?”

“Actually, I’m rather interested in Hal and the
do-gooder,” said Arthur.

“Perhaps later, dear,” said Vanessa.  “Inspector,
how would you like to proceed?”

“I would like to speak to this Parker.  Hal, do you know
where I can contact him?”

“Yes,” he said with a sigh.  “I can take you there
tomorrow.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

If Melanie’s aunt and cousin had suspected that
Richard’s frequent letters were evidence of a
tendre
he held for her,
his sudden appearance in London only heightened their anticipation of a
proposal.  Even the earl seemed excited to make Parker’s acquaintance.  But
Melanie thought that could be at least partly attributed to the desire to have
another gentleman at the table.  Surely any man, even one as good-natured as
her uncle, would tire of hearing about balls, gowns and bonnets every evening. 
Uncle Frederick had travelled to America twice and while he’d never visited
Philadelphia, he and Richard had a spirited discussion about relations between
the two countries.  When the ladies retired to the sitting room to leave the
gentlemen to their port, the earl’s hearty laughter could be heard often.

“I believe Frederick likes your Mr. Parker,”
confided Aunt Evelyn. 

“What’s not to like?” Mary asked Mel.  “He is
handsome, kind, well-spoken and has the obvious intelligence to be besotted
with you.  While it is true he isn’t titled and has only the one house, I
believe you could have a wonderful life together.  But I do wish you would
choose to make your home here in London.”

“I am afraid you’re getting ahead of poor Mr.
Parker,” said Melanie, a little disconcerted by the direction the conversation
was taking.  “And he is not besotted with me.”

“But why else would he show up in London
unannounced?” asked Mary.  “It is most romantical of him to follow you here.”

“He has business in town,” said Mel.  She’d asked Richard
to be rather vague about his activities in America so as to not alert her
relatives about her part in his work.  While she was sure they would support
the goals, she had no doubt they would object to her being such an active
participant.  At dinner, Richard had only said he was looking into some
shipping ventures.

“But is it not possible that Mr. Parker had two
reasons to come to London?” asked Aunt Evelyn.  “I could not help but notice
how solicitous he was of you at dinner.  He may well have business to conduct,
but part of that may be a discussion with your uncle.”  Her eyes sparkled as
she reached out to squeeze Mel’s suddenly numb hands.

“Wouldn’t that be wonderful, Mama?” asked Mary
rapturously.  “Think of the gowns we could wear to the wedding.  Oh, Mel, you
will be a most beautiful bride.”

Mel wasn’t sure what to say, in part because despite
her protestations to the contrary, there might be some truth to their
suspicions.  It had come as a surprise when Richard arrived in London and she
could think of very few reasons why he should make such a long voyage on the
spur of the moment.  And he had been rather attentive at dinner.  He was
probably just being a proper guest and wanting to allay any possible concerns
about their friendship.  But what if it was something more?

She did not believe he was in love with her.  They worked
well together and had common goals.  They’d been friends for several years and
could tease each other like brother and sister.  Of course, they weren’t
related and, as Mary had pointed out several times, he was handsome.  Most
women were attracted to him and Mel could easily see why. 

Would it be so far-fetched to marry him?  They had
their work in common, shared goals and had mutual respect for each other.  That
was surely more than many couples had.  And she did wonder what would become of
her if she didn’t marry.  She had no doubt her aunt and uncle would allow her
to live with them until she reached her majority.  Probably a good deal longer
than that.  She had dreams of moving out into the world to continue her work,
but that would be harder to do alone.  And infinitely easier to do so as
Richard’s wife.

There were other advantages to marrying.  She would like
to have children, so it was imperative to find a man who would be both a good
husband and father.  She’d met no one in England yet who even came close to
having the qualities she would look for in a husband.  Most of the noblemen
were too superficial, too indolent.  The women of the
ton
weren’t much
better.  Although she did wish to meet Lady Riverton, given her excellent work
on behalf of women.

If Lady Riverton just happened to have a fascinating
brother whose kisses intoxicated Mel, then that really was nothing to remark
upon.

No sooner had the gentlemen finally joined them,
than Mel’s aunt, uncle and cousin all invented various excuses to leave Mel
alone with Richard.  While they left the door open for propriety’s sake, she
still blushed at her family’s obvious ploy.

“I hope you are not uncomfortable, Richard,” she
said.  “I believe my family has made a presumption and acted accordingly.  But
I can call them back if you would like.”

He gave her the smile she remembered so fondly from
school.  “I do not believe I need reinforcements, but thank you just the
same.”  They sat in companionable silence for a moment.  “Your uncle is a very
good man.  I have worried about you these many months, not knowing if you would
be among people who would understand you.  But they are all most fond of you.  That
must be gratifying.”

“It is indeed.  They have been unfailingly kind.”

“Yet, you have told them untruths,” he said, looking
troubled.  “They know nothing about your work with the prostitutes.  I knew they
weren’t privy to the entire story, but I thought they might know a little.”

“I fear they would not let me continue my work if
they knew the full extent of what I do.  I also must be careful not to cause a
scandal that would affect Mary.  And, I would not want to worry them
unnecessarily.”

“I worry about you,” he said.  “I cannot feel
comfortable with you taking these chances, which is one of the reasons I have
come to London.  I would like to become more involved in the selection process. 
While I cannot stay here indefinitely, I could hire someone to recruit the
women.”

“But that is my job,” she said, with a fleeting bit
of panic.  She liked having a purpose in life.  She didn’t want to be just
another American miss on the London marriage mart.  Yes, there were risks, but
also great rewards.  But somehow she knew an emotional argument would not sway
Richard.  Instead, she addressed the practical.  “I cannot imagine we could
afford to hire anyone.”

 “Oh, I think we could find someone,” he said as he
patted her hand.  “Leave the details to me.”  He emptied his glass and set it
aside.  “Now, there is something else I would like to discuss.” 

Richard was rarely ill at ease.  Indeed, his
steadfast nature had been of incomparable value in getting people to trust him,
both the women they were helping and the benefactors they needed so much.  But
Mel was surprised to see that for the first time since he’d been a lad, he
appeared a bit awkward.  She was even more surprised when he rose and began
pacing the room, running his hands through his hair.

Finally, he paused and turned to her.   “Melanie, we
have always rubbed along quite well together.”  He looked at her expectantly.

“Yes,” she said slowly.  “That is true.”

He nodded as if validating her answer in a quiz.  “We
have our work, which brings us together, as well as common goals and
interests.  Further….”  Here he took a deep breath, as if seeking courage.  “You
have spirit and intelligence.”  He paused again.

“Thank you,” said Mel.  “Although it does rather sound
like you are weighing the attributes of a particularly important cow.”

He grinned at that, as she’d hoped he would.  She
was desperate for something to break the tension, which had seemed to creep into
the room like a determined family of spiders.

He began pacing again.  “Back home there are people
who, well, not to put too fine a point on it, think I should be looking for a
wife.  I suppose they are right.  A wife would be a welcome addition to my home
and my b….”

If Mel were a more experienced woman, she would
swear he was about to say “bed.”

After a moment’s hesitation, he continued.  “A
welcome addition to my home and my blessed work.  Furthermore, it occurs to me
that it isn’t right for you to be here unmarried and doing the work you’re
doing.  Perhaps…”

Whatever he was about to say was lost as the earl entered
the room.  “I am so sorry to disturb you, my dear.  But it occurred to me that
I haven’t yet shown our guest my library.  Parker, you might be interested in
some first editions that I acquired in New York.”

Mel was relieved by her uncle’s interruption.  She’d
been caught off-guard by Richard’s declaration or, rather, his almost declaration. 
She wasn’t sure how she would have answered him had he continued, but she would
have at least a few moments now to consider the matter.  She hoped he wasn’t
annoyed with her uncle for interrupting, but a quick glance at Richard made it
seem as if he, too, were relieved. 

“I would be delighted, my lord,” he said, appearing
as if he’d been pardoned from an execution.  “If you will excuse me, Miss
Sutton?”  He bowed to her then followed her uncle out of the room with almost
insulting haste.

Before Mel could even catch her breath, Aunt Evelyn
and Mary entered.

“I could just kill Frederick for interrupting the two
of you,” said Aunt Evelyn.  “I shall have to ring a peal over his head later.”

“Please do not do so on my account,” said Mel, still
shaken.

“I assure you it does a marriage good to have the
occasional disagreement.  I shall not be too hard on him, and the
reconciliation is always so sweet,” said Aunt Evelyn with a faraway look in her
eyes.

“What did Mr. Parker say to you?” asked Mary.  “I
would have listened at the door, but Mama would not let me.”

“Only mothers are allowed to listen at doors,” said
Aunt Evelyn.  “But I promise you I did not in this case, no matter how sorely I
was tempted.  What did he say, my dear?”

“We talked about common interests,” hedged Mel, not
wanting to discuss the matter yet.

That answer seemed to disappoint Mary a great deal. 
“Did he not propose?”

“Mary!” said her mother.  “You shouldn’t pry.  Even
if we would truly love to hear the answer.”

Mel smiled and shook her head.  “He did not.  It was
a pleasant conversation and I look forward to his visit.  But now I should
dearly like to hear about the gown Mary is wearing to the Everetts’ ball.”

If Mary knew she was being put off, she did not
say.  Soon the three of them were discussing flounces, ribbons and jewelry.

But Mel’s thoughts were on her friend from
Philadelphia and a scoundrel who lived in London.

*                    *                    *

Aurelia Thurmond, born Joan Smith, rarely had a
moment to herself during business hours.  And at her brothel, business hours
tended to be pretty much around the clock.  At the moment, it was close to
midnight, which meant most of her rooms were booked with one or more clients. 
The evening had already seen two bouts of fisticuffs in the brothel, with a
knife fight in the alley behind.  She’d heard that one of the men had been cut
so severely he’d probably die of his wounds, if not the likely infection that
followed.

Bad luck for him.  But it meant little to her.  Even
in the unlikely event that the Watch showed up, the officers were well paid by
her to ensure that neither she nor her business would suffer.  Any subsequent scandal
would hardly matter.  The noblemen of the
ton
didn’t exactly patronize
her establishment because they thought it was a proper place to be.  Her
brothel had a reputation for cleanliness and girls who were well-versed in
their trade.  As a madame she was discreet, except when it was in her interest
not to be.

The flesh trade was not for the faint of heart.  She
regularly had to turn girls out on the street when they wouldn’t obey the rules. 
Or showed signs of the pox.  She valued loyalty in others, even though she
exhibited the trait only infrequently herself.  Any number of her competitors would
literally kill to take over her clientele.  But, thanks to the burly bodyguards
she’d hired and the intervention of her backer, she’d so far evaded the fate of
other madames who’d been forced out of business, sometimes at the cost of their
lives.