Free Love Sneaked In (Montgomery Family Trilogy) by Vikki Vaught Page B

I’ll just hope Matthew will know what to do. I do appreciate you talking with me about this.”
    Melody hugged her. “If there is anything else that I can do for you, please let me know, because I want to help you. Let me just say this, physical love can be beautiful and very rewarding between two people who genuinely care about each other. As you know, I wasn’t in love with Brandon, but I respected and cared about him very much. We were very good friends, and making love with him was very pleasant. Try to make friends with Lord Collingswood before you become intimate, if possible. That will help you enjoy it more.”
    Helen was glad that Melody had talked to her about everything. She decided she would ask Matthew to wait before they became intimate. They really did need to get to know each other better before they consummated their union. After all, they would be married for the rest of their lives. Surely a few weeks wouldn’t make that big of a difference. Of course, as Melody said, men viewed intimacy quite differently than a woman. She just hoped he would be open to her suggestion.

Chapter 6
    Late June 1820
     
    Matthew was getting very nervous about the wedding, and it was only three days away. He wondered what he’d been thinking of to decide that two weeks was enough time to know if they would suit.
    What did he really know about her?
    Why was she so insistent that she didn’t want love?
    He should have asked more questions about that. Well, it was too late to back out now. It was a matter of honor. A man didn’t have the privilege of changing his mind.
    Matthew would just have to make the best of the marriage. She did seem like a lovely woman, and she was extraordinarily beautiful. If the sex wasn’t good he could always take a mistress. Of course, he fully intended to give their marriage a chance before he did that, and certainly not until after they had his heir. If he did end up having to take a mistress, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d ever had one. In fact, he’d need to visit his current mistress just as soon as he returned home and let her know about his marriage and that he felt he owed it to his wife to be faithful.
    Cecilia wasn’t going to be happy. She’d been his mistress for three years. Cecilia was a widow and lived on the other side of town. They had been very discreet and no one knew that she was his mistress. She wouldn’t have been able to move about in society if anyone had ever found out. There was no doubt about it—she was going to be very upset. It wouldn’t be a good idea for him to write to her. This was something that needed to be done in person.
    Oh God, he really dreaded having to tell her.
    Cecilia had a terrible temper!
    He could just imagine how angry she was going to be.
    A couple of days before he was due to leave for Sanderford Park, he stopped by Gerrard’s to pick out a wedding gift for Helen, and since he was there, he might as well get a parting gift for Cecilia. He selected a diamond and sapphire brooch with a matching ring for Helen. He thought it would be a good idea to get her a ring, since he hadn’t given her one yet, and the sapphires should look incredible with her piercing blue eyes. She would have her choice of jewels from the heirlooms that had been accumulated throughout the years, but she would probably appreciate something new. For Cecilia, he picked out a diamond chocker necklace, since she had always preferred diamonds to any other jewel.
    The day before the wedding, he was up early. He checked out of his hotel and headed south toward Sanderford Park. He took his time and stopped several times along the way. At each coaching inn, he would drink several glasses of brandy. By the time he was near Sanderford Park, he realized he’d had too much to drink, so he stopped again and drank a pot of black coffee. The closer he got to Sanderford Park, the more nervous he grew.
    What in God’s name had he been thinking?
    He didn’t know why he