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  She bit her lip. She hadn’t planned on ensuring her own ruin but that was precisely what she’d done.

  “Well, my news is a treat for all of us. As you know, Valentine and I were to dine out tonight at Sir Peter’s again but the venue has changed. Walter George has usurped his sister’s plans to host a dinner and has invited everyone to him at the last moment. How extraordinary?”

  So he was avoiding her now, too. She covered her face with both hands. Had last night been terrible for him? Had she not been affectionate enough to suit?

  “I say, dear sister, are you well?”

  Melanie jerked her head up. “I wasn’t invited to dinner.”

  “Walter’s invitation included your name, silly.” Julia caught her hand and squeezed it. “He would never snub you.”

  Melanie’s doubts remained. She hadn’t seen him since the early hours of the morning when she’d slipped from his bed. Their last kiss had been sweet, but they’d not spoken about today. Could she pretend she wasn’t in love with him enough to fool an entire room full of people?

  “You look frightened,” Julia whispered.

  “That is because I am.”

  “Everything will be well. You’ll see.” She winked then turned to the doorway as Valentine appeared. “Always the last to be made presentable. Are you ready to go?”

  Melanie glanced down at her gown. “I should change.”

  “Of course. We shall be fashionably late so you will dazzle him.”

  “Dazzle who?” Valentine asked.

  “Never you mind,” Julia quipped as Melanie slipped around them.

  Although her hands were shaking, she managed to change into something more appropriate for dinner and restyled her hair with the assistance of her maid. She took one long last look in the mirror before squaring her shoulders and heading downstairs to join with her family. She followed her brother and sister-in-law from the house and along the short distance to Walter’s front door in a state of panic.

  Walter’s occasional butler offered a ready smile as he took shawls and hats and bade them wait a moment in the hall to be announced. She glanced around anxiously. Could anyone tell that she had crossed this front hall last night and given her virtue to the man that lived here?

  A shiver of that remembered desire stroked her spine now. She clutched her hands together tightly and wrestled her apprehension under control. What on earth could she say to him now? Why haven’t you proposed seemed an inappropriate way to start any conversation between them.

  The butler finally came to usher them forward. Melanie bumped into Valentine as he paused at the threshold, surveying an already filled room. Mr. and Mrs. Hartwood waved. The vicar did not. He stared at her so hard that she was certain he knew what she and Walter had done last night.

  “Are we terribly late?” Valentine asked.

  “You are right on time,” Walter promised as he came forward to greet Valentine and Julia. They shook hands and he organized a comfortable chair for Julia. He stopped at her side, offered a wry grin that caused her heart to skip a beat. “Miss Merton.”

  “Mr. George.”

  He cleared his throat as he faced the room. “If I could have your attention. I suppose you are all wondering at your invitations. Please do thank my sister for being gracious enough to humor me tonight.”

  Imogen surveyed her brother with barely concealed curiosity. “Well, I don’t know about being gracious. I am still waiting for an explanation and I reserve the right to be ungracious when I do finally hear it.”

  “I’ll get straight to the point then.” Walter cleared his throat. “I would like to announce a wedding.”

  Stunned silence filled the room and Melanie stared at Walter.

  Linus Radley moved to the fore, eyes narrowing. “Whose?”

  Walter caught her hand in his and threaded their fingers together. “Well, ours of course.”

  “But of course,” Radley whispered with widened eyes. “I should have guessed when you thumped me.”

  Melanie couldn’t keep her eyebrows from shooting upward in astonishment. “I never heard a proposal.”

  “Well, given your track record for saying no, I wasn’t keen to go down on bended knee and risk being unlucky number thirteen,” he shot back immediately.

  Melanie blinked as she realized he was utterly serious. “You have to ask.”

  He faced her. “Not a chance. We are getting married.”

  Melanie couldn’t speak.

  “You are out of line, sir,” Mr. Hartwood insisted. “The lady deserves a proper proposal or there can be no marriage.”

  “Walter, please. You cannot deny her this moment?” Julia cried out, and soon everyone else voiced his or her opinions on the subject too.

  Embarrassment brought an uncomfortable heat to her face. This was not how she’d envisaged this moment. She had thought they’d be alone so she could tell him she’d changed her mind about marriage. He’d silenced her doubts about becoming his wife with his tender lovemaking and his actions to avoid pregnancy had been appreciated. But she couldn’t discuss that here in front of everyone.

  She glanced at her brother and saw confusion on his face. Valentine turned on his wife and regarded her suspiciously even though Julia ignored him and kept grinning. Melanie prayed he never guessed Julia had urged her to slip from the house last night.

  As she was about to nod to cut off any further debate, Imogen’s spluttering laughter filled the room. She risked a peek and saw Walter’s sister double over in mirth—and soon everyone else joined in, holding their sides.

  Everyone but Walter and herself.

  Melanie wrenched her hand from Walter’s, shame filling her. The situation was not at all funny. “I cannot marry you without first hearing a proposal,” she whispered.

  “Oh, stop, stop. This is no way to start a life together.” Imogen gestured to Valentine to join her and moved closer. “Let’s see if we can speed this up for everyone’s sake.”

  Valentine glared at Walter. “Walter, marry my sister.”

  “That is what I’m trying to do,” Walter grumbled.

  Imogen patted her brother’s shoulder solicitously then faced Melanie. “Dearest Melanie, since my brother hasn’t the wits to realize a sure thing when he sees it, I would like to ask for your hand in marriage on his behalf. He clearly adores you by making sure we were all here to witness this moment, and I for one want nothing more than to make you both very happy for all the days of your life. Please do us all the great favor of accepting him so we might all live peacefully ever after.”

  Despite the fact it was Imogen asking and not Walter, his eyes glowed with hope and an affection she had glimpsed in private these past weeks. She nodded. “Yes. I would like very much to be Walter’s wife.”

  Their friends cheered and chatted among themselves, but Melanie only had eyes for Walter. She loved him and they would be husband and wife. She caught his hand and held it tightly. “I cannot believe you would think I might say no to you.”

  He caressed her cheek with a soft and gentle touch. “I have learned never to assume anything where you are concerned. You surprise me every moment, but I will give you the life you want because I want you more than anything else.”

  “Thank you.” She leaned into his fingers, her mind making plans for what she needed to do in the next few weeks. “The banns can be called on Sunday and that gives us time to organize everything.”

  “Ah,” Walter’s face colored, “about that. I wrote to Hawke for advice and he delivered a special license on his arrival. We can be married today—tonight in fact, —if your brother is in agreement and we can come to terms. Mr. Pease is here to do the deed so there’s no need to delay, is there?”

  “Today?” Her mind raced. Her trunks were still packed in readiness for her aborted departure. Her parents were so wrapped up in their own affairs they probably would not protest about missing the wedding. She was of age to make her own decisions without deferring to them.

  It
was rather clever of Walter to have everything done so they could marry tonight. She frowned at that thought though. “When did you know you would propose to me?”

  “I was never going to propose, but I decided I’d like you for my wife after our first kiss.”

  “And when did that happen?” Valentine cut in loudly.

  Walter’s smile was a trifle sheepish. “Close your ears.”

  They had argued not long after their first kiss. And yet, that still didn’t explain his sudden decision to marry her. It made no sense. Unless…

  She checked the location of their friends and family and, seeing none near, she leaned into Walter. “When did you fall in love with me?”

  A shy smile crossed his lips as he smiled down at her as if she should know the answer already.

  Melanie had known Walter almost her whole life. He was the only one she’d ever trusted implicitly not to overstep and as a child she had always liked to talk to him most out of everyone. He had always been there, in the background of her life, stepping in when a partner was needed for dancing or when she was uncertain. “A long time ago?”

  “Yes, Mellie.” His eyes sparkled. “A very long time ago. No doubt about the time you fell in love with me.”

  Her feelings for Walter had grown so gradually that she still wasn’t sure when they had begun. Although she had loved her brother dearly, she had always envied Imogen and Walter’s closeness. Had her feelings not been envy at all but the beginnings of a crush that she had misunderstood? She smoothed his cravat and stared up into his eyes as she accepted that her heart had been lost long ago, and she’d never realized that fact until this moment.

  “Well, that is perfectly all right then. It is horrible to be in love alone.”

  Melanie rose up on her toes and kissed Walter full on the mouth before their family, their friends and the vicar. It didn’t matter what anyone said about her behavior tonight. Walter had a special license and in less than an hour perhaps, she would be exactly where she wanted to be. Safe and loved in her Walter’s arms.

  Epilogue

  A year and a bit later…

  “Walter, you’re being a stick-in-the-mud. Come and sit by me and take off your shoes.”

  He grinned at his wife where she sat alone on the seashore, removing her half boots and stockings in preparation for the night. The sun was just setting on another perfect Brighton day. It was a special occasion—the anniversary of their first summer, more or less.

  Since their marriage, Melanie had blossomed and a decidedly bold and daring streak had taken over her nature. Many of the things she’d disapproved of before had been tried. Tonight’s adventure was swimming—naked with him in the sea. He’d suggested it six months ago, but at the time it had been too cold. “I think everyone has gone home. We have the beach to ourselves.”

  She threw a heart-stopping smile his way. “Everything is perfect, my love.”

  His heart squeezed tight in his chest at the endearment and as she lifted her hands to the front of her gown, he smiled. It wasn’t quite dark enough to remove their clothing yet so he plunked down beside her and put his arm around her back. “Ready for sunset?”

  She set her head on his shoulder. “I am indeed.”

  Tonight, under the stars and a clear sky, the evening would look magical. Melanie naked—there were no words to describe how much he looked forward to those moments.

  As the light disappeared, they stood and stripped off their clothing in the new dark. He caught his wife’s hand and drew her toward the waves. He ducked under at the first wave, but Melanie wasn’t so quick. She shrieked a little as it broke over her thighs, but eventually she ducked under the surface with a gasp.

  Walter gathered her against him. Her slender thighs wrapped around his waist immediately and she held to him in the current. “That wasn’t so bad.”

  A wave crashed over their heads and they both came up spluttering.

  “Except for that,” she twisted against him and the slip of her skin against his made him moan. Melanie chuckled wickedly. “Are you becoming aroused?”

  “Everything about you does that, as you are well aware.” He laughed and moved them into a patch of deeper water where the waves were not breaking. “I swear I’m a terrible influence on you sometimes.”

  Melanie grinned and kissed him deeply. “Well, I only became brave after you kissed me so you should be the one to reap the benefits.”

  He cupped her bottom and squeezed. “You’ll have me out of my mind soon enough.”

  “Are you not going to swim?”

  He cupped her breast next. “I couldn’t possibly let you go long enough for that.”

  Melanie hummed softly and she reached for him. Her fingers closed over his erection and she stroked him lazily under the water until he was hard. Walter shifted his wife a little then pushed her down on his aching length.

  After the cold of the sea, her heated core sent him a little mad with lust. There was no music but what they made together, and it was the sweetest melody he’d ever heard. He loved her for as long as he could, fondling her skin in the cool water, kissing her passionately. He couldn’t get enough of her. He likely never would.

  Melanie wrapped her arms tightly about his neck and brought her lips to his ear. Her hot breath over his skin brought on his release so quickly, he barely slipped from her body in time.

  “I love you, Walter.” Her grip tightened. “Why did you wait so long to make me your wife?”

  He gasped for breath and teased her clitoris, satisfied only when she moaned deeply to his every stroke. He grinned as she shuddered violently in the grip of her release. Satisfied at last, he kissed her lightly. “The wait was worth it, my love.”

  “Indeed it was,” she murmured and cuddled against him.

  He held her tightly against him as he waded to shore with her legs wrapped around his waist. Adventure be damned. He would want her again and again, but back in their bed would be more comfortable for them both. He dropped her to her feet and wrapped her in a blanket so she would dry off. “I was prepared to wait my whole life to catch your notice and I’d almost lost hope until the moment you kissed me back.”

  “And I’d given up on love until we danced,” Melanie whispered as she dropped the blanket and moved into his arms. “Partner with me again so I may show you how much I need you, Walter.”

  “Naked dancing?” He grinned and then laughed. “A woman intent on keeping my heart happy but there’s no music to guide us yet again.”

  She grinned impishly and slowly brushed her hand from his hip toward his manhood. “We never did need music to dance well together.”

  He held her close and pressed a kiss to her hair. “Not even once.”

  The End

  Thank you so much for reading Miss Merton’s Last Hope. I hope you enjoyed this final instalment of the Miss Mayhem series! Please consider leaving a review—either positive or negative. Reviews help others find a book that’s right for them. ~ Heather

  About Heather

  Bestselling historical author Heather Boyd believes every character she creates deserves their own happily-ever-after, no matter how much trouble she puts them through. With that goal in mind, she weaves sizzling English set love stories that push the boundaries of regency era propriety to keep readers enthralled until the wee hours of the morning. Brimming with new ideas, she frequently wishes she could type as fast as she conjures new storylines. While writing full time north of Sydney, Australia, Heather collects dust bunnies in all corners of the house and does her best to wrangle her testosterone-fuelled family into submission.

  Heather loves chatting to readers, so please catch up with her online:

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