Page 36 of An Honorable Arrangement
Laughing, he said, "Father can be reasonable, as long as you agree with everything he says."
They both chuckled and Monty escorted his aunt to the ladies’ parlor where she was meeting a group of women for sewing and gossip. Assured Sarah wasn’t among the attendees, he left directly and found ways to occupy himself while Sarah had her privacy.
He went so far as to join a game of ninepin in the cool autumn chill, which was very unpleasant, and he accommodated his father when ordered to join in the foxhunt the following morning.
After another two days, without a single word from Sarah, he was ready to go raving mad. Willoughby was a large castle, but she was remarkably adept at making herself scarce. After dinner, he sat down for a game of cards. Everyone at the table gossiped about one couple or another making a match.
By the fourth hand, he could barely contain his disappointment. Several people asked after his health, and he mollified them with lies that he was fine.
A flash of lavender caught his eye, and he spun toward Sarah’s retreating form. Her brown hair flowed loosely in the back, and the reds and golds caught the candlelight.
His aunt's advice rolled through his mind, but he started through the parlor. Whist players looked up as he ran through tables toward where she’d passed. In the music room, his rushing caught the attention of the entire crowd who had been listening to a young lady display her talents on the pianoforte, so he stopped.
Trying to look apologetic, he skirted the room. Across the music room, slightly hidden by the harp, Sarah was watching him. A warm smile pulled at her sweet mouth as she slipped out the French doors into the garden.
Stepping out another door, Monty ran down the hall to the garden and burst into the cool night air. If the sharp wind hadn't been enough to steal his breath, Sarah staring at him was. Pink-cheeked and as stunning as ever, she undid him. "I have missed you, sweetheart."
She took a step closer. "I have missed you as well."
"I thought perhaps you no longer cared for me, and you thought your absence from my sight would pale my feelings." He also closed the distance by one step.
Wide-eyed, she shook her head. "My feelings are unchanged, except that they have grown stronger."
His heart lodged in his throat. "Why have you been avoiding me?"
"I didn't want to be a wedge between you and your parents." A tear rolled down her cheek, and she closed the gap and threw her arms around his neck.
Nothing had ever felt so perfect, wondrous, and warm as having Sarah back in his arms. He held her and breathed her in like a man desperate for drink or drug. She fitted him perfectly, every soft curve of Sarah lining up with all his rough edges. "My parents, despite their bad behavior, love me and will come around."
"I hope you are right," she mumbled into his shoulder.
"Does this mean you will marry me?" He kissed her forehead.
Putting her hands on his shoulders, she pushed back enough to look him in the eyes. "It seems I have no choice."
"Are you with child?" Could a person know so quickly that they had conceived? Both terrified and elated, Monty worried he'd forced her into a marriage she was unsure about.
Her skin pinked to the bodice of her gown. "Good gracious, no. At least, I don't think so."
"Then why have you no choice," he asked.
"Because I tried to stay away from you, and all it did was make me desperately unhappy. It seems I cannot live without you, Montgomery Witmore, and more importantly, I don't want to." Her breathing stilled.
Stunned by her declaration, Monty froze. Joy wove its way around his heart, and his blood pumped again. His pulse pounded, and he longed to be truly alone, rather than just outside a crowded house party. "You were not the only one who was desperately unhappy, my love. Tell me you'll marry me as soon as the banns can be read? Tell me so and make me the happiest man in all of England."
Sarah launched herself back into his arms. "I love you and will marry you today, tomorrow, or a week from now. I only want for us to be happy."
He pressed his lips to hers. "And we will be, sweet Sarah. I shall spend my life making you as happy as you've made me."
Sneaking her down the hall, through a servant's door, and up the steps to the family wing, they encountered no one on their journey to her room. Inside, he asked, "Do you think Mrs. Pratt will come checking on you?"
A wicked smile played on her lips. "She will not come until very late to help me out of my gown."
Propriety wheedled its way into his mind. "Maybe I should go. We only need to wait a few weeks, and you will be mine every night in the bed we share. No sneaking will be required."
"And won't that be a pity?" Sarah walked to the door and threw the bolt before turning toward him. She unlaced the front of her simple gown and pulled ties at her shoulders, and the soft material puddled at her feet. She stepped out in just her shift. A moment later, that pooled on the floor as well, and in only stockings, Sarah faced him.
Nothing but her rejection could have stopped Monty as he tore off his clothes, scooped her into his arms, and carried her to the bed. His heart was trying to pound out of his chest, and his shaft begged for release. Kissing his way along her shoulder to her neck, he reveled in her sighs.
