Never and Always (Emerson Book 6)

by Maureen Driscoll

  Her mother looked more tired than Violet had ever seen her. “How is Mrs. Jenkins?” asked Jane, worriedly. “We came as soon as we returned home.”

  “She and her son are doing well, though she still must pass the remainder. I should go back to attend to her.”

  “No, love, you have already done more than enough,” said her mother, who pulled her into a hug. And for the second time in mere moments, Violet began to cry. “Let it out, my dear girl. You did so well. Now Wes can take care of you.”

  “I do not like that suggestion,” said Ned. “I think we already saw his idea of taking care of her.”

  “Hush, dearest,” said Jane. “Violet was very brave and likely saved both mother and child. Let Wes take her away while I finish here.”

  “But Mama, you are exhausted,” said Violet.

  “I want to take care of my own baby, just as you helped Mrs. Jenkins with hers. Will you let me do that, please?”

  Violet hugged her parents again, then let Wes take her hand as they left the cottage filled with love and new life.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Violet could not remember ever being this exhausted, but the moment Wes gave her a boost onto her horse, every part of her body seemed to awaken.

  They rode side by side, content in the companionable silence until Wes asked, “Do you think your father will kill me for kissing you?”

  “Probably not today since I am certain both he and Mama are exhausted. But you may wish to avoid him when he has recovered his strength.” Then she laughed at Wes’s look of panic. “Of course he will not kill you, though I imagine he will wish to speak to you.”

  “Which is a good thing, since I wish to speak to him. I would like to declare my intentions. And before you say anything, I know you have not yet agreed to marry me. But I would like both your parents to know my intentions are honorable. I will not rush you, but I do not wish to pretend I do not feel as I do. Where are you going?”

  Violet had steered her horse from the road to a field. “This will take us back to the house,” she said, as Wes followed her.

  “Do you have anything to say about my intentions?”

  “Do you not wonder about my intentions?”

  “I must admit I am a bit nervous about why you are taking me through the woods to get home. You are not going to leave me there, are you?”

  “It depends on how many ridiculous questions you ask. Here we are.” They were at a small lake surrounded by trees.

  “This is on your family’s land, is it not?”

  “Yes. It is a favorite swimming spot. The lake at Lynwood Manor is much bigger, of course. But I have always had a particular fondness for this place.” She dismounted before Wes could help her, then tethered her horse to a tree. She went through her saddle bag as Wes dismounted, then found what she had been searching for – a large blanket.

  “Why are we here?” asked Wes. “With as tired as you must be, I wonder why you do not wish to go home and sleep.”

  “I am certain I will sleep for hours once we go home. But for now, I have another plan.” She could feel him following her down to the water. Shielded by the trees, it was a fairly private area. She turned to face him and while her intentions were set, her fingers trembled as she began unbuttoning her gown.

  “Violet, what are you doing?” Wes’s voice was unsteady, but his eyes were fixed upon her.

  “It has been a long day and I am in need of a bath. Since a bathtub is not available, I plan to wash in the lake.”

  “So, that means I should turn away,” said Wes, showing no inclination of doing so.

  “You can if you would like. Or you could join me.” She managed to sound somewhat calm as she said that, though her heart was racing.

  For a moment Wes just stood there, jaw agape. Violet was seized with fear that she had badly miscalculated. Finally, he spoke. “Are you suggesting I also need to wash? If so, would I be at the other end of the lake from you with eyes averted?”

  “You could, if that is what you wish.”

  “It is not what I wish. Nothing could be further from my wishes. It would be the exact opposite of what I would like to transpire in the next half hour or so.”

  Violet had to grin. “Good. Because I have thought about your plans for us and I believe I would like to marry you, Lord Wesley Addington. As long as you do actually ask me. Then as long as you spend our future telling me your feelings and not evading them.”

  “I can do that!” he said.

  “Excellent.” Violet was down to her shift. With more bravery than she thought she possessed, she slowly pulled it off. Unable to withstand the heat of his gaze any longer, she waded into the water. She turned back in time to see him shed his clothes with comical haste.

  He waded into the water, then pulled her into his arms, as his lips came down on hers ravenously. Violet’s senses were inundated with the passion of the kiss and the feeling of being skin to skin with Wes.

  Her breasts were against his chest and somehow her legs had wrapped around his waist as he moved to keep them afloat. The buoyancy of the water was warming her between her legs and there was a hunger she had never known before. But she knew Wes – and only Wes – could sate it.

  “Please marry me Violet,” he said. “I will never run from my feelings again. How can I when I give my heart to you now and always? I love you. I always have. I always will. Say you will marry me. Please.”

  “I will marry you,” she said, then deepened the kiss, even as he moved them to the shore. He walked out of the lake carrying her, then put her down only long enough to spread out the blanket.

  He laid her down, then covered her with his body. “Violet do you truly want this?”

  “More than I can possibly express.”

  “Actually, you are expressing yourself quite well, love.”

  * * *

  Wes couldn’t believe he was about to make love to Violet. And even better than that, she had consented to marry him. He was thankful for the cool water, since it had helped curb his ardor to an extent. But with the woman he loved beneath him, he could only hope he lasted long enough to bring her to climax.

  Her hands were shyly exploring his body as he kissed every part of her. He moved his hand between her legs, finding her ready for him. He moved to enter her, then stopped. “Violet,” he said, even as she kept kissing him. “My love, I must ask you something.”

  “Must you?”

  He had to kiss her again. “Minx! I have no reliable means of preventing my seed from taking root. If we continue, there is a possibility you may become with child. Are you certain you wish to marry me?”

  She smiled. Gloriously. “I must admit that helping a woman give birth does not make the process seem very appealing.”

  Wes groaned. “Very well, love, I will stop.”

  She held him to her instead. “You interrupted me. As horrifying as the labor was, the end result erased everything I had seen up to that moment. I would love to have your baby.”

  “It would make me blissfully happy for you to be the mother of my children, though I must say I hope they are slightly less work than Mrs. Jenkins’s other offspring.”

  “Hush and kiss me, Wes.”

  He gladly complied with both her commands. He parted her legs with his, then moved his hand against her until her groans told him she was ready. He pressed into her as carefully as he could, but stopped when he felt her tense.

  He kissed her. “I am so sorry for the pain.”

  “It is not altogether pleasant. I am hoping this is like childbirth, with the best part yet to come.”

  He could not help but laugh as he slowly began moving inside of her. She met him thrust for thrust. And as she cried out at her climax, he followed her.

  A moment later, as Wes lay on his back, with Violet resting her head on his chest, he looked up into the sky knowing he would remember this day as the one which truly started his future.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “Do we really h
ave to meet with Wes?” Ned asked Jane in a frantic whisper. They were in the sitting room and Rigg had told them Wes had asked to meet with them as soon as possible.

  “I think he has a very important question to ask you,” said Jane, who was hugging her husband, her head nestled on his chest. They were both extremely tired, having stayed up all night with one mother, before spending an hour with another.

  “I know he has a very important question to ask. Why do you think I wish to avoid hearing it?”

  Ned had always known this day would come. Truth be told, he had suspected for some time that Violet and Wes would marry. But he had been unprepared to walk in on his beloved daughter locked in a passionate embrace with Wes at the Jenkins’s home. Though he had to admit, it had resembled love rather than any untoward emotion. He also had to admit that he had impregnated Jane on the very night they had met. The fact Wes and Violet had known each other for so long with only a kiss passing between them was something in their favor. Though Wes and Violet had returned to the house moments after Ned and Jane’s arrival, despite having left the Jenkins’s almost two hours earlier.

  Most suspicious, that.

  “You do not have any objections to the match, do you?” asked Jane. “Other than you do not wish to see Violet leave us.”

  “I did not even think of her leaving! Why did you put that thought in my head?”

  Jane kissed him. “I do not believe they would wish to remain living here.”

  “He has studied law. He could practice here.” He sighed. “Though no, I have no objections to Wes as a husband for Violet. If she must marry.”

  “I do not know if she must,” said Jane. “But I do believe she wishes to. Mayhap it is time to hear the young man out.”

  * * *

  Wes’s heart was in his throat as Rigg escorted him into the sitting room. He could not be certain, but it seemed like Rigg had been eyeing him suspiciously ever since Wes and Violet had returned with damp clothes. Her parents had already arrived before them, so Wes had hurriedly changed his clothes, then asked for an audience with Violet’s father.

  What would he do if Lord Edward turned down his request? Would he simply kidnap Violet and run away to Scotland? He would certainly try, though he did not like his chances with Kellington males in pursuit of them. For they would surely pursue.

  If he ever had sons, he would prepare them for moments like this. Facing the father of your beloved was much more difficult than a confrontation with one’s enemy. You could be excused for talking with your fists with the latter. But with a father, you had to make your case with words.

  They should really elope.

  “Lord and Lady Edward will see you now,” said Rigg.

  “They are both in there?” How would he make his case with Violet’s mother in there, as well? He wondered if he could ask for a dram of whisky when he went in.

  “Wesley,” said Lord Edward, as Wes finally entered, then bowed to Violet’s mother and father. “I hope the two of you did not get lost on your way back from Mrs. Jenkins. It did take you a while to get here.”

  Wes could not be sure, but it appeared as if Lady Jane gently kicked her husband. They were sitting next to each other on the settee.

  “We took a slightly longer route.” He tried not to think about what they had done or he would never get through this conversation.

  “Please have a seat, Wesley,” said Lord Edward.

  “No thank you, my lord. I believe I must do this standing.”

  “Are you afraid you will be forced to run away and wish to have a head start?”

  “The thought had occurred to me, my lord. I am here about Violet. Miss Kellington. Miss Violet Kellington. Your eldest daughter.”

  “Yes, Wesley. We know to whom you refer.”

  “Excellent. As you know, she is a wonderful young lady. She is kind, almost too clever – I find myself struggling to keep up with her at times and often finishing a lap behind.”

  Lord Edward nodded. “She takes after her mother, and I am often two laps behind.”

  “At least two laps,” Lady Jane said with a smile as she kissed her husband’s cheek.

  “Then you understand me, sir. It goes without saying she is beautiful.”

  “My wife?”

  “No, Violet. I mean, of course Lady Jane is quite beautiful for a mother, an older lady. Not that you are particularly old, my lady. Nor are you, of course, sir. I am not doing this particularly well.”

  “Do not worry,” said Lord Edward, “You will not be receiving marks for this presentation, something you should be thankful for. Pray continue.”

  “As you know, I do not have a title, nor are my prospects good that I shall ever have one. But I learned the law in America and I have an income from my inheritance. Between the two, I can support a family.”

  Lord Ned interrupted him. “Why should you need income sufficient for a family?”

  “For our children.” Wes noticed the murderous look which had come over Lord Edward’s face, then quickly added, “Which we hope to have one day in the future. Far into the future.” Though, of course, there was the possibility it might not be that far in the future, after today’s events. Which he must not think about.

  “Do you love her?” asked Lord Edward.

  “With all my heart,” said Wes, not caring that he was baring his soul. Anything less would be a lie.

  “And you will always protect her and do your best to make her happy?”

  “I will, sir, my lady.”

  Lord Edward finally smiled. “Then I have heard everything I need to. I would do anything to make Violet happy. I believe that means letting her go to the man she loves. Let me tell you something about being a father, Wes. Sometimes the hardest thing you have to do is let your child go. Although, again, I hope that is a lesson for a much later date. I will be proud to call you son.”

  Wes had to choke down the lump in his throat. His own father had never said he was proud of him. Wes felt closer to the Kellingtons than to his own family.

  “Welcome to the family, Wes,” said Lady Jane as she rose and folded him into a hug. “You shall be a wonderful addition. I know the children will be thrilled. I suspect Violet will be rather happy, as well.”

  “My lord, may I find Violet now?”

  “With Jane’s and my blessing.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  He bowed and quickly left the room.

  * * *

  Jane went into her husband’s waiting arms. “I am glad you did not give him too much trouble.”

  “I probably gave him just the right amount of trouble.”

  “Violet will be thrilled.”

  “I am not certain I can go through this again.”

  “Yet, I fear all our girls will one day wish to marry.”

  “Then I shall send all their young men to you. I do not have the constitution for it. I love them too much for it.”

  “And I believe you love them just the right amount,” said his wife, as she held him even closer.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Mayhew House, London

  “Why on earth would you wish to marry the Kellington chit?” asked the Earl of Mayhew. “While I commend you for finally associating with a noble family, why did you not wait for one of the younger Kellingtons to come of age? Lynwood’s daughter would have earned you a nice dowry. I doubt this chit comes with much more than the clothes on her back. Not to mention the scandal of her birth…”

  “That is enough, Father!” said Wes, who had come to London to tell his father the news in person. He was not even staying with his parents, having chosen to spend a few nights at Lynwood House, instead. “You will not speak disparagingly of my future bride.”

  “I will speak as I wish. I am the Earl of Mayhew.”

  “You may speak as you wish, sir. But I will not listen to you speak ill of my friends as you have done for far too long. I am here because Violet insisted on inviting you to the wedding, which will be held in Marston Va
le.”

  “You are getting married in the country? I have never heard of such a thing. Why would you not be married in London where everyone could witness the joining of the House of Mayhew with the Lynwood line?”

  “Because this is not a political union, but a marriage between two people who love each other very much. Violet was raised in the village and the church is special to her.”

  Mayhew snorted his disdain. “I had hoped America would make you appreciate what you have here, but I see I was mistaken. Marriage has nothing to do with love. It is a way of forging alliances. I suppose I could see about going to this backwater village if it means Lynwood will finally start voting my way in Lords.”

  “I would not count on that happening, sir, unless your politics have changed rather dramatically. You should know that Lady Leticia will be at the wedding, as will her family.”

  Mayhew scowled. “We are not going to start this nonsense again, are we?”

  “It is not nonsense. I love Lady Leticia as a sister. I asked her if it would bother her to have you there, but she assured me she would not mind. Will you acknowledge her?”

  “Absolutely not. It would be an incredible insult to your mother.”

  “I believe the insult to Mother was made twenty-some years ago when you had your liaison with the former Countess of Ridgeway. Will you speak with Letty?”

  “Never. And you had better tell that bastard to stay far away from me.”

  Wes felt himself losing his temper, but now was not the time for that. He calmed himself with a deep breath. “You and Lady Leticia will indeed be far from each other since you will not be attending the wedding.”

  “What?”

  “I told you I would not allow you to speak ill of my friends. I gave you the chance to make amends with her. Now that you have stated your unwillingness to do so, I am uninviting you to the wedding.”