Never Run From Love (Kellington Book Four) Read Free Page B

aunt and uncle and their daughter Mary, who was a year younger
than Mel and about to make her come-out.  It was her aunt and uncle’s wish for
the two girls to make their debuts together.  While Melanie cared little for
social consequence, Uncle Frederick and Aunt Evelyn were two of the most loving
people she’d ever known.  She didn’t want to hurt their feelings by refusing a
kindness they wanted to bestow.
    So earlier that year, she’d donned her white gowns
and accompanied her family to any number of balls and ton events.  And
while Mary had delighted in the social whirl, Mel had sat quietly amongst the
wallflowers and chaperones.  At least she did that whenever Aunt Evelyn wasn’t
looking.  Her good-intentioned aunt had thrown her in the path of any number of
eligible gentlemen but none of them had really interested Mel.
    And it was clear, at least to Mel, that none of them
had fancied her.
    It had taken her a while to learn the intricacies of
a proper British conversation.  It seemed ladies were never allowed to express
an opinion about any subject other than the weather, the latest fashions or how
splendid the ball/luncheon/musicale was.  She wasn’t sure how she was supposed
to get to know a gentleman if she couldn’t engage him in a real conversation. 
She certainly couldn’t agree to marry anyone simply because he had a title and
a certain amount of income.  Although, those seemed to be the criteria ladies
of her acquaintance were most interested in.  Even her cousin Mary seemed more
interested in title and income than taking the real measure of a man.
    Just when Mel thought she would expire from the tedium
of the season, she learned of Mrs. Seton’s group, which sought to ban gin and
dangerous spirits.  While Mrs. Seton was rather more strident than Mel would
like, the very idea of helping the lower classes by eliminating the scourge of
poisonous spirits was similar to the Quaker teachings she’d been exposed to. 
And she liked doing something useful with her life.
    Besides, it would provide her with sufficient cover
for her real mission.
    Her aunt and uncle had been wary at first when she
said she’d like to attend a few afternoon meetings.  However, once she’d
discovered that a few other ladies of the ton also attended Mrs. Seton’s
meetings, her aunt and uncle had reluctantly agreed to let her go.  It probably
helped that Aunt Evelyn looked for every opportunity for Mel to gain greater
acceptance in society.  It had to be obvious that no one called at the house to
see Mel, although Aunt Evelyn and Mary did everything to include her when they
did have visitors. 
    As a consequence, Mel had been given permission to
attend a few afternoon lectures.  What her aunt and uncle didn’t know – and Mel
felt horribly guilty for keeping it from them – was that she also accompanied
Mrs. Seton on her protests at night.  The few upper class member of the group
usually skipped those.  But you couldn’t very well do any reforming if you
didn’t run across people who needed to be reformed.
    And they usually only came out at night.
    Mel turned over in bed, wondering if she could get
just a few more minutes of sleep.  But then there was a knock at the door,
followed by Mary’s immediate entrance.  Her cousin settled herself on the bed
with a jolt that thoroughly jostled the still sleepy Mel.
    Mary was truly a diamond of the first water.  She
was petite – several inches shorter than Mel’s height of five feet ten inches. 
Mary was blonde, blue-eyed, exquisitely mannered and bred from birth to become
the perfect wife of a peer.  She had her standards for a husband:  no one
beneath an earl, with at least ten thousand per year and an aversion to time
spent in the country.  Mary couldn’t see herself being far from the shops,
theatre and social whirl of the ton .  She’d enjoyed her first season
tremendously, despite not yet accepting a proposal of marriage.  She’d received
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