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Rachel turned to her husband. "She's right, John. They are married, and allowing Ian to visit her here isn't condoning trysts. That word doesn't apply to a married couple."
"Rachel!"
"I don't mean to appear disloyal," Rachel assured him, "but Melissa is Ian's wife, and shouting won't change that."
Alanna moved to her aunt's side. She dared not enter into the argument, but her gesture made it plain whose side she favored. When her aunt responded with a determined smile, she was certain her uncle would soon be forced to give in. With four of his family against him, he would be exceedingly foolish not to.
"I'm hungry," he announced instead. "Let's have dinner and talk about this later."
Ian shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing your food, after you've ordered me out of your house."
John regarded his son-in-law with a darkly menacing stare. "You have more courage than sense. You realize that, don't you?"
Ian squared his shoulders proudly. "I married your daughter, sir. That ought to be proof of my intelligence."
"What does your father do?"
"He's one of London's finest barristers, sir."
"You're misplaced in the military, Lieutenant, when you've obviously inherited your father's skill at argument."
"Is that meant as a compliment, sir?"
It was Ian's disarming grin that dissolved John's objections to his plan. "All right," he finally agreed. "You may stay here if you must, but I'll expect you to keep your word and be out of here well before dawn."
"You have my word on it, sir."
"Good." John gestured with flourish. "Now let's have dinner together, and try to speak in a courteous fashion while we do."
"It will be no problem at all now, Papa," Melissa assured him. She left Ian's side to give her father an enthusiastic kiss, and then nearly skipped into the dining room on her husband's arm. Everything was going to work out beautifully, she just knew that it would, but she still didn't feel much like eating.
* * *
By the time they retired to the guest bedroom that night, Melissa was so exhausted, she could barely see. Ian, however, was in high spirits. He drew her into his arms and danced around the room, before pulling her down beside him on the bed.
"It's going to be difficult to keep our marriage a secret," he confided, "but at least I can brag about our engagement. That will have to do for now. What kind of a ring would you like? I'd buy sapphires to match your eyes, but if you'd like rubies or emeralds, just say so."
"You needn't buy me an expensive ring, Ian. I know your salary isn't generous, and we'll have a great many expenses when we set up housekeeping."
Ian frowned slightly. "My family isn't poor. In addition to being one of London's finest barristers, my father is also one of the most successful, as was his father before him. We have more money than many of the men who sit in the House of Lords. I chose the army because I craved adventure, but there will probably come a time when I'll join the family law firm. Would you like to live in London?"
Ian had saved Melissa from a fate too ghastly to contemplate, and she would have agreed to live with him anywhere. "London would be very nice," she replied.
"You'd rather stay here in Virginia though, wouldn't you?"
"Only if you would."
"You needn't be so agreeable, my love. You can tell me the truth."
Melissa flinched slightly at the mention of that word, but she didn't hesitate to confide the truth of her feelings in this matter. "My family is here, so yes, staying here would be nice, but your family is in London, and you shouldn't have to give them up for me."
"I haven't given anything up to marry you," Ian assured her. She had bathed and washed her hair that afternoon, and he removed her cap to free her golden curls. They smelled like sunshine. "You didn't answer my question about your ring. Do you want a sapphire, or not?"
Melissa had never considered the question and needed a moment to do it properly. "Because I wear so much blue, a sapphire would be very nice, thank you."
"I'll buy you a ring tomorrow then. Now, let's not waste another minute of tonight."
Ian slid off the bed, and took Melissa's hands to pull her to her feet. "I'm certain I'll do much better helping you to undress tonight."
