Chapter Twenty-Two
Sophie quietly descended the grand staircase, well aware most of the occupants at Silver Meadows had retired, but she couldn’t resist Mrs. Boyd’s fresh damson custard tarts, which the cook had told her were being made this very evening.
She was once again thankful for Mrs. Boyd’s friendship. There was no one else she could talk to about her heartache. She couldn’t very well tell her friends, and Rose kept asking questions about when the wedding would be. It was very difficult not to cry.
Mrs. Boyd was very good at listening and never made Sophie feel foolish or that she wasn’t worthy of their friendship.
She’d thought long and hard about her birth and was convinced her comfort in talking to Mrs. Boyd, Miss Clark, and the housekeeper must come from having more in common with them than she’d realized, since she was the daughter of a groom.
Her mother had also stated that her true father was exuberant and happy. That knowledge made her wonder if that was where her comfort with Tam came from.
She sighed. It had been over a sennight since she last saw him, and her heart still hurt.
She’d hoped the pain would go away with time, but it hadn’t.
Every night, she found herself crying, questioning her decision but coming back to it again and again and seeing no other way.
She simply loved him too much to marry him.
Even in her thoughts, the logic seemed wrong, but there was no logic when it came to love.
At least that was clear in Shakespeare, and Mrs. Boyd concurred.
Slipping into the servants’ corridor, she sniffed the air as she came closer to the kitchens.
Was that a whiff of cedar? She hadn’t expected to smell that.
It reminded her of Tam, evoking feelings that caused her to slow her step and swallow back tears.
It was probably no more than some wood brought in for the fire.
Not a day went by without something reminding her of him, whether it was gazing out at the pond or seeing Rob Roy on her mantel.
She couldn’t even bring herself to read it.
What she should be thinking about was how to tell her parents she wouldn’t be participating in the Season.
She hadn’t even told the duchess. When Lady Northwick and Lady Sommerset had come to look in upon her, they’d been so worried about her bruises, which had now faded, that she’d been forced to rest until just two days ago.
Now, she wasn’t sure she should inform the duchess, since she didn’t know what her parents would say.
After all, her mother had taken an oath of secrecy and never told anyone… until now.
“Ah, there you are, Sophie. What perfect timing you have. I just pulled a batch of tarts from the fire. You set yourself down and I’ll get your tea.”
She smiled at Mrs. Boyd’s enthusiasm. “And the tarts.”
Mrs. Boyd laughed and scurried over to a far table where a couple dozen tarts were set.
Sophie sat down at the wooden table where she and Mrs. Boyd always chatted, leaving the seat facing the kitchen for the cook, who liked to keep an eye on her space. Sophie faced the wall, as usual.
Mrs. Boyd came over and set down the tea. “Now, how many tarts would you like? One? Two?”
“Would it be too much to have three?”
Mrs. Boyd beamed. “Not at all. Not at all. Three it is.”
As her friend scurried off, Sophie took a sip of tea. Mrs. Boyd always made it perfect with a liberal amount of cream and no sugar.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she clasped her hands in her lap to allow Mrs. Boyd to set down the plate. The plate appeared, but the hand that held it was not Mrs. Boyd’s. She glanced up, expecting a footman, and looked into the warm brown eyes of…
“Tam.”
Her heart lurched. He looked handsomer than she remembered, and as a smile lifted his lips, her heart raced.
“I missed you, Sophie.” He cupped her cheek and kissed her.
She closed her eyes as her heart sighed and happiness filled her.
When he let her go, she gazed up at him. And then she remembered who she was. She stood, sending the chair toppling backward. “I can’t see you.”
He grasped her hand, his so large and warm, making her want to stay. “Actually, you can. Everything has changed.”
Curious, she hesitated to pull away. “Not everything. I cannot change what I am.”
“Nor do I want you to.”
“But if what I am cannot be changed, nothing else matters.” Her heart beat hard in her chest. She wanted him to have a miracle that would change her birth, yet knew it was impossible.
“Please, I have happy news.” He righted her chair for her.
If he were to tell her he’d found someone else to marry in so short a time, she was sure she would faint, and she’d never fainted.
“Please, Sophie. I visited Lord Dowling again.”
She gasped as she pressed her free hand to her chest, now afraid for Tam. “Why?”
“Please, sit, and I will tell you all.”
She shouldn’t, but she had to know. Finally, she nodded and took the chair he offered.
Tam pulled another chair over and faced her, taking both her hands now—not that she could run away if he held just one, as he was so much stronger than she. He stared at her as if he hadn’t seen her in years, then he finally spoke. “I visited Lord Dowling to negotiate for your hand in marriage.”
“Negotiate? With Lord Dowling?” Dread filled her. Lord Dowling was known for being ruthless in negotiations.
“Yes, and as you can see, I’m not the worse for wear. No need to look at me as if I’m a ghost.”
“I apologize, but I don’t understand why you would do that.”
“I did it because I love you, and I want you to feel every inch the lady you are. I’m pleased to tell you that he and I came to an agreement.”
Unable to help herself, she squeezed his hands, needing to hear what he’d done. Fearing the worst, she couldn’t be patient this time. “Tell me.”
“He has agreed to our marriage, and the contract will be settled within a fortnight.”
She blinked. “He agreed? That does not sound like Lord Dowling. It has to be a trick of some kind.”
“No. He wants us to wed.”
“It’s not like Lord Dowling to change his mind. What did you say to him?”
“I told him the truth.”
From the way Tam straightened his back and his jaw lifted, she could guess what he’d said. “You didn’t.” Her voice came out in barely a whisper.
“I did. I see no reason why you and I must suffer for something your mother did two decades ago.”
“Twenty-four years ago.”
His brows rose. “You’re that old?”
She slipped her hands from his and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, I’m that old. Don’t change the subject. You told him you knew about my birth and then threatened to expose him.”
“I did. He was furious, but there was nothing he could do, especially when I told him that one other person knew and would release the information if I had any kind of accident.”
“Merciful heavens.” Her heart pounded in her chest that Lord Dowling might have threatened Tam in that way.
“I know you think me hard and cruel for using the truth of your birth to get my way, but it’s not for me.
I did it for you. You deserve to be the lady you were raised to be, and you will be if you’re my wife.
No one will ever have any reason to question your birth now.
That is, if you still feel strongly about me. ”
She couldn’t answer, her shock at what he’d done so they could be together still reverberating through her. His cunning, determination, steadfastness, and love went far beyond any character she’d read about in any book. He was courageous too, risking his very life for her. He truly was her hero.
“Sophie? Do you love me?”
She took one of his hands in two of hers, marveling at how large it was and yet so gentle, but still able to protect her. “Tam, I love you with all my heart.”
“You will marry me, then?”
She gazed into his eyes and smiled. “I will.”
He let out a shout then pulled her against him and kissed her until she didn’t know if she was sitting up or lying down, just that she was with him. When he broke the kiss, he started to laugh.
She gulped in air and tried to get her bearings, still a bit off balance. That was when she discovered she sat upon his lap.
“Are we to have a wedding, then?” Mrs. Boyd strode into the room, grinning widely.
Sophie smiled. “We’re going to be married.”
“Oh, Sophie, I’m so happy for you.” Mrs. Boyd came right up to her, right there on Tam’s lap, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You deserve to be happy.”
Sophie wasn’t sure that she deserved it, but she was thankful. She studied the cook. “It just occurred to me, Mrs. Boyd, that you tricked me and had me come to the kitchen under false pretenses.”
Mrs. Boyd shook her head. “Not at all. Your tarts are right there, as I promised. That I also served you Lord Tamworth was simply a nicety.”
Sophie reached out and hugged the cook. “I’m so glad you’re my friend.”
“And I’m so very pleased you’re mine.” Mrs. Boyd pulled away. “Now, you will have to tell me all about your wedding after you get settled.”
Sophie frowned. “No, I won’t. You have to come. This wouldn’t have happened if not for you.”
Mrs. Boyd stared in shock before her eyes began to water. “You truly wish me to be at your wedding?”
“I do.”
Tam squeezed her about her waist before he spoke. “I do, too. Without you, Mrs. Boyd, I would not have the woman I love, and for that you have my word that if you ever need my help, I am at your disposal.”
Mrs. Boyd sniffed. “Well, I’ll be a turnip in a celery patch. Thank you both. I…I…I need to go to the dairy larder.” With that pronouncement, she turned her back on them and strode out of the room, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
Sophie turned her head toward Tam. “You are my knight, as brave as Sir Gawain and as cunning as Odysseus. I thought such people were fictional, but you’ve proven that you’re the very inspiration for such figures.”
“Oh, no. Do not put me among such classic heroes. I’m not proud of my ruthlessness.
If it wasn’t for Mrs. Boyd there, I would have found you and seduced you, forcing a marriage, which I realize would have been the worst possible course of action.
And I fear your mother will have a rough go of it because of what I’ve done.
So we will need to open our home to her as a guest very soon. ”
“Our home?”
He grimaced. “Yes, though it is far from being comfortable yet. I promise you that there is a bedchamber for us and a decent dining room where we can eat.”
“And a library?” She smiled, happy to be teasing him again.
“Well, that will need some work, but you can decide exactly how you want it and what you wish to put in it.”
“I would like books in it.” Though she said it seriously, without a hint of a smile, he wasn’t fooled.
“Books, you say? Hmm, I do think we’ll have to talk about that.”
“Oh, Tam.” She clasped his head in her hands and kissed him, letting him know how happy she was without words.
He grasped her to him and deepened the kiss as his hand moved up her waist to cup her breast.
Immediately, she wanted her clothes removed. She wanted that and more. She wanted to give herself to him. She had to show him how much she loved him. Without warning, she pulled her mouth away from his. “I need you.”
He kissed her neck. “I need you too.”
“I mean now.”
He lifted his head and looked at her, then at the kitchen. “Sophie, I don’t think—”
“Not here. I want to be your wife now.”
Understanding dawned on his face, and she could tell by the ridge that bumped against her bottom. “Are you sure?”
“I am. I don’t want to wait three weeks.”
His eyes widened as if he hadn’t realized they would have to wait for the banns to be read. “I don’t either.”
She wiggled her way off his lap. “My room.”
He rose slowly as if it pained him. “I will meet you there.”
“No. Come with me.” She held out her hand.
He stared at it a moment, then, as if making a decision, he took it.