Chapter Ten
Sophia had been looking forward to riding around Hyde Park with Christopher.
She found the habit of promenading around the open space at the same time as lots of other members of the Ton both faintly ridiculous and yet immensely enjoyable.
The sensible side of her wanted to scoff at the pointlessness of the exercise, which was to see and be seen by the denizens of Society, but she couldn’t quite let go of the sheer joy of seeing everyone dressed up in their finery.
This afternoon, over by the boating lake, Lady Albrighton was a vision in a vibrant yellow ensemble.
Sophia was desperate to get a closer look.
If the lady was wearing that style and colour, then it was sure to be the next fashion that swept through the Ton and her sisters would want to know all about it.
She fidgeted on her seat, debating whether to ask Christopher if he would mind manoeuvring his horses in that direction, but glancing at the side of his face, she held her tongue.
Earlier, as she’d waited for Christopher to arrive, she’d experienced a little flutter of excitement, imagining what it would be like to ride with him.
She’d been sure he would make the experience incredibly diverting and she’d found herself smiling once or twice at comments she imagined him making.
But the reality was, he’d not made a single one.
Since the moment he had arrived to pick her up, his mood had been strange.
Oh, he’d been as polite as always, complimenting her on her outfit, listening to a few lines of dreadful poetry from Annie, but there had been something closed off about his features, no sign in his eyes of the man who usually laughed at everything.
As they’d made their way along the wide paths of the park, he’d barely said a word, nodding at acquaintances but giving the appearance of a man deep in thought.
He was a far cry from the person she had been expecting and she was beginning to think that others were noticing his mood.
Breaking off the engagement was what she wanted, and so it shouldn’t be a bad thing if people saw they were not getting along, but the reality of it was worse than she’d imagined.
‘Is anything amiss?’ she asked, when he did not respond to a cheerful greeting from a man she knew to be a close friend of his.
He straightened, blinking a few times as if awakening from a nap. ‘I do apologise. I have been terribly rude; I have been woolgathering. You must be excruciatingly tired of my company.’
She waited for a moment, hoping he would tell her what had so occupied him, but he appeared to have finished. ‘Not at all. We all have times when we are not ourselves. Do you wish to return home?’
It was slight but she saw it when his shoulders dipped in relief. ‘Would you be terribly put out?’
Something panged around her heart, an emotion that felt suspiciously like disappointment, which it could not be.
She did not want to spend time with Christopher; this whole outing was for show anyway.
Hopefully, her despondency was down to not getting a better look at that outfit and not because she wanted to prolong her afternoon with her temporary betrothed. ‘Of course not,’ she said.
No sooner had she uttered the words than they were making their way out of the park, Christopher nodding briskly to the people they passed.
She pasted on what she hoped looked like a smile.
It was strange because her lips and face felt as if they weren’t quite under her control, so much so that she doubted the relaxed, happy look she was trying to portray was anywhere close to natural.
As they made it out onto the wide roads that would take her home, her fingers twisted in her lap.
When she had agreed to this farce of an engagement, she had not wanted the situation to take away what little pride she had in herself.
She’d known that she and Christopher had vastly different personalities and had very little in common, but after their time at Gunter’s, she’d thought he had been interested enough in her to feign a friendship with her.
This morning’s outing had robbed her of that belief.
At least it was only her maid who was witness to her humiliation.
Her sisters teased her about being the boring, sensible sibling, but she knew they did not mean it cruelly.
It was their way of saying that she was different from them, and if it hurt her occasionally, she had learned to hide it.
Sitting next to one of the most popular men in Society, who was desperate to get away from her, she felt every one of those comments about her sensibility hit her hard.
Drat the man for driving home the point that she was not the sort of person with whom he would naturally want to spend time.
Sunk in misery as she was, it took her a while to reason that they were not heading in the direction of her parents’ home. ‘This is the wrong way, Lord Christopher.’
He glanced down at her, his brow creased in a frown.
‘I thought you suggested we go home.’ His expression cleared.
‘But of course, you meant for me to take you back to your family and for me to go to my home.’ He shook his head.
‘I am sorry, my brain seems to be elsewhere today.’ He made to slow the greys.
‘Oh, you were taking us to Glanmore House?’ Her stomach fluttered, a warmth spreading through her, one it was impossible for her to tamp down.
‘Yes, but I can quite see why you would not want to spend any further time with a man with fewer wits than an apple.’ He shot a look at her maid. ‘My sisters-in-law have been asking me to invite you to take tea with them and they always provide the best cakes. We could visit with them now.’
She laughed, whether his comment about being less intelligent than a piece of fruit was meant to be funny or not. ‘I thought you wished to be alone with your thoughts, but I am quite happy to take tea with your sisters-in-law at Glanmore House, if you think they would not mind the late intrusion.’
‘I think they would very much enjoy getting to know you better.’
A bubble of excitement shot through her veins, surprising her with its intensity.
She could argue that it was because her family would be disappointed if she returned too quickly with no news to share, but that would be a lie.
She didn’t want to be parted from him just yet, and it wasn’t because she was developing inappropriate feelings for her pretend betrothed.
If his quiet mood was nothing to do with spending time with her, then she wanted to know if there was anything she could do to make him feel better.
They were becoming friends, and so far, it had been he who had done her all the favours, not the other way around.
‘If you are sure…’ Although he was waiting for her confirmation, he did not attempt to turn the greys around.
‘I am. I am still not convinced that my mind did not conjure up the Blue Lounge as a reaction to the shock of the situation. I would be grateful to learn if it really is that blue.’
His lips lightly curved, some of the light coming back into his gaze. ‘It is a blast to the senses, but when you see it for the second time, you will realise that it is even more extreme than you first thought.’
Sinking back into the comfortable seat, feeling much happier than she had only moments before, Sophia allowed herself to enjoy travelling next to a man who was more than competent in driving his horses.
They didn’t speak for the rest of the journey, and she watched as the animals trotted obediently ahead of them, his long fingers guiding the reins with apparent ease.
His hands were broad and lightly tanned and she wondered what he did for exercise, because his arms had the look of a man who did not spend his days idle.
Even beneath his jacket, she could make out the curve of his muscled arms, and she knew they were often the subject of much discourse amongst the unmarried ladies.
Not one for ogling men, she had not given them much thought before today, but she had to admit that they were rather fine after all.
Glanmore House was as spectacular as she remembered and her breath caught in her throat as they made their way down the driveway. Coming from a fairly wealthy family, it was still rare to see such examples of immense wealth.
She expected Christopher to drive to the wide steps at the front of the house and for a groom to come and take away the carriage, but she was surprised again when he headed straight for the stables.
A young groom came out to greet them, all smiles for Christopher, who jumped down from the carriage and engaged in a brief but friendly conversation about the young man’s health.
Her parents had never been overly formal with their staff, but she had never seen anyone from the Ton act like this around someone whom they would not consider their equal.
Christopher’s teeth flashed as he smiled, his hands running repeatedly through his thick hair whenever he spoke.
Before long, he was round to her side of the carriage, smiling up at her, whatever mood he had been in before apparently gone.
‘Once again,’ he said, ‘I owe you an apology. I did not mean to leave you sitting there. I have been a poor host this afternoon; please feel free to scold me.’
She waved away his concern. ‘I am most content to wait. It seemed like an important conversation.’
He held up his hand, and she took it, the warmth of his skin cutting through their gloves as he helped her down. She did not want to dwell on how that made her feel. Tingling skin and fluttering hearts were not for a faux betrothed.
‘It was. The young lad is rather sweet on my sister-in-law’s lady’s maid. I was asking if he had made any progress in his wooing of her.’
Sophia stopped in her tracks. ‘You were encouraging him?’