Chapter 15
The next morning Sophia opened her eyes thinking of Edward, and how he sometimes looked at her.
Replaying every tiny detail of the time she had spent with him, so that she could relive it, and still excited by the thought that he wasn't going away.
She hugged one of her pillows, daring to imagine what it might be like to be so close to him and even dance with his hand on her waist, before she told herself sternly not to be so ridiculous.
She was no longer a debutante, but a ladies' companion, with a secret!
Even if this had still been part of the London season, it would be very foolish to think that a gentleman like the Duke of Carlfield was going to show an interest in her.
As a merchant's daughter, and now a servant.
Trying to console herself she decided that she could at least think of him as Ned, since no one else but her would know this.
Sophia sighed sadly, as her thoughts returned to the reality of her situation.
Wondering what Owen and Hannah were doing today, before she became stern again.
She had to stay strong, carry on believing that all would be well, and try hard to help the Duchess as much as she could.
She had so much to be thankful for. Everything could have been so much worse.
She shuddered, imagining waking up next to the dreadful Lord Dilley, before quickly pushing the thought to the back of her mind.
Sophia got out of bed, and opened the curtains.
It was too early for breakfast or for Effie to bring her tea, so she decided on the spur of the moment to go for a walk.
It had rained during the night, making the garden look fresh and green in the early morning light, and she couldn't wait to explore.
She would have plenty of time afterwards to wash, and style her hair, before she knocked on the Duchess' door.
It wasn't as if she would be likely to meet anyone else out so early, so it didn't really matter if she wasn't looking her best.
She grabbed her journal, hoping that she would be able to find a quiet place where she could write in it.
Hurrying downstairs Sophia was shocked by the sheer number of servants who were already going about their duties, as she made her way through the house, intending to leave by the backdoor in the kitchen.
Despite doing her best to appear invisible, everyone she met seemed to know who she was, and greeted her by name.
Even when she was outside there were others working in the garden, and tending the horses in the stables.
Realising her foolishness, and that she wouldn't be able to move about freely without being seen, she almost turned around to go back to her bedchamber.
However the urge to explore her surroundings was too strong, so she carried on walking around the side of the house until she reached the front.
Once again stunned by the landscaping, and vast lawns.
From what she could tell, the last minute preparations were in progress for the Duchess' tea party later that day, which she hadn't been aware of until dinner last night.
She assumed that Lady Cynthia would let her know things like this beforehand, once she had settled in.
After walking along the path at the side of the lawn, and taking another she noticed, she came to a walled garden and cautiously opened the old door set into it.
Staring in wonder at what she discovered inside.
The path had taken her into a very different world of vegetables growing in small plots of land, and huge glasshouses, which appeared to be filled with exotic fruits when she peeked inside.
It wasn't long however before she reached the rose garden, after she walked through another door on the other side of the wall.
Sophia took a step back, unable to believe her eyes.
She had never seen so many roses before, growing in one place.
Their colours and perfume were enchanting.
Feeling quite overwhelmed, she was relieved to notice a bench where she could rest for a moment.
She made her way quickly to it, and sat down before taking her journal out of her bag.
To begin writing a description of everything she had seen, with a note of her feelings about the garden and flowers which she truly loved, before everything in her imagination became lost. She was conscious too that time was passing, and she certainly didn't wish to be late for breakfast so needed to hurry.
Sophia had become so lost in her writing that she was startled when she heard the sound of footsteps nearby. She looked up quickly, and accidentally dropped the journal onto the ground. Her heart was thudding loudly inside her chest when her eyes met Ned's.
The Duke had just returned from riding his favourite horse around the estate.
While he was taking him back to the stables, he recalled the bench amongst the roses which was the most beautiful place he could think of in the garden, and he decided to go there before he went back to the house.
If he couldn't be with Sophia, his mind was craving solitude, and he had many fond memories of playing in that part of the garden as a child.
He thought that being there again would soothe him, as it always used to.
The last thing he expected to find was Sophia, sitting on that very same bench.
It upset him at first that he had frightened her by appearing unexpectedly.
He could tell how afraid she was from the look on her face, until she realised that it was him.
When he approached her she had dropped her journal and stared at him wide eyed, which only made him want to kiss her even more.
Nevertheless he was dismayed that he had intruded on her privacy.
He stepped closer to her so that he could retrieve the book from the ground, and he brushed its cover with his hand to remove any imaginary dirt which might have been on it.
He apologised profusely for having startled her, before he passed the journal back to her.
Edward felt a shiver run down the full length of his spine when Sophia’s hand gently brushed against his, as she took the book from him.
With the result that despite his earlier resolve not to do so, Edward found himself once again being captivated by the pools of light within her soft hazel eyes, when she looked up at him.
A voice inside his thoughts told him that he should leave the rose garden immediately.
He had placed both of them in a compromising situation, which could easily result in a scandal if they were discovered without a chaperone.
Edward cleared his throat quickly, and much to the disappointment of both of them he bid Sophia good day, before leaving the rose garden and her.