Chapter 8 #2
Swiftly, he walked down the hall to the entrance of his room. Shaw arrived moments later and quickly dressed Richard. Before he had much time to think, he ran downstairs to look for his man of business who had collected his son from the Davis family.
Richard walked into his study to find Johnson missing and Radcliffe standing beside a small boy of about four years old.
The little chap possessed soft brown locks, and when he raised his face to look at Richard, he revealed the distinctive green eyes of the Balfour family.
He could not deny that the boy must be related to him.
Richard shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, trying to decide how to greet his son. Did the boy know who he was, or must he explain their relationship? He was still pondering how to begin when the door behind him swung open.
“Who is this, Richard?”
Richard spun around to stare blankly at Sophia, words escaping him while several moments passed. How had she dressed so quickly?
“Richard, who is this?” Her voice rose to a shrill level, piercing his fog.
Richard opened his mouth. Then closed it when he still found no words to say. She stared at him expectantly, but he was speechless.
For pity’s sake! What is this?
He always knew what to say, but this past day was unprecedented. He had no experience to draw on, and he felt exposed emotionally.
Emotionally? What does that mean? When did I begin to wield emotions?
“Richard, I need to know, who is this boy?” Sophia asserted, maintaining a cheery tone likely intended to prevent the child’s alarm, but her smile was tense.
All Richard could think about was that redemption was difficult. Telling the truth was difficult. It was difficult to know what was the right thing to do. Life was complicated. He knew he needed to explain the truth but, though he opened his mouth to speak, still no words would form.
Sophia brushed past him to kneel before the little lad. “Hello. What’s your name?”
“Ethan,” said the boy. He gave an adorable little bow. “Pleased to meet you.”
Sophia stood to give him a solemn curtsy in response. “Sophia,” she replied. “I am Lord Saunton’s wife. And, who, may I ask, are you to Lord Saunton?”
“Is that Lord Saunton?” asked the boy, pointing to Richard where he stood in pained silence. Sophia nodded. “Emma says he is my papa, and I must listen to what he says. But he has not said anything yet.”
“I see. While we wait for your … papa … to speak, perhaps you would like to eat? I am sure Cook could find some milk and perhaps cake to go with it.”
Ethan’s eyes rounded in delight, and he nodded vigorously in response.
Sophia turned to Radcliffe, who was politely standing by and stoically studying the wall. “Radcliffe, can you see that Ethan finds his way to the kitchens and is well fed?” The butler inclined his head and took the boy by his tiny hand to exit the room.
Sophia waved her fingers to Ethan, smiling. As she turned back to Richard, her smile fell away and she glared at him. “Perhaps you should explain why Ethan thinks you are his father?”
Richard winced as he made his way to the drinks cabinet across the room. Then he recollected his promise to avoid spirits. He brought such chaos into the life of his bride; he owed it to her to attempt to keep at least one promise.
“When you asked me if I had any natural born children, I did not know about Ethan. Later that day, I came home to meet with my man of business, which is when … I was told about his birth.” He stared down at the decanter of French brandy with yearning.
Sophia was silent. So silent he was afraid that the silence would stretch out, wrap around the world, and all speech would be canceled for eternity. His own breathing sounded like a cacophony of sound in the deafening silence that?—
“So, the people whom I do not like will no longer wish to associate with us,” she finally blurted out so loud it made him jump.
“I do not understand … what?” He turned to face her.
“So, we are to be a scandal. The members of the peerage whom I dislike the most will be the first to avoid us. I may never be required to speak to them again. No soul-draining small talk with my aunt’s friends; no chitchat with that obnoxious Lady Jersey or her husband.
I can live with that. And our family just grew larger,” she finished in a pragmatic tone.
Richard shook his head in disbelief.
“However, I would have appreciated being forewarned …” She scowled at him, hands fisted on her hips, then brought a finger up to tap her lips pensively before pointing it at him.
“On the other hand, I think I may have dissuaded you from telling me something before the wedding. Was this what you pulled me aside to discuss?”
He nodded ruefully.
Sophia appeared thoughtful until excitement crossed her face. “Oooh! I shall spend my evenings with thinkers and literary geniuses instead. I shall be an irregular bluestocking who holds salons.”
Richard tried to make sense of what was unfolding before him.
Was his wife somehow pleased with the recent turn of events?
Her mind zigzagged, not unlike the military maneuver, and he realized his bride was an enigma that he might never fully comprehend, but she would keep him endlessly entertained in the years to come.
He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. “You are a wonderful woman. You accept that my son will live with us?”
“Where else would he live? He is your son.”
Richard had suspected when he had eavesdropped on Sophia and Miss Abbott less than a fortnight ago that he had met a compelling woman.
Now that he held her against his chest and breathed in the scent of roses, he was certain that Sophia was his perfect woman.
He could think of no other lady of the ton who would have accepted his son into her home.
“And will you be his mother?”
“If he has no mother, I will fill the role in any way that Ethan requires.”
Richard let her go and walked over to drop into one of his plush ivory armchairs. He leaned his elbows on his knees in relief. His wife was a revelation, and he felt like he, yet again, had been granted a reprieve. It did not surprise him when she came to stand over him.
“Are you all right, Richard?”
He nodded, clearing his throat in embarrassment at the display of emotion. He reached out to grab her slender hand. “Thank you.”
“I know you have a troubling past. But from here on out, can we work together?”
“Yes.”
“Are there any more surprises?”
“No.”
“Well then, shall we go meet your son properly?”
“Yes.”
Richard stood and held out his arm to his remarkable bride.
In the kitchens, Sophia met the housekeeper and kitchen staff while Ethan demolished a large ham sandwich that barely fit in his small hands.
Once he was done, they brought him back to the study to talk.
The child proved to be bright and well-spoken, chattering away about his journey from Derby and all that he had seen and experienced.
Sophia had been remarkable, talking to his son with directness while giving him her full attention, which the boy responded well to.
It soon came to light that Ethan could read when he commented on the books on the shelves, and Sophia promised they would visit the library together to select books appropriate for him or, if they could not find any, would visit Hatchards for new stories.
Ethan was exploring the study when Sophia lowered her voice to speak with Richard.
“I do not think a nursemaid will be sufficient. I will cultivate the boy’s love of learning, but he may require a tutor to keep him occupied.
Whoever this Emma is, whom he keeps referring to, she has clearly taught him beyond his years.
Perhaps the boy is a genius? Reading at his age? ”
“Johnson will bring us candidates for tutors, then. But I do not want my boy to be educated by the kind of men my father hired when I was a child. We must find someone who will foster his enthusiasm rather than squash it.”
“Agreed.”
Sophia strode across the room when Ethan called her over.
Richard watched her crouching to talk with him.
He was overjoyed to witness her acceptance of Ethan, not to mention the salve of having her support while he grew to know his son.
Although usually a decisive man, he was uncertain of what to do with a young child, but fortunately Sophia was taking the lead.
Richard crossed the study to join them at the shelves when Sophia beckoned him. He dropped to one knee to join their chat.