Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
“A father's guidance is a daughter's safeguard.”
Dr. John Gregory, A Father’s Legacy to His Daughters
Perry loped in to collapse with a negligent air into one of the ivory armchairs. “I thought that went rather well.”
Richard picked up his empty cup and threw it at his sardonic brother, who quickly ducked so that it hit the wall behind him in a shattering spray of shards.
“My, my, brother. Your emotions are taking over.”
“Quit finding amusement in my troubles or I will blacken your eye, brother.”
“The countess made several good points. I agree with her assessment that a journey to Somerset would be fraught with peril.”
“I must do something! This is my fault!”
“Richard, this may be easier to resolve if you have a clear head. You may have done something to cause this situation, but a man who targets an innocent woman and child is deranged, which is beyond your control. And, thus far, nothing but gossip, threats, and minor incidents have occurred, so calm yourself.”
Richard groaned, leaning his elbows on the smooth finish of his desk to drop his head into his hands in a gesture of agony. “Perry, do you not understand? It is only a matter of time before the blackguard heightens the stakes.”
“Your wife is losing her patience. Be careful she does not leave our household to return to the Morelands. Currently, she is cooperating with you, but you will push her too far and complicate the threat further.”
“Why do you say that? How would you know?”
“It is what I would do in her position.”
Richard stared at his brother. The possibility of Sophia leaving him was … It made his heart ache in his chest and his breathing shallow. “I will think on it.”
Perry left him to his thoughts, and Richard sat staring sightlessly at the street through the window, aggravated by the boarded-up window in his peripheral vision.
He felt adrift, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on him. He wanted to rant, to rage, to take action, but against whom? Who had he offended so deeply? And why now? It seemed unlikely to be tied to any recent event, as he had ended his last arrangement in December of the previous year.
For five months, he had refrained from any entanglements, determined to avoid the mistakes of his past. His failed betrothal to Annabel haunted him still, her discovery of his indiscretion in the stables marking a turning point in his life.
At the time, he had naively believed marriage would allow him to continue his wayward habits without consequence.
But that was before he met Sophia, the captivating minx who had turned his plans—and his heart—completely upside down.
This situation made no sense. Who could be so angry with him, yet they waited a minimum of five months to enact their revenge?
Had his nuptials triggered their anger? And how had they known or reacted so swiftly?
He himself only knew he would wed mere days before the event.
Unless they had known about his search for a bride and been lying in wait to pounce.
Richard’s head swirled with the possibilities.
Drat! He needed a drink! Not the damn tepid tea he had been sipping since his wedding day, but a real drink!
Sophia was so livid when she stormed out of Richard’s study that she took herself back to the Morelands’, inviting herself to dinner because her earlier visit had disclosed the family’s plans to stay in for the evening.
Smiling and forcing small talk gave her a megrim. Light glinting off the silver and crystal at the dinner table caused it to worsen into a sharp, throbbing pain until she was forced to massage her neck despite her aunt’s disapproving stare at her unladylike behavior.
The moment dinner was finished, she grabbed her cousin Lily by the hand to drag her to the library, where the last slivers of sunlight were visible through the windows.
“Lily, the man is so frustrating! Attempting to send me to the country to rusticate with Ethan while he remains in town. Is he trying to get rid of me?”
Lily’s face showed her concern. “I do not think so, cousin. I think he fears on your behalf.”
“Did I make a mistake?”
Lily’s elfin face scrunched in confusion. “What mistake?”
“Should I not have married him? Did I make a mistake in my choice of husband?”
Lily sighed. “I do not think so. This situation will resolve, but you need to give it time—give Lord Saunton time to straighten it out. Why so impatient, Sophia? You are one of the most level-headed people I know.”
Sophia sighed, lifting a hand to knead the stiff muscles in her neck. “I am afraid. My feelings for the earl are growing. At first, his crusade to redeem his honor was so exciting, but now I fear …”
“What is it?”
“I worry that the only reason he married me was that I somehow represented this crusade. What am I to him, merely a talisman or a … moral compass of some sort? An ethical lodestone, if you will? What if that is all I am to him? What if he resolves his quest and loses his interest in me once he no longer needs me?”
“Silly goose! No man could lose interest in you once you got your hooks in him! You are one of the cleverest, most interesting people I know. Your mind bends around problems to solve them. Look how you sorted out the debacle with Lord Leech. It was perfection. The man was thoroughly outwitted. Nay, your husband will only grow more attached to you over time.”
Sophia shot a sideways glance at her petite cousin sitting beside her on the library sofa. “Truly?”
Lily snorted inelegantly. “Of course. When will you inform the man that you are in love with him?”
Sophia stiffened in ire. “What do you mean?”
“You are independent and do not care a whit about other people’s opinions on how you should live your life. But here you sit, lamenting about what you mean to the earl, and will he lose interest in you? Clearly you have fallen in love with the man, just as I predicted.”
“No … it is not true. I merely care about him …” Sophia squeezed her eyes shut in agony.
Her cousin was correct. She did love her stupid husband.
It had been inevitable from the moment he had expressed his desire and will to change.
When he stated his admiration and admitted how she had inspired his crusade to redeem his honor, she was smitten with the daft man.
She admired his courage and his drive; and she appreciated his fine looks and his sense of humor.
He made her feel safe when she had never allowed herself to rely on anyone because of the havoc her parents had wreaked on their lives.
And his affection for his son, whom he acknowledged without hesitation despite the scandal it brought into his life, was commendable.
Richard accepted the mantle of responsibility without complaint, and even now worked tirelessly to find a solution to their troubles.
And he does not trust me to assist him.
It saddened Sophia that he would not accept her help, but she admitted her cousin had made a good point earlier that day. She must accept his help if she expected him to do the same. They needed to engage in a proper discussion.
Lily prodded a sharp elbow into her side, causing Sophia to yelp in pain. “But enough about you and your woolgathering. I have a problem of my own.”
“You shame me, cousin. I have forced my problems on you for days now.”
“Do not be ridiculous. There was no force. But this is about me, so are you ready to stay silent and listen to my troubles?”
Sophia gave a nod. Lily settled deeper into the sofa and sighed. “Mama is relentless. Now that you are married, she has turned her full attentions to me. If she had her way, I will be married to a gentleman I barely know by the end of the week. I am not strong like you, Sophia!”
“Stuff and nonsense!”
Lily wrinkled her nose to stare up at Sophia, who felt like a veritable giant towering over her delicate cousin.
“Do not be daft. You just doled out advice to me throughout the day. You forced me to go confront Richard about the note and just persuaded me I was in love with the man, despite my resistance to the news. You have plenty of backbone.”
“But … I want to find a genuine connection with a man. I do not wish to be pressured into marriage, but I do not know how to stand up to Mama without hurting her feelings. She wants what is best for me, but her ideas are old-fashioned and too rooted in society’s expectations.”
“Uncle Hugh will never force you to marry a man you do not want. Just stay strong and wait for the right gentleman.”
“I am not as wily as you, cousin. She will get the best of me.”
“This is a silly conversation. Lily, you are just as clever as I am. Just prepare yourself to contend with her demands. Think of what her arguments are and prepare counter-arguments. When dealing with Aunt Christiana, I usually find that distraction is the best technique. You have observed me doing just that for three Seasons. Lord Francis Bacon once wrote that knowledge is power. You must use your knowledge of Aunt Christiana, but do not engage in direct debate with her because it invariably does not work.”
Lily’s mouth hung open in astonishment. “How did you discover all this?”
“I read a book by a Chinese general that was translated into French. Would you like me to find it for you?” Sophia gestured toward the annex behind them where the shelving was laden with heavy tomes.
Lily nodded, an expression of awe on her face as Sophia scrambled to her feet to search for the volume. “You were applying military tactics to my mother? You are such a bluestocking, cousin.”