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Duly chastised, everyone lapsed into affronted silence and turned their attention to the dinner.
Her annoyance at the conversation, however, remained with Sophia throughout the mercifully short evening. She took her leave of the hostess a different person to the one who arrived. Nobody had felt comfortable all night, or forgiven the hostess or the Squire for their gossip. Even the Harvells had picked up on the ill-feeling at the table because they had, uncharacteristically, remained somewhat subdued throughout.
Eventually, it became evident that it was best to call the evening to an early close.
Mr Everson took his leave quite abruptly, and was quickly followed by everyone else. The speed in which everyone left as soon as the requisite period of time had passed following the meal was an additional insult to the hostess, who looked somewhat put out at the guests’ apparent eagerness to leave.
As far as Sophia was concerned, though, she didn’t care how insulted the hostess was, her behaviour had only soured the evening further, and Mrs Arbuthnot should consider that before she rebuked anybody for not wanting to be there.
“Do you think anyone noticed we didn’t have any goods returned?” Delilah murmured as they made their way through the empty streets.
“It was noticeable to me, but I think everyone else were too relieved to have their goods back and didn’t really pay all that much attention. They were too busy casting aspersions on Algernon and Jeb,” Sophia sighed.
Delilah threw her a worried look. “I didn’t realise you were well enough acquainted with his father to be so informal with him.”
“Don’t even try to warn me away from Jeb again,” Sophia replied. “There is nothing more than friendship between us.”
Just saying the words hurt, not least because she wanted so much more with him. Although she didn’t say as much to her aunt, she could only surmise that his disappearance had something to do with the man Delilah had been arguing with, but was he alright?
Had he been hurt, or worse murdered like Tabitha and Mrs Banks, only nobody knew it just yet? Algernon had said he had gone back to London, so Jeb must have told his father where he was going. For some reason, he just hadn’t thought to tell her, and that hurt more than she thought it ever would.
“You would be a fool to trust a man like that. He is a Londoner.”
Sophia looked at her aunt. “What do you mean?”
“Well, look at his clothing. Those boots of his must be worth a small fortune. He has wealth and social status. Whoever he claims he works for, the bright lights of London would be a lure to someone like that. He doesn’t belong in the village; that much I do know. Why, look how he involved himself in the return of the hoard. He was bored, nothing more.”
“He was helping me with the difficult situation you put me into,” Sophia challenged.
“Yes, but he hightailed it off to London as soon as he had done so, didn’t he? Has he written a note to you? Did he even tell you he was going?” Delilah snorted when Sophia didn’t respond.
Sophia couldn’t argue because she had just thought the very same thing. Still, she refused to allow her aunt to cast aspersions on him either. Even though she hurt dreadfully, there was still something deep inside that refused to consider, even for a second, that Jeb had just abandoned her. Whatever had happened that had called him away, he would explain when he could she was sure of it.
She hoped so in any case because if he didn’t then she had made an utter fool of herself over a man, and there would be no help for the pain she would carry with her for a very long time to come.
“Wait,” Sophia murmured. She placed a hand on her aunt’s arm and slowed her pace. “Did you hear that?”
“What?” Delilah whispered. Her eyes grew wide in the darkness.
They then both heard it; the soft tread of someone approaching from behind.
“Do you see anyone?” Delilah whispered, peering around them suspiciously. She stepped closer to her niece but Sophia doubted it was to protect her. She rather suspected that if anyone posed any threat, Delilah would be the one to hide behind her.
“No, but someone is following us,” Sophia replied cautiously.
“I don’t like this.”
In full agreement, they began to walk toward home, this time with more hurried strides. As they walked, their gazes flickered back and forth, searching every shadow. Once or twice they stopped to take a look behind, but neither saw anyone following.
However, each time they stopped, footsteps continued to echo around them for a second or two until the person following stopped also.
“Who do you think it is?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t intend to find out. I hope it is not that Myers man you met the other day,” Sophia replied coldly. “He was nothing more than a thug.”
Delilah looked panicked at that. “I am not due to meet with him for another week yet.”
“Good. Let us go. I don’t know about you, but I have no intention of being the third victim in this village.”
