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Then again, if he were a gentleman, he would be making sure that Sophia was fine and safe. Once he was sure of that, Thomas would go back inside.
Even if he wasn’t completely willing to do that.
What was wrong with him?
A movement behind him had Thomas spinning around. But there was no one there, as far as he could tell. He was jumping at shadows now.
Thomas turned back and started walking. Only to hit something hard with his head, the force of it knocking him onto his back. He fell and lay in the dirt for a moment as pain shot through his skull. What hit him?
There was a gasp and someone hurrying over. Then Thomas was sure that someone was leaning over him. A moment later, he heard Sophia’s voice.
“Are you alright, Mister Ford?”
#
Sophia couldn’t believe that Mister Ford was out here with her. What on earth was he doing? He shouldn’t be coming after her in the dark like this. Someone could have seen him. She just wanted to be on her own for now.
She didn’t want to feel a ripple of delight that Mister Ford had come looking for her. That felt dishonest.
Now he was lying on his back at the tree’s base after clouting his head on a branch. Sophia hurried over and leaned over Mister Ford, fighting back the urge to crouch down and touch him. That was not a good idea.
“Are you alright, Mister Ford?”
“I … Sophia?”
“It’s me. Can you sit up?”
“I think so.” Mister Ford slowly started to move. “Just give me a moment.”
Sophia reacted on instinct as he grimaced. She crouched and took his arm, helping him up. Then she realised how physically close they were, their faces inches away. Even in the dark, Sophia could see how close they were. She could feel his breath tickling her mouth, making her heart miss a beat.
Then she remembered who he was to her, and Sophia let go quickly, shuffling back from Mister Ford across the dirt to the trunk, hitting her back on it.
“Forgive me! That was … that was not …”
“I’m fine.” Mister Ford sounded like he was grimacing. “At least you didn’t drop me back down again.”
Sophia didn’t know how to respond. Her heart was racing so much that she was feeling a little light-headed. She saw the huge shape of Mister Ford stand up, a movement happening around his body as he dusted himself down. Then he approached her.
“Do you need help getting up?”
“No, I … I’m fine.” Sophia gripped the trunk and pushed herself to her feet. “I just need to make sure my gown isn’t completely ruined.”
“You might have to find somewhere that isn’t completely dark,” Mister Ford mused. “I can barely see anything here.”
Sophia couldn’t agree more. She was struggling to see clearly, and it was embarrassing that she was out here with a man who was making her feel something she had never experienced before. Sophia didn’t know if she liked it or not.
She shouldn’t like it at all. Mister Thomas Ford was Aimee’s future husband. The one who was supposed to have his attention, his time alone. Not her.
Keeping her distance from Mister Ford and not allowing him to touch her as he reached for her, Sophia stumbled out from under the tree, glancing towards the house. There was no one on the terrace, and from that distance nobody in the house would be able to see her.
She might just be lucky. Hurrying over to the far side of the tree, where the moonlight was more prominent, Sophia dusted herself down. From what she could see, there wasn’t much damage to her gown. It was just a stray bit of dirt that could easily be brushed off.
“You’ve got something in your hair.”
Sophia froze as Mister Ford’s fingers brushed against her neck. Then he took something out of her hair, bringing his hand around to show her a piece of bark. Sophia swallowed.
“Thank you,” she mumbled.
