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“Of course we’re happy. I think … well …”
Edwin came to his rescue.
“I think what Thomas is saying is we’re in a state of shock. Neither of us expected you to say something like that.”
Pierce laughed.
“I’m glad I can still shock you after all these years.”
“You certainly did that,” Thomas murmured. “You can do what you want. You don’t need our approval.”
“I wanted it. You are my friends, after all.” Pierce looked towards the door as it opened, and a servant stuck his head in. “Pour us out three large brandies, will you? And make mine extra-large.”
“You’re going to be more nauseous than drunk if you drink an extra-large brandy,” Edwin warned.
Pierce shrugged.
“I think I deserve it after that revelation.”
Thomas didn’t respond, merely giving Pierce a slight smile. This wasn’t really anything to do with him. Sophia was an unmarried woman, and Pierce was a bachelor. Plus, their families were wealthy, and it was a good connection. In any other world, it would be perfect.
So why didn’t it feel perfect?
#
Sophia woke up slowly, staring at the ceiling as she realized it was morning. Or was it? Sophia had struggled to sleep after the ball. The loud music from the string quintet had hurt her ears to the point her head was throbbing, and she was feeling nauseous. Her feet were also throbbing from the dancing. Sophia couldn’t remember the last time she had danced so much.
It felt like everyone was keeping her away from her sister or keeping her occupied doing something else. It was very strange, and Sophia didn’t know what to think about it. She had hoped to be present for a few minutes before slipping away. While she had managed that, it hadn’t lasted for long.
She had been caught by Katherine wandering around the rose garden, which had resulted in her sister scolding her for disappearing and taking her back inside. That was a surprise; none of her family had come looking for her when Sophia slipped away. They must have wanted to make a good impression with Viscount Hawksworth by having all their family present.
Sophia was just glad nobody had come along to look for her while she and Mister Thomas Ford were talking. She didn’t know how she would have explained any of that.
Nor could she explain why she felt the way she did whenever Mister Ford was around. There had to be something wrong with her if she had all these emotions swirling around inside her for a man who would become her sister’s husband. That hadn’t happened with the other sisters and their spouses, so why was it happening now?
Maybe she was just concerned for his future. Aimee was definitely not the right woman for him, but Sophia wasn’t in a position to protest about it. Nobody had listened to her before, so they weren’t likely to now. This marriage was happening despite her misgivings.
If only she felt better about it. It would be far easier if she could be detached from it all.
Her bleary eyes focused on the clock on the mantelpiece. She could just make out the time. Did that really say six in the morning? Sophia rolled out of bed and staggered over to get a closer look. It really did say six. The servants would only just be getting up.
How had she only had less than six hours of sleep? Sophia felt awful.
It would be a while before Diane came along to help her get ready, and Sophia didn’t want to go back to bed. So, she washed and dressed herself, managing to do her stays up without much difficulty. Then she tiptoed downstairs and into her art room. Maybe some painting would divert her thoughts away from what was happening and make her feel better.
Anything to stop herself from thinking about her interactions with Thomas Ford.
What was wrong with her? They had been alone four times now, but they barely knew each other. They had talked, but it hadn’t been long enough to truly know what the other was like. Not in Sophia’s case. So why was she feeling like this towards him? Why did she want to be in his company and not leave? It didn’t make any sense. Sophia had never felt like this before and wasn’t sure she liked it.
Gentlemen didn’t look at her. Not when she had beautiful sisters. Sophia didn’t think she was ugly, but she wasn’t as beautiful as the rest of her siblings. She was decent enough to look presentable, but that was about it. Having a gentleman’s attention wasn’t something she was used to. It felt odd.
Sophia wanted to go back to how things were. She didn’t want attention from anyone; all she wanted was to do what she desired. With her family’s current attitude, that was easy. She couldn’t get that if she had others focusing on her.
She just wanted to paint.
There was a knock on the door. Or, at least, Sophia thought there was. She was so engrossed in getting the tiny details on the horizon right that she didn’t really pay attention. She was aware of a knocking somewhere, but it stopped before she could properly focus on it. Shrugging, Sophia went back to what she was doing. Almost finished now. Just a little more …
“Sophia? Are you in there?”
