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She just wanted to get this all out.
The first sign she was aware of someone coming home was the slamming of the huge front door and the sound of her mother barking for a servant. Sophia froze so long the paint began to trickle off the brush, onto her hand, and down her arm. Groaning, she put the brush down and wiped her hand on her dress, smearing it even more. Black did not go well with yellow.
It wouldn’t be long before her mother found her.
Sure enough, as Sophia managed to find a cloth to clean her hands properly, the door flew open, and Lady Westbury came storming in. She took one look at Sophia and then charged towards her daughter. Sophia braced herself, seeing the look of fury in the older woman’s eyes.
She wasn’t expecting the slap across the face, though. It was hard enough to make her stumble. Her cheek was still smarting from when Aimee slapped her, but this was something else. It made Sophia’s ears ring.
“You little …” Lady Westbury was breathing heavily. “How could you? How could you do something to betray your sister?”
Sophia knew getting upset wasn’t going to work, even though she wanted to snap and scream at her mother. Rubbing her cheek, she turned to face the viscountess.
“What did Aimee tell you?”
“That she caught you in an embrace with Mister Ford. And that she heard him declaring his love for you.” Lady Westbury glowered at her. “Is this true?”
Sophia thought about denying it but decided against it. She took a deep breath.
“It’s true. Mister Ford loves me.”
“And you love him; I take it.”
“I do.”
Saying that out loud was surprising. But it didn’t feel as terrifying as Sophia expected. It was actually rather calming. Even with her mother’s anger radiating off the other woman.
“How could you do that?” Lady Westbury hissed. “How could you betray your sister like that? You little harlot!”
“I didn’t plan on doing it, Mother! Neither of us planned to fall in love.”
“You mean it just happened? How is that supposed to happen when you’re only meeting when Mister Ford is with Aimee.” Lady Westbury’s eyes widened. “Unless … you were meeting him alone! You really are a harlot!”
“I’m not a harlot!” Sophia cried. “We never did what you’re thinking!”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?”
“How about you trust me when I say that I am telling the truth?”
Lady Westbury snorted.
“You’re just the type who would lie their way out of a predicament. You’ve been doing that for years.”
“I have not!”
“Your sisters were always honest when they did something. Why couldn’t you be like them?”
That was when Sophia snapped. She didn’t want to hear about her sisters anymore. With an angry cry, she picked up the water jar and threw it against the wall. Glass shattered everywhere, water splashing onto her paintings. Sophia turned to Lady Westbury, who looked stunned at the outburst.
“What do you have against me, Mother? I’ve never done anything wrong in my life! You and Father take no notice of me, and the only time I get attention is when you think I’m not in line. My sisters have lied and cheated their way through life, but they’re so good at lying you lap them up, especially when it means you point the finger at me.” Sophia realised she was gesticulating wildly, but she didn’t stop.
“Aimee is no different. She was my closest sister, and the moment you whisk her away into Society, she turns into someone I don’t like at all. Have you ever wondered why she didn’t marry years ago? It’s because she’s a mean, vindictive little brat, just like the others. At least with my older sisters, they waited until they were married before they showed their true colours.
Aimee can’t even do that. Thomas is not a match for her at all. He doesn’t even like her. He might have thought differently if Aimee had actually been a decent person, but she chose to behave like a rude snob, and he didn’t care for it at all. Just like all the other gentlemen Aimee’s been interested in. If you want to talk about a failure in the family, look to her instead of me!
I’ve always been honest, did as I was told, and I behave myself. I don’t know why that upsets you so much, but you need to stop seeing me as a lower-class citizen and realise that you’ve screwed up my sisters to the point they’ve made people give us a wide berth in the past. They hear about their behaviour and nobody wants anything to do with it.
The fact you managed to find someone to marry Aimee, even if it was an arrangement and not a genuine love match, is nothing short of a miracle.” Sophia knew she was crying, but she was so into her tirade that she barely stopped to swipe her face.
