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If only she could get her mother to see reason, but she was not someone to be swayed. Once she had her mind made up, nobody was taking her away. Her husband was very much the same. Sophia did get a little scared at how in tune with each other her parents were when it came to any decisions.
She wondered if she could get something like that for herself, although maybe with a bit more love and less stiffness. Maybe that could have happened with Thomas. But not if her parents had anything to do with it.
A movement just out of sight on the drive caught her eye, and Sophia leaned forward to see what it was, only to bump her head on the glass. Fumbling with the latch, she opened the window and leaned out in time to see a carriage disappearing from view. She hadn’t got sight of what carriage it was or who it belonged to.
Was it someone who could rescue her? Or was it someone who could make things a lot worse? Sophia leaned out further, but short of actually climbing out and clutching onto the ivy to use as handholds, she couldn’t do much.
Hopefully, it was someone who was coming to help her. Otherwise, she was going to be stuck for good.
“Lady Sophia! What are you doing?”
Sophia looked back to find Michaels standing in her room, staring at her. It was only then that she realised she was almost leaning right out, just inches away from actually falling out. Sophia managed to pull herself back in, shutting the window.
“I saw someone arriving at the house, that’s all. Do you know who it is, Michaels?”
“All I know is Lord Westbury wants you to come downstairs.”
“Did he say why?”
“No, he didn’t.”
Michaels was not going to give anything away. Sighing, Sophia stood up and composed herself. Whatever her father wanted her for had to be something big. Did it mean he and her mother had decided what to do about her? Or were they still planning and simply wanted to scold her again?
Leaving her bedchamber, Sophia headed downstairs, her legs feeling wobbly enough that she almost fell down the stairs. God, she was really scared. She hated not knowing what was going on.
Sophia reached the bottom of the stairs and was about to be escorted towards the morning room when she heard someone saying her name. She turned, almost doing a double-take when she saw Pierce walking towards her.
“Mister Shore? What are you doing here?”
“Mister Ford and I had some business to discuss with your father.” Mister Shore stopped before her. “Something that Lord Westbury was very interested in, actually.”
“What?” Sophia felt her heart lighten. “Mister Ford is here as well?”
“He is. I’m sure he’s going to find you shortly.” Mister Shore’s mouth twitched. “Once he’s told Lady Aimee the news we’ve managed to obtain for her.”
At that moment, a very loud squeal and giggle of delight made Sophia jump. She stared down the hall towards her father’s study. That had to be Aimee, but what was she so happy about? That Thomas had said he would marry her? Sophia felt nauseous at the thought of that. She couldn’t bear it if that were to happen.
“What news is it?”
“Mister Ford will tell you about it in a while.” Mister Shore paused. “I’ll leave you to have a moment with him. He’s requested it, after all.”
He looked a little dejected, and Sophia felt bad for him. He had started courting her, after all, and Sophia hadn’t given him much attention, her focus on Thomas instead. She approached him and touched his arm.
“Mister Shore, I must apologise for how things turned out between us. I didn’t mean to betray you like that.”
“I’m afraid I must apologise to you in return.” Mister Shore took her hand between his, giving her a gentle smile. “I went into this courtship with intentions that were far too nefarious for you. While I find you very sweet and charming, once I realised how my friend felt about you, I knew I couldn’t be selfish and keep you to myself.”
“Would you have continued had he not said anything?”
“Probably not. You were far too wise to what I wanted.” He grunted. “Maybe I should take advice from Thomas, seeing as he managed to turn your head instead of me.”
Sophia smiled.
“You will find your own love one day, Pierce.”
“I’m sure I won’t. But thank you.” Voices further down the hall had Pierce glancing over his shoulder. “That will be Thomas. And don’t worry about your parents. We’ve got it all sorted.”
“How have you got it sorted so quickly? It was only last night that we were caught.”
