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“She’s not changed, then. Although I thought she would be a little put out.”
“Not when she heard this nobleman is connected to the Swedish royal family. They’re going to be meeting this afternoon to see if he approves of her.” Thomas hesitated. “And if he does, then I’m free. Which means you’re also free.”
Sophia frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“It means you’re not confined anymore. I’ve explained everything to your father and pleaded my case about us. He isn’t happy that we were secretive about it, but he understood that a match between us would be better than between myself and Aimee.”
Sophia wasn’t sure she understood what he meant. Or that she did, but she wasn’t letting the words sink in.
“What … what are you saying?”
“My father had already given his blessing, and Westbury eventually did the same. He said if I’m serious about you, then he will allow you to marry me.” Thomas held up a finger. “But only after Aimee has married. As she’s the older sister, she has to marry before you.”
They could marry? Only a few days ago, Sophia would have said that was ridiculous. She hadn’t even contemplated marriage. But now, hearing Thomas speak of it between them, it felt right. Good, even. She really liked the sound of marriage now.
“That is if you’ll have me,” Thomas went on. “After all, as you said before, we still don’t truly know each other, but I’m willing to wait for you to be ready. For whenever you want …”
Sophia didn’t need to hear any more. She hurried to him, practically throwing herself into his arms. Thomas responded to her kiss, wrapping his arms around her as he spun her around. He was laughing as he put her down.
“I take it that’s a response from you?”
“It is, and it’s a good response.” Sophia leaned into him, running her hands over his chest. “I never considered marriage before. I didn’t want to lose what I had. But with you, it’s all I can think about now. And I thought it would be impossible given our circumstances.”
“And now it’s not.”
“No, it’s not.” Sophia looked up at him. “Besides, if we’re going to wait for Aimee to get married first, I think we’ve got plenty of time to get to know each other more. Don’t you think?”
Thomas was still smiling as he drew her close.
“You do make a fair point. So why don’t we start now?”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“I don’t want to talk.” Thomas tilted her chin up, kissing her again. “Not just yet. I want to enjoy this without being worried that we’re going to get caught.”
Sophia liked the sound of that.
Epilogue
Sophia lay in bed, staring at the ceiling with a smile. Today felt like something that wouldn’t happen to her, yet it was. It had already happened. She was now Thomas’ wife.
It had taken a while for it to occur, though. Count Gustav was certainly not one to rush into things. For two months, he spent time with Aimee and courted her as he was supposed to. Aimee was very taken with him, and Sophia couldn’t blame her. Count Gustav was a very handsome young man, and he seemed quite charmed by Aimee, who, to her credit, was behaving with good manners and being the sweet girl she could be. It was almost like seeing her sister’s former self again.
Status aside, it was clear the pair were very taken with each other. Sophia watched them as the count spent time with Aimee and saw the way he looked at her. He was falling for her. Having married two weeks before Sophia and Thomas’ own wedding, they were now on their honeymoon across the continent.
Sophia could only hope that Aimee didn’t turn into the person she had known for the last few years. Otherwise, it would end up an unhappy marriage, and while she still had mixed feelings towards her sister, Sophia didn’t want any ill will towards her.
Hopefully, this actually worked, and Aimee could be happy. The count would be showering her with everything she wanted. That was what Aimee had always wanted.
Sophia wasn’t that interested in being showered with gifts. She was just content to be married to the man she loved. Their wedding was smaller and certainly quieter than her sister’s, but Sophia didn’t mind. She was just happy that she finally became a married woman and was out on her own with her husband.
They had moved to the other side of St Neots, so they weren’t too far away from her family home, but they were far enough that they could be on their own. With the little bit of land Thomas had bought, it would certainly be nice and quiet for them.
Sophia could feel sleep dragging her down, and she yawned. God, she was tired. It had been a wonderful day, but she hadn’t realised how exhausted she was until she was in the bedchamber she would share with Thomas.
Plus, this bed really felt soft and comfortable.
