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Richard shook his head in disbelief.
“However, I would have appreciated beingforewarned…” She scowled at him, hands fisted on her hips, then brought a finger up to tap her lips pensively before pointing it at him. “On the other hand, I think I may have dissuaded you from telling me something before the wedding. Was this what you pulled me aside to discuss?”
He nodded ruefully.
Sophia appeared thoughtful until excitement crossed her face. “Oooh!I shall spend my evenings with thinkers and literary geniuses instead. I shall be an irregular bluestocking who holds salons.”
Richard tried to make sense of what was unfolding before him. Was his wife somehow pleased with the recent turn of events? Her mind zigzagged, not unlike the military maneuver, and he realized his bride was an enigma that he might never fully comprehend, but she would keep him endlessly entertained in the years to come.
He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. “You are a wonderful woman. You accept that my son will live with us?”
“Where else would he live? He is your son.”
Richard had suspected when he had eavesdropped on Sophia and Miss Abbott less than a fortnight ago that he had met a compelling woman. Now that he held her against his chest and breathed in the scent of roses, he was certain that Sophia was his perfect woman. He could think of no other lady of thetonwho would have accepted his son into her home.
“And will you be his mother?”
“If he has no mother, I will fill the role in any way that Ethan requires.”
Richard let her go and walked over to drop into one of his plush ivory armchairs. He leaned his elbows on his knees in relief. His wife was a revelation, and he felt like he, yet again, had been granted a reprieve. It did not surprise him when she came to stand over him.
“Are you all right, Richard?”
He nodded, clearing his throat in embarrassment at the display of emotion. He reached out to grab her slender hand. “Thank you.”
“I know you have a troubling past. But from here on out, can we work together?”
“Yes.”
“Are there any more surprises?”
“No.”
“Well then, shall we go meet your son properly?”
“Yes.”
Richard stood and held out his arm to his remarkable bride.
* * *
In the kitchens,Sophia met the housekeeper and kitchen staff while Ethan demolished a large ham sandwich that barely fit in his small hands. Once he was done, they brought him back to the study to talk. The child proved to be bright and well-spoken, chattering away about his journey from Derby and all that he had seen and experienced.
Sophia had been remarkable, talking to his son with directness while giving him her full attention, which the boy responded well to. It soon came to light that Ethan could read when he commented on the books on the shelves, and Sophia promised they would visit the library together to select books appropriate for him or, if they could not find any, would visit Hatchards for new stories.
Ethan was exploring the study when Sophia lowered her voice to speak with Richard. “I do not think a nursemaid will be sufficient. I will cultivate the boy’s love of learning, but he may require a tutor to keep him occupied. Whoever this Emma is, whom he keeps referring to, she has clearly taught him beyond his years. Perhaps the boy is a genius? Reading at his age?”
“Johnson will bring us candidates for tutors, then. But I do not want my boy to be educated by the kind of men my father hired when I was a child. We must find someone who will foster his enthusiasm rather than squash it.”
“Agreed.”
Sophia strode across the room when Ethan called her over. Richard watched her crouching to talk with him. He was overjoyed to witness her acceptance of Ethan, not to mention the salve of having her support while he grew to know his son. Although usually a decisive man, he was uncertain of what to do with a young child, but fortunately Sophia was taking the lead.
Richard crossed the study to join them at the shelves when Sophia beckoned him. He dropped to one knee to join their chat.
“Sophia said that you and I could play chess tonight, Papa!” Ethan looked up at him with an excited, wide-eyed glance and pointed to the chess set that lay forgotten on the shelf. Richard followed his finger to look at the set and perceived for the first time that, as Sophia had pointed out, the four-year-old boy was learned beyond his years if he was interested in a game of chess.
“You play chess?”
