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She stared at him as they spun around another couple. “I dislike cads,” she whispered.
Lord Saunton sighed. “That is fair. You are a beautiful, intelligent woman …”
Sophia’s jaw fell as she stared at him with rounded eyes. She was?
“… and I promise to treat you with the utmost respect if you allow me to call on you. Please grant me the honor of a little time in your company, as I would like to get to know you better.”
“Why should I believe that? About respecting me, I mean?” She strived to sound confident,but she feared she merely sounded breathless.
He looked down into her eyes. “Subsequent to learning your critical thoughts on my character, I have decided to grant generousassistance to thepoor housemaidsyou spoke of, and I am working to be a better man. I was wondering if you could help me.”
Sophia was so astonished by his inappropriate words, she stumbled. His powerful hands corrected her so no one could see her slip. In befuddled shock, she heard herself speak. “That is splendid news, but given your promise not to inform my aunt …” She paused to await his confirmation. He gave a slight nod. “No, I would not like to be courted by you.”
Disappointment flickered across Saunton’s face, then determination. “I understand, and I have no wish to force my attentions on you. I did not expect this to be easy. However, I am resolute to learn more about you—the intriguing young woman who caused me to see the error of my ways. Tell me, Miss Hayward, do you believe it is possible for a man to change?”
Sophia thought for several moments about the unexpected question while he continued to move her across the floor. “He can get sick; he can get well. He can make poor decisions, and he can make astute decisions. I have seen men change for the worse, so logic dictates if a man can get worse, he must be able to become better.”
Saunton looked down at her, a flash of respect in his eyes. “I am glad to hear you say that. I am yet a young man who has just awakened to discover himself guilty of selfish behavior. I have to believe that it is never too late for a man to change, or I will go mad. My cousin, Halmesbury, who partakes in philanthropic works, assures me that a man can make amends for his past in order to build a new future, so this is what I am doing. Do you believe in second chances, Miss Hayward?”
“I would never deny a man’s right to try to correct his path.” Sophia could not recollect a conversation of such a direct and intimate nature. They were discussing something truly meaningful, and the man was baring his soul to her, if he was to be believed.
“Then know your words had a profound effect on me, and I would like—nay, Ineedyou to promise me a dance at the Yardley ball so I may try once more to persuade you?”
His eyes searched hers, so much hope reflected in their emerald depths. Sophia’s breath caught with the intensity of the moment as their eyes remained locked. The sounds of the ballroom faded away as she became lost in his gaze. No man had ever riveted their attention so fully on her, and it was throwing her, and what she thought she wanted, decidedly off-balance. She felt as alluring and powerful as he suggested with his words.
Swallowing hard, her voice a mere whisper, she heard herself say, without quite making the decision to say it, “I promise.”
A genuine smile, displaying pearly white teeth, relaxed his face. Sophia could not help dropping her gaze to his full lips. Good Lord, he was compelling when he smiled with such warmth. While her heart careened out of control, she wondered what she had just done.What harm could another waltz possibly do?Feeling the increased beating in her chest, she worried that a single dance could do far more damage to her vow to stay unaffected than she could possibly conceive. Yet she could not bring herself to regret her decision to see him again.
CHAPTER2
After her waltz with Lord Saunton, he returned her to her aunt’s side, who watched him walk away with a calculating gleam in her chocolate brown eyes. Aunt Christiana was not a bad person. She was, however, ruthless in pursuing her goals, and her current goal was to see Sophia married to a well-connected gentleman. To be fair, Sophia’s parents and their tragic end might have been to blame for inspiring her aunt’s single-minded focus.
Standing in the crowded ballroom with people continuously brushing past stirred Sophia’s customary anxiety within large gatherings, mounting to an uncomfortable level. Oddly, during her dance with Lord Saunton, she had not even noticed the other dancing couples despite their proximity. He had profoundly distracted her with his intimate conversation.
As her anxiety rose, she looked around for her cousin, thinking to escape to the terrace.
“Lily’s dance card is filled the entire night.”
Sophia started. The uncanny announcement from Lady Moreland made Sophia wonder if she had spoken her thoughts out loud moments earlier.
“It would behoove you to make an effort, Sophia. You could be married before the end of this Season,” her aunt continued. Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. She had not spoken out loud; her aunt was continuing The Conversation.
“Indeed, aunty. I need to visit the necessary and then I shall return.”
Her aunt nodded, her eyes fixed on her daughter, who was dancing with Lord Baxton, a man with an obnoxious laugh whose love of snuff was nauseating. She hoped her cousin was holding her breath. Sophia quickly walked off toward the necessary, but when she was sure her aunt’s attention was still focused on the dancers, she veered off down the corridor toward the library, which was her favorite room in their London home. She needed a moment alone to clear her thoughts and settle her nerves.Blazes, there were too many people in the Moreland townhouse tonight.
Once she reached the library, she quickly made for the annex in the back. Finding one of the library steps, polished mahogany about the size and shape of a large armchair, she sank down to the parquet floor to lean against the back of the solid furnishing which would hide her from any guests entering the room.
She drew a deep, calming breath and closed her eyes, enjoying a quiet moment alone with the sounds of the orchestra dampened by the distance and thick walls. Here in the library, she could once more hear her own thoughts.
Her encounter with Lord Saunton came to her mind as she thought about what he had said. He was making reparations to former paramours and seeking to change his character. A large undertaking for such a man, all because he had overheard her mockery on the balcony. It seemed incredible. Why would her words affect him to that degree? Would his change of heart last, or was this some sort of momentary whim that would pass by the end of the week? He was known to make sound financial decisions and, according to rumor, had tripled his family’s fortune since inheriting the title while he was a young man at Oxford. That would imply that if he truly decided to change, he had the intelligence and fortitude to do so. But he claimed she had been the impetus for such a life-changing decision? Barely anyone knew she existed, other than her immediate family, and no one had accused her of inspiring them before today. Was it truly possible for her to have influenced such an important man? It was heady to consider that her words had created such an impact. She was usually shielding herself from society; few had heard her voice her true opinions, and it was gratifying to think she had inspired a rake to change his morals.
Sophia heard approaching footsteps. She quickly moved to tuck her skirts in behind the enormous steps. It would not do to be caught alone in the library, which could start a scandal depending on who was entering the room. Luckily, the annex was poorly lit at this time of night, and she was unlikely to be spotted from the main room.
“Hayward, why the hell did you have me come tonight? I am not even on the damned guest list, and when Lord Moreland saw me enter, he was glaring at me in a most unwelcoming manner.”
Sophia frowned in confusion. Her brother was there tonight?
