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Her father scoffed when she said the word love as though the idea was a completely foreign one to him. But love wasn’t a notion that poets made up to justify their existence, no matter what Papa and Grandfather thought about it.
“He isn’t who you think he is, Sophia,” Papa said, weariness invading his voice. She preferred the weariness to his anger. The weariness she could navigate much easier.
“I know exactly who he is,” Sophie replied softly. “He told me all of it, Papa. He trusted me enough to do so. But the truth of the situation doesn’t change the way I feel about him.”
“Then either you’re a fool or he hasn’t told you all of it.”
Sophie smarted at his words. Perhaps she was a fool. Perhaps she was the biggest one ever, but it wouldn’t change the fact that she loved Gabe and she was never going to give him up.
Gabe came up behind Sophie and placed his hand at the small of her back, a small gesture of solidarity. He cleared his throat. “Beckbury, I appreciate that you’re unhappy with the situation, but I can assure you that I’ve been completely honest with Sophie about the entirety of my circumstances and I’ve pressed upon her the ruin that might face us in the future, but—”
“But I can’t image thatyouwould say anything publicly that would risk hurtingme, Papa.”
Her father winced slightly. “You think I’m the only one who might be aware of certain matters, Sophia?” He shook his head. “This is not the future I wanted for you, not the future you were meant to face. And he shouldn’t have forced hiscircumstances—” he sneered the word “—on you.”
Sophie chanced a glance up toward her new husband. “I’ll face whatever may come with Gabe, that’s the only future I’ve ever wanted.”
Papa frowned as he raked a hand through his hair, silently saying nothing for what felt like a millennia. Then he pinned Gabe with another stare. “Learn to manage your wife, Prideaux, or she’ll be managing you the rest of your days.”
“My lord?” Gabe frowned in return.
“You haven’t finished one sentence. She talks over you and is accustomed to getting whatever she wants whenever she wants it. Learn to manage her early or you’ll suffer the consequences from here on out.”
He’d acquiesced. He wasn’t going to force the issue of an annulment or make a scene worse than they’d already made, not that there was anyone in the vicinity to witness it. Relief washed over Sophie even if her father wasn’t saying flattering things about her.
“I’ll take that under advisement,” Gabe said. Then the slightest of smiles settled on his face. “Though I fear it may already be too late for that.”
Of all the obnoxious…
Sophie folded her arms across her chest. “You are both aware that I’m not deaf and can hear this entire conversation.”
“One of the few you don’t have to listen to through closed doors,” her father returned. Then he frowned slightly at Gabe once more. Papa was not happy about this situation in the least, but at least he wasn’t insisting upon having her marriage annulled any longer. “You will be in my study at Hampton Hall within three weeks, Prideaux.”
“We are traveling to Fairhaven and then Northend, Papa.”
“I wasnotspeaking to you.” He heaved a sigh. “Three weeks and not one day longer, am I understood, Major?”
Gabe frowned in response. “Sophie is right, Beckbury. I don’t know what I will find at either Fairhaven or Northend and my obligations are to my brother’s esta—”
“Andmineis to my daughters and to their reputations!” Papa bellowed, shaking the nearby windows in their frames. His face was red from the tips of his ears all the way down to his neck, disappearing beneath his cravat; and Sophie had never seen him look so frightening.
“Sophia is ill,” Papa continued. “That’s what her mother is telling everyone, and in a few days the entire family will retire to Shropshire. That was the plan before I headed here and we will not alter it nor will anyone ever hear about your trip north. The banns will be read in both sets of parishes starting this Sunday and in three weeks’ time youwillbe properly married by Vicar Lewis at The Hall.” Then he scowled in Sophie’s direction. “I will not have your recklessness cast aspersions on your sisters’ names or on their futures. Three weeks’ time, am I clear?”
“We’ll be there,” Gabe said.
Papa tipped his hat in farewell. “I’ll see you then.” And he started for the exit.
But it was nearly evening. Certainly he didn’t mean to start back homenow. It wasn’t safe to travel in the dark. “Papa, you’re not stayingherethis evening?”
He glanced once more from Sophie to Gabe and then back. “This is the very last place in all of Britain that I would stay tonight.” And then he hastened his step from the inn.
A sob from nowhere lodged in Sophie’s throat. Her father didn’t want to have anything to do with her. And she’d always loved him so dearly.
Gabe’s hand slid to her waist and he squeezed her just a bit. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, afraid that if she tried to speak it would come out in one giant sob.
Gabe turned her to face him and tipped her chin up with his fingers. “We were going to have to face him at some point.”
