A Taste of Paradise

by Connie Mason

  Casper left with Baxter. Sophia watched the earl for his reaction to her. She knew Chris had written to him about their marriage and wondered how he would treat the woman who had caused his brother years of anguish. When he frowned at her, Sophia decided he didn’t approve of her, and she really couldn’t blame him.

  “You are the last person I would have expected Chris to marry,” he said.

  “I know you don’t approve of me, my lord, but for Casper’s sake, I hope you will let us stay until I can make other arrangements.”

  “What the devil are you talking about? There has to be a good reason you are here, and I’m anxious to hear it—after I read Chris’s letter, of course.”

  “Of course.” Sophia dug in her reticule for the sealed letter and handed it to the earl. She waited for him to read it, having no idea what Chris had written.

  “Good God,” the earl exclaimed after he had read the letter through twice. “I had no idea things had gotten that bad over there. Chris was right to send you away. You are welcome to stay with us as long as you wish. You are Chris’s wife, whether or not I approve, and you will be treated with the courtesy and respect due a lady of your standing.”

  “You’re very kind, my lord,” Sophia said. “But I intend to find lodging for Casper and myself as soon as possible.”

  “That won’t be necessary. Chris asked me to look after you until the danger is past and he comes for you, and so I shall. He never explained in his last correspondence, however, how you two found each other after all these years. I saw him the day before he sailed, and he said nothing about you. In fact . . .” He hesitated. “Well, never mind what we discussed—our conversation is no longer relevant.”

  “I can well imagine what Chris said,” Sophia muttered. “Our meeting was accidental. I thought Chris explained how it happened. Perhaps another time—”

  “Of course, forgive me for prying.” Baxter entered the parlor with a tray. “Ah, the refreshments have arrived. After you’ve eaten, Baxter will show you to your room. Dinner is at nine. We aren’t having guests tonight; my wife is increasing and prefers quiet evenings at home. I’ll introduce you at dinner; she’s resting right now. Will you pour?”

  Sophia poured tea for herself and the earl and munched on tiny sandwiches and biscuits. Casper joined her a short time later, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Cook makes delicious gingerbread. Much better than Chandra’s. But don’t tell Chandra I said so.”

  Sophia smiled at the boy’s ability to adjust. The earl rose and summoned Baxter. He arrived shortly.

  “Have our guests’ bedrooms been prepared?”

  “They have, milord. A fire has been lit in both chambers to ward off the chill.”

  “Thank you, Baxter,” Sophia said. “The transition from hot to cold weather hasn’t been easy. I appreciate the warmth of a fire.”

  “I can sleep in the servants’ quarters,” Casper injected.

  “Indeed not,” the earl said, affronted. “The house has a very pleasant nursery. And I intend to hire a tutor for you tomorrow. We can’t have you slacking off on your studies.”

  “Casper has had no formal lessons,” Sophia explained.

  “Then it’s about time. Where is your luggage?”

  “We left it at the gate.”

  “I’ll have it delivered to your rooms. Off you two go now. We’ll see you both at dinner.”

  “Thank you, Your Lordship. Casper and I appreciate your hospitality.”

  “Please call me Justin, and I shall call you Sophia. You are my sister by marriage, after all.”

  “Do I have to have a tutor, Sophia?” Casper asked. “I don’t need any book learning. The captain taught me all I need to know.” He grimaced. “I’d rather sleep in the stables. I’m too old for the nursery.”

  “The nursery will be more comfortable than the stables,” Sophia said. “Accept the present situation, Casper. It won’t be for long.”

  Casper brightened. “That’s right. I’m sure the captain will send for us soon.”

  Sophia said nothing. It hurt too much to think of Chris. She had begged him to let her remain in Jamaica, and he had denied her. Casper might return to Paradise, but she would remain in England. There was no longer a place for her in Chris’s life.

  Sophia was assigned a lovely room overlooking the garden. Amid much grumbling, Casper was taken to the nursery. Sophia’s luggage arrived shortly afterward, along with a little Irish maid named Peg, a sweet-faced girl who couldn’t be more than sixteen. Peg unpacked for Sophia and hung up her wardrobe, which Sophia saw at once was totally inadequate for late fall in London. She and Casper would need warmer clothing immediately.

  “Will there be anything else, milady?” Peg asked. “His Lordship said I’m to be your maid.”

  “No, thank you, Peg. I’d like to rest until dinner. But you could check on Casper in the nursery, if you will. He’s probably feeling lonely.”

  Peg bobbed a curtsy and left. Sophia lay down on the bed, her own loneliness nearly insurmountable. How was she going to exist without Chris? She had lived in a kind of limbo for seven years, until they had found one another again. Their meeting and subsequent marriage after all those years had been a miracle wrought by Fate.

  Now Fate had struck again. Chris had sent her away and she was alone once more. Sophia fell asleep thinking about the only man she would ever love. A man who would never return her love.

  Peg woke Sophia in time to dress for dinner. Adding a shawl to her dimity gown for warmth, she left her room and followed Peg down the stairs to the dining room. A footman opened the door and she swept inside.

  “Sophia!”

  Casper jumped from his chair and ran to meet her. “I thought you’d never come down.”

  “Where is everyone?”

  “His Lordship just left to escort Lady Grace to the dining room. I don’t like it here, Sophia. I miss the captain and everyone at Sunset Hill.”

  Sophia ruffled his hair. “I’m sure Chris will send for you soon. Until I can find suitable lodging for us, we must accept the earl’s hospitality.”

  “I don’t want a tutor.”

  Sophia didn’t have time to answer; the earl and his wife had just entered the dining room. Sophia turned to greet the heavily pregnant woman.

  “My lady, thank you for opening your home to us. I promise it won’t be for long.”

  “Grace, my dear, this is Sophia, Christian’s wife, and Casper, Chris’s ward,” Justin said.

  “Welcome, both of you,” Grace said kindly. “Please be seated. I swear I am always hungry these days.”

  They took their assigned seats. Servants began bringing food immediately. While they ate, Sophia surreptitiously studied the countess. Blond, petite and beautiful, she appeared to be at the end of her pregnancy.

  “Why didn’t Chris come with you?” Grace asked.

  “There was trouble on the island, my lady,” Sophia explained. “Most of the planters have sent their wives and families to England, out of harm’s way.”

  “How dreadful. Even in England we’ve heard about the unrest among the slaves. Slavery is such a terrible thing.”

  “That’s why Chris freed his slaves soon after he arrived at Sunset Hill.” She toyed with the food on her plate. “I didn’t want to leave Chris, but he insisted. I don’t believe Sunset Hill is in danger.”

  The earl and his wife exchanged knowing glances. Sophia sensed their curiosity but didn’t want to delve into her relationship with Chris in front of Casper. When she noticed him yawning, she suggested that he go to bed as soon as he finished dessert.

  After Casper was led off by a footman, the earl suggested that they have tea in the drawing room. Sophia knew instinctively that the earl would ask questions. She also knew she would not lie to Chris’s brother.

  Once Grace was seated comfortably, her feet resting on a footstool, she said, “I must confess that both Justin and I were stunned by Chris’s marriage.”

  “No more
than I, my lady.”

  “Please call me Grace—we are sisters now. I don’t mean to be nosy, but we saw Chris before he sailed and he said nothing about you or marriage.”

  “I’m not surprised. We met aboard his ship. It was strictly accidental.”

  “You were a passenger aboard Chris’s ship? Funny—Chris didn’t mention taking on passengers,” Justin mused.

  “I was a stowaway—I had no idea the Intrepid belonged to Chris.”

  “I see,” Justin said, but apparently he didn’t. “But marrying you, a woman he had reason to . . . er . . . dislike, a woman he wanted to erase from his memory, doesn’t make sense,” Justin continued relentlessly.

  “Justin,” Grace admonished. “It’s not our place to pry. Sophia is Chris’s wife. That’s all we need to know. Sophia, dear, does Chris intend to come for you and Casper once the danger has passed?”

  “I don’t know. We parted on less than friendly terms. I’m not sure he’ll want me to return to Jamaica, and if he does, I’m not certain I wish to return.”

  “Oh, dear,” Grace said, clearly distressed.

  “When are you expecting, my lady?” Sophia asked, abruptly changing the subject.

  Grace laid a hand on her burgeoning middle. “In four weeks, but it seems like forever. Late October or early November at the latest. Chris promised to return for the christening.”

  Sophia said nothing; she wasn’t privy to Chris’s plans. A great deal depended on the situation in Jamaica.

  “Chris’s letter asked us to make you welcome for the duration of your stay, and indeed we shall,” Justin said. “Please consider our home yours.”

  Though grateful for the earl’s hospitality, Sophia couldn’t accept his generous offer. Not when she was undecided as to where she would settle permanently. She needed a home to call her own, and that wasn’t necessarily at Sunset Hill with Chris.

  To that end, Sophia said, “I know Chris wanted us to stay here, but I intend to find suitable lodgings as soon as possible. Chris gave me access to his bank account, so I won’t be dependent on anyone.”

  “But, Sophia, we are your family,” Grace said in a hurt voice.

  Touched, Sophia said, “I know, and I shall depend upon you and His Lordship for many things, but I am not sure Chris and I can heal our differences. I don’t want to impose on you at a time like this. Then there is Casper to consider. You know Chris found him living on the streets. He’s not accustomed to luxurious surroundings. He’s seen too much of the world, some of it sordid, and sailed with Chris too long to be treated like most children his age. Both Casper and I would be happier living on our own.”

  Justin shook his head. “I believe you are making a mistake, but I will honor your wishes. If you like, I will accompany you to Christian’s bank and help you find appropriate lodgings.”

  “I’m glad you understand,” Sophia replied.

  “But, Sophia,” Grace objected, “you and Chris married against all odds. You were fated to be together. I know Chris. He wouldn’t have wed you unless he wanted to. What can possibly be wrong between you that cannot be healed?”

  “It’s a long story. Suffice it to say, our marriage was forced upon Chris. I’m not sure he wishes it to continue.”

  “But you love Christian; I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him.”

  Sophia lowered her eyes. “Unrequited love is a difficult cross to bear.”

  “Oh, Sophia, I’m sure Chris—”

  Sophia gave Grace a sad smile. “I know you are aware of our history together, my lady. Chris still bears the guilt of Desmond’s death. Unless he can resolve his guilt, our marriage is doomed. It should have never happened. I told him it was a mistake, and so it was.”

  Grace bowed her head. “I’m sorry.”

  “As I am, my lady.”

  Grace struggled to her feet. Justin rushed to help her. “I am tired. We will speak further in the morning, Sophia. I will give you the name of a dressmaker who can furnish you with a wardrobe appropriate for English weather. You have but to mention my name and she will put all her efforts into dressing you as quickly as possible.”

  “Thank you, Grace.”

  During the following days, Sophia spent a good deal of time at the dressmaker and finding clothing for Casper. They both shivered in their thin attire and were grateful when the first items of their wardrobe arrived. Sophia now had access to Chris’s bank account and was taking Justin’s advice about which parts of London would be appropriate for her to seek lodgings.

  Within a month, she had rented a small, tastefully furnished town house on Russell Square that came with three servants. The rent was reasonable, since it was a less fashionable but still respectable area of London.

  The day before Sophia was to settle into her new home, Grace went into labor, delaying Sophia’s move. The midwife was sent for. While they waited, Sophia did her best to make Grace comfortable.

  As the hours dragged on, Justin became frantic with worry. The midwife sent him away until he could calm himself, assuring him that all was going well. After Justin left, Grace clung to Sophia’s hand, squeezing until Sophia feared her bones would break. About twelve hours after her labor commenced, Grace gave birth to a baby boy. The healthy lad began crying the moment he slid into the midwife’s capable hands. Sophia had never seen anything more beautiful than that tiny scrap of humanity.

  When Justin rushed in to see his wife and son, Sophia tiptoed out to give them privacy. She smiled and spread her hands over her stomach. It was quite possible that she had come away from Jamaica carrying Chris’s child. A footman met her at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Milady, a letter arrived for you today.” He offered it to her on a silver salver.

  Sophia accepted the letter and went into a small parlor at the back of the house to read it. It was from Chris. He must have sent it shortly after she’d left for it to have reached her so soon. She ripped it open and read the contents.

  Chris wrote that the attack upon the Maroons never took place. It had been called off after an advance patrol informed the militia that the Maroons would be impossible to find. They had abandoned their campsites and moved into the mountains. No further instances of rebellion had occurred, and everything was back to normal.

  The last part of the letter stunned Sophia. The Intrepid was bringing Chris to England to fetch her and Casper! He expected to arrive about three or four weeks after his letter reached her. He hoped to be in time for the christening of Justin’s heir. Furthermore, he expected Sophia to return to Jamaica with him.

  Nothing in Chris’s letter raised her hopes for their future together. He hadn’t said he missed her. There was no loving salutation or fond ending. Just Chris’s edict scrawled across the paper, as if he expected her blind obedience. Had he learned nothing about her in all the time they had been together?

  Three days after Grace gave birth, Sophia and Casper moved into their new lodgings.

  Chris didn’t regret sending Sophia away, for he had done it to keep her from harm. What he did regret was their bitter parting. Did she mean what she had said about not returning to Jamaica when the danger was over? Knowing Sophia, he was sure she had meant every word. But he wouldn’t accept that. He had missed Sophia more than he imagined, more than he’d wanted to admit.

  That was why he had written her the moment he realized it was safe for her to return. The ship that carried his letter had arrived in Kingston two weeks after Sophia had left.

  Two more weeks after his letter was on its way, the Intrepid had arrived in Kingston. After the hold was loaded with rum, molasses and sugar, the Intrepid had sailed to England with Chris at the helm and Lord Chester as a passenger.

  Chris wasn’t concerned about his plantation during his absence for he had left Mundo in charge. All the cane had been processed, and there was nothing to do for a month or two except normal maintenance.

  The Intrepid docked in the London Pool four weeks later, delayed several days by a violent s
torm. Chris hadn’t seen Sophia for nearly three months and was the first one down the gangplank. Leaving Dirk Blaine in charge, he hailed a hackney and gave the driver his brother’s direction. Then he sat back and tried to envision the kind of reception he would receive from Sophia and what it would take to convince her to return to Jamaica.

  “Chris!” Justin exclaimed upon Chris’s arrival. “Sophia said you were returning to London. And just in time for the christening. Come in, come in.”

  “Is Sophia here?”

  It took but a few words from Justin to shatter Chris’s hopes for reconciliation with Sophia.

  “I’m sorry, Chris. Sophia moved to her own lodgings and took Casper with her. I don’t think she felt comfortable here.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Come inside, Chris,” Justin invited. “We need to talk before you speak with your wife.”

  Chris followed Justin into the parlor.

  “First things first. I have a son,” Justin said proudly.

  Chris slapped Justin on the back. “Congratulations! How is Grace?”

  “I’m doing very well, thank you,” Grace said from the doorway. “Welcome home, Christian. You’re just in time for the christening a week from Saturday.”

  Chris bussed her cheek. “You look radiant, Grace. Motherhood becomes you. What did you name your son?”

  “Theodore Christian. We call him Teddy.”

  “When am I to meet little Lord Teddy?”

  “Soon, but first we need to discuss your wife,” Justin answered. “Whatever possessed you to marry Sophia when you have refused to so much as speak her name ever since Desmond’s tragic death?”

  “You had best sit down for this,” Chris said. “It’s a long story.”

  Justin and Grace sat side by side on the sofa while Chris stood, legs braced as if he still rode the deck of a ship. “Did Sophia tell you anything about our meeting and marriage?”

  “Very little,” Justin said, “except that she stowed away aboard your ship. How did that come to pass?”