by Emma Evans
“And so, you have quite forgiven me, have you?”
“I have, Lord Cardan,” she replied, walking alongside him and tilting her head up to the sky for a moment. “It is quite forgotten, I assure you. Besides, now I am allowed to waltz which I cannot pretend is a bad thing.”
“Then I suppose I shall allow myself a little relief from my heartfelt repentance since I have clearly brought you some happiness by my own foolish behavior,” Lord Cardan chuckled, shaking his head. “A waltz is a wonderful dance, but I am sure I did not dance the steps all that well last evening.” He shook his head, his expression rueful. “One too many brandies, I think.”
“Then you shall just have to ensure not to drink so much the next time we are to dance,” Sophia replied lightly. “I would not like my toes to find themselves under the soles of your shoes, Lord Cardan.”
There was a short pause as he looked down at her, his eyes lit with a sudden interest. “You think you would accept a dance from me again, Miss Newton? Even after my terrible behavior last evening?”
She considered for a moment and then nodded, feeling all the more forgiving towards him. “Yes, I think so.”
Lord Cardan shook his head, looking somewhat sad. “I do not think that your chaperone will allow it, my dear Miss Newton. He is not in the least bit inclined towards me after my display last evening.”
Sophia shrugged, trying not to allow her mind to fill with thoughts of Lord Guthrie. After her ridiculous behavior this morning, she was relieved to have escaped his visit this afternoon. Her cheeks colored as she brought to mind just how he had scrabbled at the sheets as she had stormed into his bedchamber, his face a bright shade of red. He had not expected her and, to be truthful with herself, she had not expected to behave so, either. She had awoken that morning with a fierce, burning anger deep within her, angry with Lord Guthrie for being so furious with her for a small misdemeanor when even being associated with him could have affected her standing in society.
It was a relief to know that the ton had apparently allowed him back within their circles, although there was displayed some clear dislike and avoidance from some members of the ton.
“You have gone rather quiet.”
Giving herself a slight shake, Sophia looked up at Lord Cardan and tried to smile. “Forgive me. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“What were you thinking of? If it is not too impertinent to ask.”
Thinking that it was, in fact, rather nice to be asked such a thing—mentally thinking just how markedly different Lord Cardan was in that respect to Lord Guthrie—Sophia shook her head. “No, it is not impertinent at all. I was just thinking of Lord Guthrie, my chaperone. I do not want to anger him but unless there is some serious reason for his refusal to allow me to dance or converse with a particular gentleman, I cannot see why he would prevent me from doing so.”
Lord Cardan did not smile, however, his dark brown eyes glanced away for a moment as he cleared his throat.
“Are you very well acquainted with my chaperone, Lord Cardan?”
He shook his head, bringing her a slight measure of relief. “How could I be? I am only just returned to society.
“And why is that?” Sophia asked, her curiosity mounting. “I cannot imagine that you have been to some far distant land, on a wild adventure of sorts.” She laughed and looked up at him again, seeing the corner of his mouth tip up. “Perhaps you have had business elsewhere?”
“Yes, that is it precisely,” he agreed, although he did not go into detail about what such business was. “My father is growing old and soon I shall inherit the title. Then all of this—my freedom and such—will come to an end. It is important to me and to my father that I find a wife.”
Sophia felt her cheeks color, trying not to feel any kind of embarrassment. “Is that not why every gentleman comes to London?” she asked, trying to keep her voice light. “As well as every young lady, of course. The end goal is matrimony.”
Lord Cardan chuckled, his eyes bright. “You are frankly spoken, Miss Newton, and I admire that greatly. There is no pretending with you. Yes, you are right. That is the only reason the ton comes to town, unless, of course, they are already wed and seek to know as much gossip as they can!”
Feeling the awkwardness pass, Sophia laughed with him. “Indeed, although I myself cannot abide rumors!”
“Then you are in the minority,” he said softly, the smile fading from his face and being replaced with something akin to a gentle curiosity. “In fact, I do not think that I know of even one single lady of my acquaintance who does not care for gossip.”
Not sure whether this pleased Lord Cardan, Sophia glanced up at him before shrugging her shoulders. “I cannot be dishonest with you, Lord Cardan. I find that rumor and gossip, whilst certainly holding some interest, can do a great deal more harm than good. Besides, it is difficult to know what is true and what is not!”
Lord Cardan chuckled softly and offered her his arm which, after only a momentary hesitation, she took. “Ah, but you see, Miss Newton, not knowing whether something is true does not matter to the gossip mongers. They have no conscience nor thought for others and, in that regard, I cannot think it a bad thing that you have no interest in rumors. I think that says something remarkable about your character.”
Blushing, Sophia glanced away from him, feeling a small smile settle on her face as she did so. Lord Cardan was charming, yes, but there was an interest in her that appeared to be genuine. That was somewhat refreshing since Lord Guthrie, for whatever reason, had taken a step back from their once warm acquaintance and Sophia felt her painful heart begin to heal with Lord Cardan’s presence.
“Now, shall we turn into the park?”
“The park?” Sophia repeated, not quite sure where they were. “Oh, the park! Yes, indeed. I had not realized we had walked so far.”
Lord Cardan shot her a look of concern. “I can send for the carriage or hail a hackney if you are tired when it comes time to return you to Mrs. Drake,” he said quickly. “I would not like to see you weary.”
Sophia laughed and felt her heart warm as Lord Cardan smiled back at her. “Lord Cardan, you need not worry. I just meant that I had not noticed the distance which, I think, is to do with the company.” Her words elicited a bright smile from Lord Cardan, and as they stepped into the park, he patted her hand with his gloved one. There was nothing more said between them for a time although Sophia felt herself practically glow with a newfound happiness that chased her upset with Lord Guthrie away.
“Oh, look!” Lord Cardan exclaimed after a few minutes. “There are some of my acquaintances—do you know any of them, Miss Newton?”
Peering ahead, Sophia nodded. “One or two.”
“Shall we join them?” Lord Cardan asked jovially. “I know that they will be delighted to know you.”
Sophia smiled and made to go over to them, only for a strong hand to catch her arm. Whirling around, she was astonished to see none other than Lord Guthrie standing there, his face bright red with either fury or exertion—or perhaps a mixture of both.
“Guthrie!” Lord Cardan exclaimed, sounding as surprised as Sophia felt. “Goodness, man, whatever is the matter?”
Lord Guthrie shot Lord Cardan a venomous look, shocking Sophia entirely with the pure hatred that appeared to emanate from him. She stared at Lord Guthrie in surprise, although her frustration with his strange presence in the park when she was meant to be enjoying a quiet walk with Lord Cardan began to grow with every second that passed.
“Do excuse me for a moment, won’t you?” she said, turning towards Lord Cardan. “I think Lord Guthrie wishes to have a word with me for whatever reason.”
Lord Guthrie nodded tightly, his lips thinning as he waited for Lord Cardan to leave. Lord Cardan, with a slight shrug, walked away from them both, asking Sophia to join them when she could. She nodded and smiled, hoping that her expression did not reveal the extent of her growing irritation.
“Lord Guthrie,” sh
e whispered, spinning around and pinning him with her fierce gaze. “Is there a particular reason that you have interrupted my walk with Lord Cardan?”
He nodded, his gaze still on Lord Cardan as he walked away. “You are not to go near that gentleman, Sophia. Do you hear me?”
Anger shot through her like a rush of flame, her hands slowly curling into fists and the nails biting into the soft flesh of her palms as she fought to keep a hold of herself. “Lord Guthrie, are you quite intent on ruining my chances with any gentleman? Lord Cardan has apologized beautifully for last evening and I am quite willing to forgive him. It was one dance, one mistake, and to my relief, it appears there has been no lasting damage. In fact, no one cares that I waltzed last evening for they have all assumed that I was simply granted permission! Are you truly telling me that I cannot allow such a gentleman in my company, when I have you as my chaperone?”
She watched his face go white, with only two spots of color in his cheeks. His eyes fixed on hers, leaving Lord Cardan entirely.
“What does that mean?” he said in a low voice. “Am I failing you in some way?”
“You know very well what it means,” Sophia replied firmly. “You are a divorced gentleman and you chose not to tell me when you knew that it could affect my standing. Why my cousin thought you would be a suitable companion is beyond me!”
She had not meant to speak so callously and could see from his face that she had hurt him, but her anger made her too furious to care.
“Now, if you would kindly allow me to do what I came here to do—which, in case you have forgotten, is to find myself a suitable gentleman as a husband—then I would very much like to return to my companion.”
Aware that Lord Guthrie was still staring at her, his mouth now slightly ajar, Sophia rolled her eyes and made to turn around, only for his hand to catch her arm again.
“Sophia, we must talk,” he said hoarsely, his gaze so piercing as he looked back at her. “I cannot allow you to continue to converse with and associate with a man such as Lord Cardan.”
A niggle of worry pierced her mind as she took him in, seeing the look of concern in his eyes. Whilst Lord Guthrie had kept some things from her, she could never accuse him of being entirely disinterested in her.
“I know you are angry and upset with me for not sharing my past with you, but that discussion can wait until another time,” he continued, his voice now a little firmer. “As your chaperone and as your friend, I am telling you… warning you… to stay away from Lord Cardan. He is not a gentleman worth knowing and has caused a great deal of harm to a great many people.”
Agony tore at his features and Sophia felt her heart clench, the anger ebbing away completely.
“Lord Cardan said that he was not well acquainted with you,” she said softly. “He said—”
“It does not matter what he said,” Lord Guthrie interrupted. “As I have said, we need to talk and, were it up to me, I would force you to return home this very moment. However, I realize that I am not your parent nor your family. You are a young woman with her own mind and mayhap I was wrong not to share the truth about my past with you. However, I will rectify that very soon. For the moment, I shall leave you to make your own decision as regards your continued company of Lord Cardan.”
Sophia drew in a long breath, her fingers slowly releasing from the fists she had held them in. It would be very rude of her to completely ignore Lord Cardan and return home with Lord Guthrie, but hearing the laughter and the chatter from across the way, she felt an urge to return there.
“I will return home within the hour,” she promised, feeling a mixture of both relief and confusion. “Will you wait for me there? We can talk about whatever it is you wish to the moment I get in.” She lifted one shoulder and gave him a half smile. “In fact, I dare say that I would be willing to miss the theatre should it be of such great importance.”
Lord Guthrie gave her a small smile, one that was tinged with sadness as his eyes filled with frustration. He wanted her to return home at once, not to go back to Lord Cardan, but Sophia was determined. She could not ignore the company waiting for her and was quite sure that a few minutes in Lord Cardan’s company as he returned her home would be more than bearable.
“Very well, Miss Newton,” he said softly, returning to the use of her formal title. “I shall return to Thackery’s house and await your return. Do not be long.”
She nodded, throwing him one last look as she turned around, her mind and heart filled with so much confusion that, for a moment, she wanted to cling to Lord Guthrie’s shirt and demand that he tell her everything at once. Knowing that she could not do such a thing—for she had already made one scene already that day in his bedchamber, of all places—Sophia made her way to the small group of gentlemen and ladies and was welcomed at once. However, she could not help but notice that Lord Cardan was not looking at her but rather over her shoulder at Lord Guthrie. In fact, his eyes followed him for some time until, with a quick glance, she saw that Lord Guthrie had left the park entirely.
Turning her attention back to the group, she saw Lord Cardan give her a wolfish smile, which she tried her best to return despite the sudden shiver running down her spine.
Perhaps this had been a mistake.
Chapter Eleven
Hector began to pace up and down the hallway, his eyes glancing towards the front door every time he heard so much as a creak. With Mr. and Mrs. Drake in the house, as well as a number of servants, it was ridiculous to think that he would not hear any kind of noise from the house, but with his anxiety growing, he could not help but hope that any sound signaled the arrival of Sophia.
Cursing under his breath, Hector flopped into a chair and put his head in his hands. He had made such a mess of everything.
In being so determined to hide away his feelings for Sophia—the ones he could no longer deny—he had told himself that he did not need to share anything with her. It was as though he had built a wall around himself, telling himself that it was best that they remained as separate as possible. However, now that he had managed to get both himself and Sophia completely tied in knots, he wondered if that had ever been the right decision. Perhaps he should have told her everything, right from the start. He should have explained why he was only now returning to society, why he was still considered persona non grata by some of the ton with particularly long memories. It grated on him that, even though he had been the injured party by his wife’s infidelity, he was still shunned by society simply because he had chosen to get a divorce. It had been a long and painful process, but he had never regretted it, for he had never considered at the time that he would ever return to London for the season.
Of course, as the years had gone on, he had realized that he would need a wife and an heir and so a return to London had been necessary. If only he had told Sophia the truth from the very beginning, then they might not now be at odds.
“Better late than never,” he muttered to himself, rubbing one hand over his eyes as he struggled to keep his anxiety in check.
When he had seen her stepping out with Lord Cardan, the bottom had fallen out of his world. The man who had taken his wife now appeared to be taking the only other woman Hector had ever loved—even though he had not wanted to admit to that or even to state aloud that he cared for Sophia in any way at all. The urge to grab her and plant a facer on Lord Cardan had surged through him and he had been forced to stop dead in the street as he’d hurried after them, desperate to calm himself down before he did something they would all regret.
The door opened, and Hector shot to his feet, his legs carrying him towards the door before the butler had even reached it.
“Thank you, Lord Cardan,” he heard Sophia say. “I shall see you this evening. Good day. Good day, Miss Ferguson. Thank you for accompanying us.”
Standing a little behind the door, Hector let out a long breath as he realized that his charge had managed to find another young lady to walk with both herself and Lord Cardan. Whether b
y chance or carefully arranged by Miss Newton herself, Hector wanted to go outside and kiss Miss Ferguson soundly in thanks for bringing Sophia back without injury.
Stepping inside, Sophia’s eyes met his, her eyes widening for a moment in surprise as she saw him standing in the shadows. As the butler closed the door, Hector gave into the urge surging through him and caught her up in his arms, disregarding the butler’s presence entirely.
“Lord Guthrie!” she exclaimed, her voice muffled. “Whatever is the matter?”
He could not explain, simply drinking her in as he held her tightly, his eyes squeezing shut, such was his relief. Swallowing hard, he let her go and stepped back, aware of the tinge of pink in her cheeks.
“I may have been a little worried,” he said slowly. “I am sure you will understand once I explain it all to you.”
She nodded slowly, her gaze a little curious. “I see. I saw Lord Cardan watch you as you left the park and I did not get the sense that he meant well. I thought it best to engage another to walk with us and Miss Ferguson lives a little beyond our street and so it was simple enough to have her join us.”
“And how did Lord Cardan seem at the suggestion?” Hector asked, as she handed her bonnet and gloves to the butler. “Was he annoyed?”
Pausing for a moment, she considered before looking up at him. “Yes, I think he was,” she said slowly. “Although he did try to hide it. For whatever reason, he wanted my company and my company alone, and whilst I suppose I was meant to feel flattered at such a suggestion, I found myself growing rather anxious. After what you said, I began to wonder if there was more to your acquaintance with him than he had said.”
Relieved that she did not appear to be either angry or upset with him, Hector let out a long breath. “Indeed, there is,” he said quietly. “Shall we go to the drawing room to talk? I can send for some refreshments.”
She nodded and gave him a small smile. “Yes, that will be quite alright. I must just go and change quickly.” Making her way towards the stairs, she paused and turned around to face him again. “Thank you, Lord Guthrie. I am not quite sure what is going on but I have the feeling that you rescued me from a rather dangerous association.”