Thoughts that had been tormenting her all day long spilled to the surface. “You are a brilliant star among the ton, Frank. That is something I never aspire to be.” She looked at him, standing with his arm along the mantel above her. His eyes were warm but questioning. “It is very hard to sit in this house and hear things about you, wondering if they are true, exaggerated, or downright false. And how would you like to be married to someone who did not desire a social life among the ton? Whose tastes are quiet and close to home? I do not dance, ride, or even stroll very well. It pains me very much to say so, Frank, but I do not think we would suit.”
She knew that in another moment she would be in tears, so she stood and nodded. “Good evening, Fanny, Frank. I am going up.”
Frank caught up with her in the hall, hand on her arm. “Sophie! There has been too much misunderstanding between us. All I want is you. Society has bored me for years.”
“Please leave, Frank. This has been a very difficult day. And, judging by your actions, I do not think you truly know your own heart.”
~~*
Once in her room, Sophie wept again over Frank. In her mind, she could see the knot that had originally formed between them. At one time, it had seemed so strong and inevitable. It was badly frayed through absence and misunderstanding. She could not keep offering her trust, only to be dashed with cold disappointment. Her heart hurt almost constantly now.
She wished mightily that she did not have to remain in town for her performance. At the moment, more than anything, she wished herself in Derbyshire, safe and secure. Away from the temptation of thinking that she might be loved. And away from the prospect of her best friend marrying the only man she had ever thought to marry herself. The man who was so wrong for her in every way.
Sophie slept fitfully, tormented by a recurring dream. She was playing her violin—a piece far too difficult for her. Frank was present as some sort of ghost in a red domino. He flew about the room, occasionally touching her with magic fingers. Every time he touched her, she found the right note, and her bow soared.
{ 34 }
STUNNED, FRANK STUMBLED BACK to the masquerade. Thoughts collided in his head. Sophie was right.
He claimed to have changed, but nothing he had done since the night his inner self had responded so wholeheartedly to her violin demonstrated that. He had become embroiled in fiasco after fiasco. It was time he devoted serious thought to the situation.
His watch told him that it lacked a half hour until supper. The supper dance must begin soon. He must find Lady Melissa.
In her gold sheath, she was distinguishable even in the crowd of multi-colored costumes. At the moment, she was dancing with the Red Indian. Her features were animated. Even from the sidelines, he could read the sparkle in her eyes.
Frank felt himself to be the worst kind of villain for the situation in which they found themselves. It was only one of the shocks Sophie had had to bear. She had thought on two occasions that he had taken up with Lila again. He was devilishly careless in his actions. They took him leagues away from the person he wanted to become.
He was forced to admit the truth of Sophie’s words. At the present juncture, they clearly did not suit. But not because of Sophie’s preferences, but rather because he had failed them both. What was it he had said? That he wanted to live an intentional life. He was a hollow man, reacting to bad situations, further from an intentional life than he had ever been. His heart was in the game, but not his head. He had not made the changes he should have. He should never have visited Sophie in her room, no matter how tempting it had been. And he should have been firm with Lila, thinking how their actions would appear. Even the night she came to his house. He should have persuaded her to leave at once.
Melissa was coming off the floor, smiling up at her partner. He walked near to where they stood, reluctant to curtail her pleasure with his presence. As the next set started to form, he walked up to the pair.
“Excuse me, Your Highness. This is our dance.”
The Red Indian had been holding her hand. He gave it over to Frank in a formal gesture. Frank nodded stiffly and led Melissa out on the crowded dance floor.
“You’re looking grim, my lord. Is dancing with me such a punishment?” his partner asked.
“Not at all. If I am looking grim, it is because Sophie has ended things between us. I do not blame her. My life has been one disaster after another, of late.”
They were separated by the dance.
He decided to defer further discussion until supper. But at supper, her former partner managed to grab the place at their table that was on Lady Melissa’s other side. She conversed with him exclusively, ignoring Frank.
The further the evening progressed, the more blue-deviled he became. An endless progression of ton parties stretched ahead of him. An unbroken chain of late breakfasts and dinners at his club. The empty pursuits of boxing, carriage racing, and gambling. Anything to keep him away from serious thought.
These things tormented him as he accompanied Lady Melissa home in his carriage in the wee hours of the morning.
“Who was the Red Indian, my dear?” he asked, pulling himself out of his abstraction with difficulty. “He seemed quite smitten.”
Melissa smiled as she removed the gold circlet from her wigged head.” Lord Oaksey. Was not his costume marvelous? It took me a long time to recognize him.”
“Allow me once more to say how sorry I am for asking your help in the matter of breaking into Deal’s mansion. It was careless and irresponsible. I completely failed to anticipate the damage to your reputation.”
Lady Melissa sighed. “I agreed to it without a moment’s thought. It is as much my fault as yours. I thought it sounded a splendid adventure.” Melissa sighed. “I certainly do not fit conveniently in your life.”
“If we marry, I pledge that I will give you my best self. I think we will do as well or better as most ton couples.”
“You sound resigned for the first time.”
“As I said, Sophie has given me up. It is time I ceased being a creature of the ton. That is what has given her a disgust of me.”
“But you love her still.”
“Yes. It would be better to lie and be gallant, I know.”
“Being a jilted lover does not suit you, my lord. You have lost your wit, your elan. I suspect you are feeling sorry for yourself. It would be far better if you decided upon a course of action to win her back.” Lady Melissa spoke in earnest. “And I am not yet resigned to this engagement, and certainly not to marriage. We must continue to seek a way out.”
~~*
As Frank lay in his bed, sleep would not come. Sophie has such purity of spirit. Her resemblance to an angel is not accidental. Yet her kisses set me on fire. Lady Melissa is right. I must think of a way to win her back. Perhaps she has a live ember of love for me somehow. I think I would be a good husband to her, given the chance. I know I would cherish her. From what Lord Donald said about her mother, she has had remarkably little cherishing in her life. Living with her sisters and their husbands is certainly better than living with her parents, but how much better if she were to have her own children to love.
I have shown her my worst trait—carelessness. How can I show her the side of me that wishes to cherish her?
As he lay awake thinking of the things he wanted to give Sophie, an idea began to form in his mind. Perhaps she would think it none of his business, but he did not think she would refuse it, if offered.
In spite of the late hour and little sleep, Frank was up early the next morning. Breakfasting at Brook’s before most of the ton was awake, he sauntered out into the lovely day and hailed a hackney.
“Harley Street, Number Ten,” he told the driver.
{ 35 }
SOPHIE HAD JUST FINISHED with her rehearsal when Perkins entered the music room.
“Miss Edwards, Lord Trowbridge and a Dr. Shelton to see you.”
Sophie took the cards he handed to her. On Frank’s card was writ
ten, “I beg the favor of your indulgence for a few minutes only.” The doctor’s card read “Dr. Blake Shelton, Skeletal and Muscle Specialist.”
Puzzled, she could not imagine what Frank was doing here. However, inasmuch as he had someone with him, she did not think she could send him away. Besides, she had spent the night in futile tears and wanted to see him again. Even if only for a few minutes.
“Send them in, please, Perkins.”
Frank entered, dressed in the cobalt blue coat that emphasized the intensity of his blue eyes. He overshadowed the small, portly young man next to him, who gave her a short half bow.
“Miss Edwards, allow me to present Dr. Shelton. He belongs to Brook’s and I have known him a good many years. I took the liberty of consulting him regarding your knee.”
Startled, she hardly knew how to react at this presumption. Straightening to her full height, she began to protest, then stopped, confused. Frank had not done this to affront her. There was no other reason he might have inquired over such a matter except to try to help her.
“Dr. Shelton, how nice to meet you. Shall we have a seat in the morning room?” She led the two men through a connecting door, where Fanny was writing out invitations to the musicale.
Frank introduced the doctor.
“Your servant, my lady,” Dr. Shelton bowed deeply.
“Let us sit,” Sophie said.
The doctor addressed Sophie. “Lord Trowbridge has told me what he knows about your discomfort with your knee. I cannot say for certain, until I examine it, but it is possible that I have some simple massages and stretches that may relieve the joint pain significantly. Particularly if continued over a period of time. They are methods you could manage yourself.”
Sophie did not want to get her hopes up, but the desire to be free of pain was a deep one. “I have consulted doctors in the past,” she said.
“Have you been to see anyone in Harley Street?”
“No. I have lived in the country all my life.”
“Some of us in Harley Street have had the benefit of further education and study than our country brethren. I have been so lucky. Will you allow me to examine you privately? The marchioness will of course be asked to be present.”
Sophie swallowed and looked at Fanny. Her sister said, “We have nothing to lose, my love. Let us go upstairs to my dressing room.”
Throwing a glance of trepidation at Frank, who was unusually solemn, Sophie rose and bade the doctor to follow her and Fanny. They climbed to the second floor, a process which Sophie managed with her usual lack of grace.
When they arrived in Fanny’s dressing room, the little man instructed Sophie to lie on the daybed. Using delicate fingers, he felt her knee and the muscles surrounding it. “Yes, Miss Edwards, I think you are going to prove an excellent candidate for what I have in mind. It helps that you have been as active as possible. The muscles are strong.” Taking her hand, he helped her to sit.
“Now, I am going to ask you to lift your gown to your thigh. You may leave your shift to cover your limb.”
With some embarrassment, Sophie accomplished this. The doctor instructed her how to place her hands, one over the other on top of her thigh above her knee. Then he instructed her how to press one hand against the other, bringing pressure against the muscles of her thigh.
At first it was quite painful, but he instructed her to continue. After perhaps ten minutes, she could feel the tight muscles start to loosen. Her arms and shoulders were very tired and she was perspiring. “I think I can feel a change,” she said.
“Yes,” the doctor said. “As your arms and hands become stronger, and your thigh muscles more malleable, the change will be greater.”
He then demonstrated several stretches. “These will help, as well. However, you will need to do them without your trappings. I have taken the liberty of sketching the positions for you.” He took a paper from his inside pocket on which Sophie could see a number of drawings.
Fanny said, “Did that really help, Sophie?”
“I can see that it is beginning to. I am cautiously hopeful.”
“After perhaps three months of this treatment, you should be able to walk without pain, Miss Edwards. But you must be consistent.”
“Do you think I will ever be able to dance?” she asked.
“It is certainly possible.”
“And horseback ride?”
“On a sidesaddle, most assuredly.”
Sophie stood and clasped her hands to her breast, flushing with pleasure. “Oh, doctor, I will be very diligent. You have no idea what this means to me!”
The little man beamed. “I have seen some miracles occur from this simple treatment. I am quite confident it will help in your case.”
“You must send us your bill, Doctor,” Fanny said. “We are profoundly grateful for your expertise.”
When they rejoined Frank, he looked a question at Sophie. Losing all her reserve, she said, “Thank you so much for thinking of Dr. Shelton, Frank! Just think, if I am diligent in my exercises, he says one day, I may dance! And ride a horse!”
Frank grinned and advanced to take her hands in his and said, “If this prospect gives you pleasure, I am glad. I thought merely to relieve your pain.” The look in his eyes was soft as he gazed into her face.
“You are very good, Frank. This was exceedingly thoughtful.”
Fanny invited both men for luncheon; however, they declined. Dr. Shelton had to return to his office.
He left her with a parting bit of advice. “Do not overdo in your anxiety to get well, Miss Edwards. Once a day. Only once a day.”
~~*
When Frank and the doctor had gone, Sophie was both elated and confused. Never had she believed there was a chance for her to live a physically normal life.
“Fanny,” she said. “I feel like I have just been granted an impossible wish!”
“You must be thrilled,” Fanny said as she hugged her. “But remember what the doctor said. No overdoing. This will require patience.”
“I do not know whether I am happier that I may lose my limp, or that Frank would be so insightful and put himself to so much trouble.”
“I was watching Frank’s face. It was no trouble. He was exultant! When you love someone, their happiness is what makes you happy. He did this out of love for you, Sophie.”
She put a hand to her forehead. “Never was there such a confusing character as Frank’s. This man is the one I fell in love with. But how do I know that tomorrow he will not be up to another outrageous start?”
“I can tell you from personal experience, dearest, change comes in fits and starts. Frank’s years as a man of leisure have a pull on him. It is called entropy. But he is obviously making an effort to show you the person he is capable of being. It is a process. I saw Buck go through it. I experienced it myself. This kind of change is only motivated by love, Sophie. Frank does love you.”
Sophie made a fist and clutched it over her heart. “I do not want to believe it, Fanny. Not when he is engaged to Melissa. It is much easier to put him out of my life.”
“I can understand that. But I have learned never to underestimate the power of love. Look at me. Look at Elise. We married men who never thought they would marry. And both Peter and Buck are entirely satisfactory.” Fanny blushed. “I assure you!”
~~*
Sophie was diligent in her new regime. She also improved daily in her mastery of the violin part in the Archduke trio. However, when Frank did not appear for the following four days, she realized she was regretting her little speech of rejection. Perhaps he had completely resigned himself to marrying Melissa. The irony of it all was that she no longer doubted that Frank loved her.
{ 36 }
FRANK WAS EXPERIENCING a very difficult time staying away from Sophie while still trying to think of ways to prove to her that his love was genuine and that it was changing him for the better. One afternoon, when he was a guest at Sophie’s Aunt Clarice’s for a board meeting to discuss progres
s on the girl’s orphanage, he was asked to remain for luncheon. There, he received glorious and unexpected news from Lady Susannah.
“I have wonderful tidings to impart,” she said over the cassoulet of chicken and vegetables. “Devonshire has managed the nigh impossible.”
“What has he done now?” Lady Clarice asked.
“He has tempted Wordsworth out of seclusion in the Lake District to come to London for a few days. He is going to give a reading, by invitation only.”
Frank gaped at her. “Wordsworth? Here?” It must be answer to prayer. “Do tell, Lady Susannah, how does one go about obtaining an invitation? It would not be too strong to say that I revere the man. As does Sophie.”
The little woman with the iron-gray sausage curls looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. “I am invited to bring a party of five. I would be delighted to include you and Sophie, Lord Trowbridge. We were given very short notice so that all of the ton might not descend on the man. He does not enjoy society and is of a retiring nature.”
“So when is the reading to be?” Frank asked.
“Two days hence. Saturday evening at Devonshire House. Clarice is coming, of course, and she suggested I invite Elise. So it will be quite a family party.”
“I cannot wait to inform Sophie. Thank you so much for mentioning it today. I declare, Providence is smiling on me through you, Lady Susannah!”
The little lady blushed. “I am so glad.”
~~*
Frank virtually flew to the Deal Townhouse following luncheon. He had not seen Sophie in four days. Before he gave Perkins his card, he wrote on it, “Wonderful news!”
When Sophie joined him in the downstairs sitting room, her face was lit candle-bright. “Oh Frank, is the engagement broken?”
“Oh, darling. I am sorry.” Going to her, he took her hands in his. “I do have good news, but unfortunately, the engagement is still intact.”
Her smiled dimmed.
“Can this mean you have reconsidered your decision that we do not suit?”
Three Original Ladies 02 - Lord Trowbridge’s Angel Page 16