Page 39 of A Dreamy Match Made in Heaven
“You may pretend to be cavalier about it, but I have never heard you speak of a woman as you did just previously about the young woman that you met last night. And I think that it would be wise of you to pursue her before it is too late. You never know when another man shall come along,” Thomas warned.
“You say that as if I want to marry her. I never made such a claim. I am not looking for the same thing that you are,” he denied.
“No, not yet. But one day you might and if she is gone, you may find yourself trotting back to Miss Wainwright, begging to be matched to the next best woman,” Thomas said.
“As you had intended to do,” Officer Kingsley pointed out.
“Yes, as I had intended to do before discovering that the next best woman was the very same woman that I had wanted all along. Funny how that worked out…” Thomas replied dryly.
“So, what are you going to do? You had best make a decision now and stick to it,” his friend said.
Thomas nodded.
“Yes, you are right. And I think I shall stick with the original decision. I shall see her again,” he sighed. “And, taking your advice, I shall use the opportunity to confront her. Not aggressively, but in a way that I might be free to tell her my side of things and how wounded I was for so long.”
“That sounds like a wise idea. And you know that I shall be there with you. Perhaps not in the discussion, but I should like to accompany you and be a source of strength should you need it,” Officer Kingsley offered.
“Thank you for that. I do believe your presence will help me get through the difficult moments,” Thomas acknowledged.
They finished their meal and Officer Kingsley said that he was going to meet with his brother later that evening, so Thomas simply returned to the room and allowed himself to stew a little bit longer about the plans that he had ahead.
When he got to the room there was already a card from Miss Wainwright, telling him that in two days’ time, there would be a garden party that he must attend. It would be the opportunity for him to reconnect with Lady Sophia.
He read the card over once more, thinking about how strange it was going to be to sit and speak with her, surrounded by others, having to behave themselves when he wanted to release the fullness of his anger upon her and shower her with words of hurt.
But he had never been one to allow such feelings to take over or to be seen by others. No, he would maintain his self-control.
And he would try not to fall in love all over again.
Chapter 16
The coachman opened the door and Sophia took a deep breath. They had arrived. And now, there was no turning back.
Adrianna followed her and the two gave one another wide-eyed glances as they took in the surroundings of the private garden. It was overgrown with exquisite beauty. Exotic flowers they had never seen before seemed to magically have appeared, despite it being London. It felt more like the jungles and forests they had heard of from distant lands abroad.
“Can you believe this?” Adrianna asked, leaning in.
“Hardly,” Sophia replied, although her thoughts were rather distracted elsewhere, more fearful of the confrontation to come than she was able to take in the delights surrounding her.
Lord and Lady Faversham followed and Sophia heard Lady Faversham chatting away about the beauty of it all. She was glad that someone was able to truly indulge in the nature of where they were, and not be entirely distracted as she was.
“There they are,” Sophia said in a low voice, noting the two men coming towards them.
Adrianna released a breath that sounded more like a squeak.
“What is it?” Sophia asked in astonishment.
“That man, the one walking just behind the first. He is the one I told you about! He is the one I spent the evening entertaining,” she laughed with delight.
Sophia noted how the man’s eyes widened upon seeing Adrianna and an undeniable smile placed itself upon his lips.
So this was the man who was able to make even Adrianna Alcott grow sheepish?
But it was not that man who truly held Sophia’s attention as he strode towards her. No, rather it was Thomas, Officer Gregory, who came in with such a grand presence that she wondered how she could ever stop herself from swooning.
But she was not here for that. This was the day that she would confront him, the day she would tell him the truth about his actions and what he had done to her.
Thomas would leave that day knowing that he had made a grave mistake and wounded her in the process, and that he had been the reason for all of her pain since the Earl of Bastion, since long before that even.
