Page 42 of A Dreamy Match Made in Heaven
And although they could not come to terms with their past, and they had not forgiven one another by any means, the magnetism that had always existed between them remained.
Sophia knew what that meant for her. She could not speak for Thomas, but in her heart, she had no doubts.
She still loved him.
It was confusing and left her bewildered. If she could not overcome this love even with everything that had passed, how would she ever move on with her life? He had hurt her, abandoned her. And now he dared to blame her for it.
Thomas had been a terrible man to love; someone that she could not let go of, no matter how desperately she wanted to.
But he was in her life and he was in her heart. And all those around them seemed to believe that they still belonged together.
What did that mean? She couldn’t help but consider that their pairing had to account for something.
It made it far more difficult to cling to the abandonment she had once felt. But without that, would she allow her heart to love him again?
Chapter 17
He had not been prepared for the conversation that had taken place. He had not been prepared for anything other than a simple conversation in which he had laid out the honest pain that he had been in.
But things had not gone as anticipated and Thomas was overcome by the fact that he had just grasped Sophia’s wrist and allowed his passion for her to come aflame once more.
He wanted to be alone with his thoughts, to find a way to frame in his mind the things that had just happened between him and Sophia. It had not simply been verbal as he had planned it. He had touched her. And if he had been caught in such a compromising position, it might have done a great deal of damage to them both.
Had she really believed that he was the one to betray her? Had she been so blind to his love for her and the fact that he only sought what was in her best interest? And that she had led him in every way to believe that the Earl of Bastion was the man that she desired?
No, this was not at all what he had predicted. And it felt terrible to have to work his mind around it. Now that they had been interrupted, he wondered how he could possibly continue the discussion with Sophia. There was so much more to say. There was so much more that had to be done before they would ever be at ease.
“Oh, how lovely,” Miss Wainwright commented. “Mr. Gregory, do you not think these are the most exquisite flowers? Why, I should think they compare to nothing in all the world. Perhaps, that is, except the beauty of Miss Sophia.”
It was a hint. The Matchmaker was trying to entice him into complimenting Sophia and growing a connection between the two of them. It appeared as though she had observed the cold distance that lingered, and was trying to extinguish that. But compliments would be empty words if merely agreed upon at Miss Wainwright’s urging. And it was true that Sophia was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but what had that to do with anything?
“Certainly,” he said in a static manner, completely void of emotion.
A frown settled on Miss Wainwright’s face and he ignored it. As grateful as Thomas had been for her services, he had not been anticipating all of this as the outcome. If he was going to disappoint her, he might as well not hide the fact that he was disappointed as well.
“Miss Sophia, come here,” she urged sweetly.
Thomas watched as Sophia followed her instructions and made her way to Miss Wainwright.
“Now, I think this should suit you wonderfully,” she remarked, plucking a small, red flower from the garden and weaving the stem into Sophia’s hair.
It really did look lovely. Lovely enough that Thomas had to look away to avoid being overcome by his interest in observing. Lovely enough that he was reminded how deeply he cared for her and how beautiful he had always found her to be.
Sophia glanced away, shyly, and avoided all eye contact with Thomas. He sensed that this did not go unnoticed, and it appeared as though Miss Wainwright had begun to second guess herself.
Most likely for the first time in all her career.
They moved onwards and each step felt like an agony for Thomas. The silence was deafening, save for the occasional chatter of the chaperones. But that was not all he was getting from them.
Both Miss Wainwright and Lady Faversham were glaring daggers at him, giving him wide-eyes, urging Thomas to speak to Sophia, to try and woo her.
It was clear that they still knew nothing of the history that existed between them and he didn’t mind that at all. It was easier, cleaner this way. She could simply believe that they were not suited for one another without having to go into any details about their past.
Everything continued to drag and he wondered how long this would go on for. They were supposed to indulge in this walk and then sit down to a nice lunch with a bit of tea. But that was going to be excruciating if things continued as they were going now.
And why were the ladies urging him to be the one to start everything? Was Sophia not also responsible for making some discussion? He had not seen a single look pass from them to her, urging her to be friendly or polite.
It was irritating to feel that all the pressure was on him. And on the couple of occasions that he did try to meet her eyes, Sophia would not look at him. She had entirely refused to acknowledge him and somehow he was the one getting the blame for it.
