Page 30 of A Dreamy Match Made in Heaven
Sophia nodded, acknowledging that truth. She was delighted that her two friends were getting along so well and that she was having an opportunity to socialise.
Yet she wanted more. As if she had been starved for so long from the entertainments of society, she was finally tasting it again and craved every moment.
“Shall we indulge? Make ourselves available to be noticed rather than remaining so huddled with our treats?” she suggested.
“My goodness, is this all it took to make you brave again?” Adrianna asked in surprise.
“Perhaps I had not realised how dearly I missed this company,” she admitted.
“Well then, off with you. Go and enjoy yourself. Find a husband,” Melody said, making her own way out towards the dance floor where she might be noticed by some man or other.
Wishing to get to know her prospects Sophia made her way throughout the room, engaging with various groups of mixed company. Gentlemen were abounding and once she entered a conversation amongst four or five other people, she soon had everyone delighted with her charm.
Rather than seeing other young women as competition with the men, she made every effort to entertain them as well and make new friends. It seemed a rather ideal situation.
Others had also brought friends outside of those Miss Wainwright was intending to match, so it made for a lively bunch. Before long, Sophia was dancing with gentlemen who consistently made it a point to flirt with her and convey that they enjoyed her company.
With each dance that passed Sophia felt more and more delighted, wondering when Miss Wainwright was going to reveal the man she saw the most ‘spark’ with.
However, Sophia realised with a sudden surprise that she had not even seen the Matchmaker the whole evening. It seemed rather strange that she would not be there or not have made her presence known. Certainly she would not host a ball and decline to attend.
Regardless, Sophia chose to enjoy herself. She ran across Melody a few more times and spied Adrianna causing groups of men to laugh and fawn over her. It almost seemed a shame that the young women who had come to find a match would not be able to, with such an infectious personality as Adrianna around.
Still, she grinned. It was lovely seeing her friend enjoying herself.
At one point, Sophia saw Melody dancing with the man who had been in the corner. Now that he was in the light, she could see how handsome he was. Surely Melody would be delighted to be paired up with someone so dashing. She could hardly blame her friend for being interested in him.
But with each sway, each name on her dance card, Sophia found herself growing more and more curious as to whether or not she would ever find the one with whom she sparked.
The men were all wonderful. They were charming, handsome, and intelligent. They held her attention as they danced and made small chatter about society and the evening and whatever seemed appropriate.
But none of them felt like they were the man that she was meant to spend her life with. None of them felt as though they were truly the sort she could love.
Sophia made her way back to meet up with Melody and Adrianna during a brief intermission of the music, when the instrumentalists were retuning and preparing for the next set of the evening.
“Have you met anyone delightful?” Sophia asked.
“That man I told you about when we first arrived. Oh, dear me, he is exquisite and kind and so very rich,” Melody swooned.
“How lovely,” Adrianna said. “I should like to find a man with those qualities. Especially the rich part.”
The joke was not lost on them, but they all knew that it was exactly the sort of quality that society wished for them to seek out.
“And what about you?” Sophia asked Adrianna. “I did see you dance twice with that man over there.”
A gentle blush made its way into Adrianna’s cheek.
“Perhaps he was not so bad…” she remarked, almost shy for confessing it.
Sophia had expected this very thing, that her friend would find herself intrigued by one of the men. Indeed, it was evident that she was rather captivated by the man she had danced with more than once.
Dozens of men milled about, retreating to their own friends for an update as the women were doing. Sophia observed them and noted how many Officers were present. She had danced with two, Adrianna with one, and Melody had also managed to get time with a couple of them.
But Sophia was unsure if she would want a military man after all. They were always coming and going. Despite the nobility of their profession and their working on behalf of the crown, it was difficult to think about the fact that they would never be quite present and a woman would always have to wonder whether or not her husband might return.
But alas, if Adrianna fell in love with such a man, Sophia was hardly going to dissuade her.
Truly, Sophia wanted each of her friends to find a wonderful match in a man who was good and true, and who could make them happy. And she wished the same for herself.
