Page 44 of A Dreamy Match Made in Heaven
If Officer Kingsley could find a woman that led him to laying aside his staunch opinions about not marrying too early, then certainly there was hope for anyone. And not knowing anything at all about Lady Alcott, Thomas imagined that she was likely similar to most women in terms of hoping to find a husband that might make her mother and father proud.
But if she was not, if she had not been searching for a match, then this would all be a great deal more spectacular even still.
And yet none of that solved his own problems. Thomas sighed, glad that he was on his own and had managed to escape the women with that silly display of a coughing fit. What a ridiculous excuse it had been. But it was better than nothing. As least it had worked to give him the privacy he had craved.
Sophia was angry with him. She would not give that up lightly, and he knew that he could accept that. He had to.
But she still wanted to find happiness. She still desired a match and had not expected him any more than he had expected her. The fact that they had been brought together had been such a stunning surprise for them both that he couldn’t think what fate might have been behind it.
Miss Wainwright would have to find Sophia her true love. She deserved that freedom and she was not going to find true love through their arguments and disagreements and blame. He would have to let her go freely towards another if Miss Wainwright should have another option for her.
He would have to put an end to things. He would have to tell the Matchmaker that there was no interest between them and that he did not desire to be married to someone like Sophia. He would have to ask her to find him another match, which would likely mean someone a great deal different than the one he truly loved.
But when he saw Officer Kingsley and Lady Alcott walking together, he knew that he could not bring about that end just now. The two of them needed more time to get to know one another and it seemed unfair to break apart their budding union for his own selfish reasons.
He wanted to give his friend as much time as possible to enjoy his afternoon, even if Thomas was utterly miserable. There were better reasons to stick around and he knew that he would accept them and be patient.
So Thomas leaned back against the wall for a while longer and shut his eyes, allowing the world around him to continue as it always would.
Chapter 18
Thomas was just coming back to the inn from his mother and father’s home when he stopped for dinner at the restaurant at the base of the building.
He’d known that Officer Kingsley would not be around that evening. He had received a special invitation to dine with Lord Faversham. Clearly, Lady Alcott’s Uncle saw that there was a spark between the two of them that required a bit of monitoring.
For Thomas, it meant that he had time to consider the afternoon he had just spent.
It had been rather difficult to tell his mother that things had not worked out for him in terms of the Matchmaker. When she had pressed for more information, he had simply informed her that it appeared there were no young women that the Matchmaker considered a good fit for him.
His mother had been adamant that she did not believe such a thing to be possible, but Thomas simply laughed and said that he didn’t mind so much. He would be just fine and it was hardly going to cause him any problems if he had to wait a little bit longer before finding a wife.
Knowing that it would be unwise to tell her about Sophia, he decided this was a better route. After all, if he told her that the Matchmaker had paired him with the young woman he had loved all those years ago, surely his mother would insist that he pursue it, that he take every advantage to be back in her life.
So he pretended that there had been no prospects as of yet. He remained nonchalant but acted as though he had hope for someone in the future.
But the disappointment in her eyes had been difficult to see. It reminded him that his mother and father would want grandchildren soon enough. They would want to see Thomas with a family, growing together in love and care. They would want to know that he was being looked after, well fed, and enjoying life at every turn.
And yet Thomas simply was not in the place for that. So when he found the card that had been left for him at the inn, he was more surprised than ever.
Mr. Gregory,
I should like to pay you a visit as soon as possible. As it happens, I do have another prospect for you since it has become evident to me that you and Miss Hastings do not wish to be matched.
Thank you,
Miss Wainwright
Thomas read the card again, still surprised. She had another match for him? Miss Wainwright had found a woman who might be better suited to him?
He could hardly fathom that. After seeing Sophia again, after the moment in which they had felt the bitter chemistry that lingered between them, how was he now meant to move on so easily?
Perhaps he ought to have told Miss Wainwright about their history, but it appeared as though Sophia didn’t want her to know about it either. And now that neither of them had said anything, would it be too late? Could he tell the Matchmaker now that the animosity between him and his match was due to a history?
No, he still could not do that, no matter how many times the thought crossed his mind.
But when he would think about that moment of grasping her wrist, of feeling her pulse beneath his fingertips, Thomas missed Sophia more than he cared to confess. Hewantedher more than he cared to confess.
But it was too late for that.
