Page 54 of A Dreamy Match Made in Heaven
And she would spend the evening dancing with a great number of other men anyway. She would probably hardly notice Thomas at all. And after the letter that she had received, she knew that they were likely to behave as though they had never known one another in all their lives.
So she chose to forget it. Instead, she would focus on supporting Adrianna and being there for her dearest friend. If she was fortunate enough to be paired with another gentleman, all the better.
It was not long before Sophia and Adrianna made their way to the table filled with drinks of all sorts and got a bit of punch to enjoy.
“We really ought to keep ourselves from feasting too much,” Adrianna said in mock warning.
Sophia giggled, knowing that Adrianna’s thoughts were lingering on the chocolate cakes that she loved so much.
“Particularly on the custard,” Sophia replied, knowing it to be her own weakness.
“Oh yes, certainly you must stay away from the custard. No man is going to want to dance with a woman who is filled to the brim with treats like these,” Adrianna said.
With that, both young women subtly took the baked treat of their choosing and slipped into a corner to indulge for a moment. There was always something so exhilarating about knowing that they had secretly given in to the temptation of the treats that young women were meant to be too delicate to want.
As it happened, they were spotted by Lord and Lady Faversham from across the room who gave the two a glare before turning away and getting to their own business of engaging with other parents and guardians.
Sophia and Adrianna laughed at having been seen.
“Oops, I shall certainly be spoken to for that,” Adrianna remarked.
“Do you think they shall write to your mother about your terrible behaviour?” Sophia teased.
“If that behaviour was bad enough for them to write about, I cannot imagine what else they would have shared with my mother and father by now,” Adrianna replied.
This sent them into another fit of laughter, for Sophia knew well that Adrianna was always up to something and she loved dearly to be in the middle of minor scandals.
“Well, now we have enjoyed ourselves with cake, I think it is time that we move forward and entertain the gentlemen. Have you seen your Officer Kingsley?” Sophia asked.
Adrianna frowned.
“Not yet. I have been searching the room since we arrived, but he is yet to be seen,” she said.
“Then there is nothing for it but to dance with others. You know that you are very nearly spoken for, but this is the perfect moment to dance with other men so that you can save your dances for him. It is not as though you shall be allowed to dance with Officer Kingsley the entire night,” Sophia reminded her.
“Yes, that is true. If I get a few other gentlemen out of the way first, no one shall judge me when I am able to dance with the man that I actually came here for,” she decided.
“Indeed. So you had best be out there,” Sophia urged.
“And what about you? Are you not going to join in the festivities and find a partner?” Adrianna asked.
“I shall take my time. Perhaps if I speak with a few people here and there first, I might find someone worth dancing with. I’m not the sort of confident woman like you to whom all the men are drawn,” Sophia said.
“Well, I should be very delighted to see you dancing this evening with a man who wishes to take three full spaces in your card,” Adrianna said.
Sophia laughed at that thought. Was it possible? Would there be a man who would want to dance the limit with her? Young women were only allowed to dance a maximum of three times with any one man throughout the evening.
If she found someone who wished for the full number, it would certainly be a compliment. It would evidence that he liked her and might be interested enough to pursue a possible courtship in the future.
But if that happened, she would be surprised. Sophia did not anticipate it, but also hoped that it was simply her pessimistic attitude leading her to believe that. Maybe if she could have hope or exude the confidence of her friend, things might be different.
Sophia joined a number of conversations with others, mixed groups of men and women. Each woman tried to show her beauty and her wit but Sophia held herself with a quiet confidence, speaking only as necessary rather than trying to be someone that she was not. When she spoke, she intended for it to matter.
It appeared to be working. There was a rather handsome son of an Earl who listened intently to the words that she shared when she spoke. He gave her a gentle smile whenever she spoke and would always respond to it.
His handsome blue eyes and the dark hair that was smoothed back made for a nice complexion. Sophia wondered what his name was and whether or not she would have an opportunity to get to know him any better.
But only moments later she was whisked away by one of the young women in the group and found herself in another, speaking with a separate number of gentlemen which included the Baron Cunningham who seemed to take notice of her right away.
