Page 61 of Seducing Sophia (Scholars of Seduction)

“No.” Adelia’s smile remained, but the light in her eyes had gone. “What matters most is the thought behind the gift, not the gift itself. They were meant for you, not me, and the right to take enjoyment from them is therefore yours and yours alone.”

“If you’re sure,” Sophia said.

“I am,” came the reply. “Besides—you need cheering up.”

“I do?”

“You’ve been moping about the place ever since you returned from your visit to the country,” Adelia said. “Is it something to do with an ex-pupil of yours who you’ve been refusing to admit?” She nodded, as if to herself. “I’ll wager my paint box he’s the same person who sent you the roses.”

“You think so?”

“Of course I do—it’s obvious! His direct campaign was not succeeding, so he fired the next salvo from the broadside, so to speak. While seemingly aiming his arrow in my direction at first, he succeeded in reaching his intended target.”

The sparkle in Adelia’s eyes returned. “A military campaign worthy of a colonel, if you ask me. He must have gone to great lengths to procure those roses. They’re incredibly rare.”

Sophia ran her fingers over the bouquet, tracing an outline of the petals. She dipped her head to savor the soft scent and closed her eyes. In her mind’s eye he stood there before her, at Roseborough, pride, joy, and love in his eyes. Then she shook herself and opened her eyes, returning to reality.

Adelia placed a delicate hand on Sophia’s arm.

“If I were you, I’d give him a chance.”

“You don’t know him,” Sophia replied. “You’ve never met him.”

“But I know you,” Adelia said. “Since admitting your newest pupil, I’d never seen you happier. You always carried a look of sorrow in your eyes—I’m sure you believe it’s too well concealed to be noticed, but I noticed it. Then—these past few weeks, you’ve had a spring in your step. I’ve even overheard you singing while seeing to your ablutions. But since you returned from the country, you’ve changed again. Even a fool can see it has everything to do with the gentleman who has been turned away from our doorstep each morning for the past week.”

Adelia was right. Though Sophia loved her life at Summerton—her independence, the friendships she’d formed here—she hadn’t realized that she’d been missing out on the companionship of someone who befriended her out of choice rather than the circumstance of living in the same house. And, though she loved Henry with all her heart, she hadn’t realized the joy to be found in the love of a man—a man who had loved both her and Henry.

But she couldn’t forget their last encounter—the bitter exchange that had driven her away and broken her heart.

“He said awful things,” Sophia said, almost to herself.

“Don’t we all?” Adelia asked, softly. “Have you never said, or done, anything in your life that you’ve later come to regret? I know I have, and I’ll continue to do so. And there’s nothing wrong in that. Erring is part of being human. Don’t mistake a man who utters a few harsh words in the heat of the moment, with a cad.”

“But what if he is a cad?”

“Only you will know that to be true, Sophia,” Adelia said. “But I would urge you not to throw away your chance at happiness.”

“How can you say that, Adelia, given your experience?”

Adelia smiled. “My experience has taught me to recognize the difference between a good man and a libertine. I was abandoned by a man who persuaded me that he loved me, then ridiculed me in public before disappearing, never to be seen again. You’ve exchanged a few harsh words with a man who is now actively pursuing you in an attempt to atone.”

Adelia set her teacup aside. “I know I’ll never have another chance at happiness…”

“That’s not true, Adelia,” Sophia interrupted.

“Yes it is,” Adelia said. “In a society that values looks and fortune above all else, I am not so naïve as to believe my face will not turn away every prospective suitor. But my face gives me a clarity of thought, for I am able to speak my mind with no consequence to myself. And I shall therefore speak my mind to you.”

She leaned close and took Sophia’s hand, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“Take no heed of Lysetta,” she said. “She means well, but she doesn’t understand there are good men in the world if one has the clarity of thought to notice them. Look to your heart, Sophia, and trust your instincts to judge whether your colonel is a good man. Don’t let your—or Henry’s—chance at happiness pass you by.”

Sophia drained her teacup and sighed. “Perhaps I shall give Adrian a chance,” she said.

“Adrian?” Adelia asked, her voice sharp. “Is that your colonel’s name?”

“Adrian FitzRoy,” Sophia said. “Why—do you know him?”

Adelia stiffened, but shook her head. “No. I’ve never met him, but I have heard of the family.”

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