Page 66 of Love Unraveled
“But you have always been discreet. Don’t you agree, Catherine?”
“The soul of discretion,” Catherine said, looking concerned.
Doubt clogged Sophia’s throat, and her chest constricted. If her friends could not accept this indiscretion, then perhaps they would never be able to accept the whole truth of her, especially the fact she had not been forthcoming through the years.
Elizabeth sat forward on her chair and touched Sophia’s knee. “I apologize. I have upset you. You know, of course, we stand by whatever you do. Nothing will change that.”
“Grazie.” Sophia looked at Catherine.
Catherine nodded solemnly. “Even if you are now a ladybird,” she said and burst into laughter.
Sophia’s chest unclenched, and she swatted Catherine before joining in. When the laughter petered out, Sophia told them she was not a kept woman, but perhaps she would decide to keep Gaston. “Would it make him a manbird?”
Another round of laughter ensued, and their conversation moved on to more ordinary things. Sophia had not admitted she and Gaston had a long history together, nor that their futures were now permanently entwined through their pledge to each other. She’d told them he was in need of a place to stay and she owed him a favor. She’d discovered she enjoyed his company, so it made sense for her to make the offer. It was, after all, a big house.
She did not mention the confrontation with the duke. She doubted the man would share this morning’s humiliation publicly. Besides, should he try to humble either herself or Gaston, she had the investigative papers as insurance. She had not had time to fully read through them, but she’d read enough to know the duke could not afford such exposure.
Eventually, they discussed their next adventure, the races at Newmarket on Monday. Not only would the change of scenery be welcome, it was an event swarming with people and usually rife with gossip. She was hopeful she would find out something of value.Theywould find something of value. She smiled at her correction. It was the two of them now.
“A pleased little smile if I’ve ever seen one.” Catherine looked at Elizabeth and raised an eyebrow.
“I have secured ample suites in nearby Cambridge,” Elizabeth said to Sophia. “Would you have me send a messenger to cancel one?”
“Evil,” Sophia said before adding, “Perhaps.” She enjoyed their wide-eyed response far more than she probably should. “I tease,mie amiche.” Although she wished they could share a suite, she was not about to flaunt their impropriety in front of her friends.
“We will be traveling on to Woodfield afterward.” Catherine set down her lemonade. “It has been fun, but balancing society and motherhood is taxing. Nicholas is done with what he has needed to do, whatever that is. Making sure boats float, I suppose.” She smiled.
Sophia did not fall for Catherine’s pretense at vacuousness. Catherine knew exactly what was going on with Walford’s shipbuilding company, as did Elizabeth with her husband’s dalliance in the shipping industry. Sophia sat up. When the war was over, Gaston would need something to call his own. He said he’d spent much time in ports and on ships these last years. The shipping industry would be a good fit. She would speak to Woodfield about investing in his shipping company and make it a wedding gift for Gaston.
“What do you think?” Elizabeth was looking at Sophia questioningly.
“Scusami, I seem unable to hold on to thoughts today.”
Elizabeth and Catherine looked at each other and smiled knowingly. She could not chastise them, for their assumptions were correct.
“Richard would like to remain near parliament. Apparently there is movement on the continent, and he would like to be here for debates. I will be sending for the boys if we stay much longer. But I digress. Since we will be returning to London, you and Monsieur Durand can join us in our carriage, if you’d like. We will leave early Saturday morning.”
Sophia pictured two days in a carriage, dancing around the truth of their relationship in front of her good friends. Then she envisioned her and Gaston alone in her carriage, and she was quickly decided. Her body tingled in anticipation. “Grazie,bella, but I have some business to attend to and must remain flexible.”
“Flexible?” Catherine asked, looking at Elizabeth. They broke into fits of giggles.
“You are children,” Sophia said, adoring how her friends had already taken Gaston’s presence in stride. “Evil, evil children.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
The cause of all these evils was the lust for power arising from greed and ambition.
—Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
“Ithink Raimondois softening,” Gaston said, adjusting his neck cloth and watching Sophie in the mirror. She had offered to hire a valet, but having a stranger in their midst did not seem a wise idea. Besides, he had been dressing himself for years and was adept at it.
“Why do you say that?” Sophie, fully dressed, sat elegantly on the chaise in the corner of the room.
“Those bushy eyebrows narrowed like an eagle’s when I came back, but his glare was absent. His eyes weren’t warm and inviting, but I got the feeling he didn’t have the urge to hit me. It’s progress,non?”
He got the laugh he was seeking and turned to look at her. “It is a pity we must work tonight, for I would far more enjoy undressing you than dressing me.”
“There is always later,” she said, her voice husky. “And tomorrow. I have no engagements for tomorrow.”
