Page 64 of To Redeem an Earl

Sophia entered the lavish drawing room, decorated in blue and gold, to find a young woman of her own age seated on an elegant sofa, with a tea service laid out on the table in front of her. She had a crown of curling chestnut hair, and warm eyes the color of brandy with glints of gold not dissimilar to the light catching in said drink.

“The Countess of Saunton,” announced the very proper butler in his husky tone, startling Sophia so that she flinched ever so slightly.

The duchess stood and walked over to greet her. “Your Grace.” Sophia sank into a curtsy, feeling a little in awe of the beauty and grace of the woman.

Her hostess smiled widely before exclaiming, “Pish! My name is Annabel.”

Sophia smiled in return. She could not help it. Her mouth moved in response to the young woman’s vibrant energy. Richard had said she was lively, but he had not mentioned how warm the woman was. Sophia felt like she was being wrapped in a sunny Saturday afternoon in the park, her overwrought nerves relaxing into an even state she had not enjoyed in some time.

“Sophia,” she acknowledged.

“I was hoping I would meet you soon, Sophia. I wanted to see what kind of woman tamed the infamous Earl of Saunton and here you are. Shall we have tea?”

Richard was right. This woman’s mind moved quickly. She could see a younger version of this woman haring across two counties alone on horseback to find an escape from her nuptials. Of course the duke had been immediately captivated.

She followed the duchess to take a seat, then watched as she poured another cup of tea and passed the cup and saucer to her. Sophia guessed it to be Twinings, breathing in the delightful fragrance before raising the china cup to her lips to take a small sip.

Annabel leaned back in her seat. “What is the reason for your visit?”

“May I speak frankly?”

“I would prefer it. I am still mastering the art of polite small talk and could do without it for a spell. We have much more interesting subjects we could talk about than the weather.”

“Richard told me what happened between the two of you.”

The duchess raised her chestnut eyebrows. “Indeed. The duke told me he believed a singular woman had finally captivated Richard. If your husband told you about The Stable Incident, then I know it must be true rather than merely my husband’s hopes on behalf of his cousin.”

Sophia smiled, feeling uncertain. They had a true marriage in the sense that they were now working together. However, the duchess appeared to believe that Richard loved her, and there was no evidence of that. He had not said so. He had not promised it at any time. She feared she might just be the medium for his crusade, but it seemed dishonorable to confirm or deny it, so she said nothing.

“I was wondering what it would take for Richard to receive your forgiveness. He feels much guilt over what happened, and it would provide surcease if he knew you were no longer angry.”

Annabel sighed deeply. “I am no longer angry. Things turned out well for me. I met the man I love, and I have a wonderful baby boy upstairs in the nursery. If Richard had not been faithless, I would never have met Philip—the duke—under the circumstances that we met and I would not be wed to the most honorable man.”

“So you forgive him?”

“No.”

“But … you said you are not angry with him.”

“I appreciate that he finally took responsibility for what he did to Caroline Brown, but he has not done what is required to make things well with me. I am happy that he and my husband have been able to resume their friendship and I wish him all the best, but I will not forgive him. He knows what I require.”

“I … is there nothing I can do?”

“You can convince him to do the right thing.”

Sophia put her tea down. She had hoped this discussion would proceed well, but now disappointment was rising in her chest and her hands were shaking from all the repressed emotions. Under ordinary circumstances, she would know what to say next, but nothing about the past couple of weeks had been ordinary. “Please, could you tell me what it is he needs to do so I can assist him?”

“I want an apology.”

“An apology?”

“That is correct.”

“An apology?”

The duchess nodded in agreement. Sophia wondered if she was dreaming because suddenly nothing made sense to her. “Are … are you saying … that the earl neverapologizedfor what he did?”

Annabel raised her chestnut eyebrows, which Sophia took as an affirmation.

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