Kathryn Smith - [Friends 03] (10 page)

"You will want to call upon your parents as soon as possible, I expect," he remarked, smiling because her joy was infectious.

She jerked away from the window, all the pleasure disappearing from her face. Julian's own smile melted away.

"No," she replied, her gaze locking with his. "Not as soon as possible. Perhaps in a few days."

How could he be so stupid? Of course she had no desire to go running to her parents and announce that she was a guest of the man who had refused to marry her.

He would have to make certain that word spread very quickly that Sophia was Letitia's companion, that they were simply assisting her in reentering society. Julian would have to make certain that while in public he didn't treat Sophia any differently than he treated any other woman.

It was how to treat her in private that had him worried.

Thankfully the direction of his thoughts was cut off before they could wander into more dangerous territory by the distinct slowing and turning of the carriage that meant they were at Wolfram House.

The carriage rolled to a halt. The door opened, the steps were put down and Julian alighted first to assist the women to the ground.

Letitia was still chattering away as she stepped out into the late afternoon sun. Her maid followed her into the house, her head bobbing in reply to every suggestion Letitia made.

Letitia's chatter faded into the background as Julian watched Sophia lift her gaze to Wolfram House. Here in the bright of day her eyes weren't quite black and they shone with a sparkle of deep, dark velvety brown as a smile curved her full pink lips.

"It is just as lovely as I remembered," she remarked as he helped her to the ground.

"Thank you," Julian replied with pride.

Made of mellow Bath stone, Wolfram House's exterior had a golden appearance. Rows of tall, wide windows graced its smooth, clean front. Low steps climbed to the front doors— heavy twin portals of golden oak graced with large brass knockers polished to a brilliant shine.

Julian followed her inside, where Sophia's eyes grew even wider. "Oh, Julian, it is beautiful!"

Following her gaze, he surveyed the great hall, seeing it through her eyes. The entire house had been redecorated in the Robert Adam style before his mother's death and Julian had no plans to ever change it. From the gold, blue and peach marble floor with its eye-catching circular center design, to the pale peach walls with their delicate scroll work, to the high ceiling with its gold, blue and white design that complemented the floor below in true Adam fashion, the hall was a stunning example of beauty and serenity.

"Yes," he replied, his gaze dropping to her glowing face. "It is very lovely indeed."

Time seemed to stumble to a halt as Julian stared into Sophia's eyes. In the past few hours he had felt a multitude of emotions where she was concerned— desire, anger, dislike, protectiveness, understanding, amusement and now this. And what was
this
anyway? It was a hopeful feeling. It was a feeling of coming home.

Yes, that was it. He was home. Here. With her.

"Sophia!"

Never had Julian been so glad to hear his sister's voice. The spell was broken, and just in bloody time too!

"Come upstairs," Letitia called from a doorway directly across the hall. "I want to show you to your room!"

Sophia muttered something to him before turning to leave. Julian assumed she had excused herself, but she could have told him to go jump in the Thames for all he had heard.

He watched her as she crossed the floor to join Letitia, enjoying the way the generous swell of her hips swayed with every step.

All the soft hills and hidden valleys of her vista formed a sweeter garden than Eden ever dreamed
.

The echo of the words inside his head jerked Julian out of his daze. Instead of going to his room and ringing for a bath as he had planned, Julian made a detour to his study. The room was exactly as he left it— a mess. Papers cluttered almost every surface. Books littered the floor, the surface of his desk and were stacked on top of each other on several shelves. Once in a while he allowed the maids to clean in there, but only when he was around to supervise where everything went. He despised anyone invading his privacy when he was working, so the staff stayed away unless he rang.

Grabbing his "idea" notebook, he uncapped his inkwell and dipped his pen into it. He scribbled the line about Sophia and then put the ink away. He would work on it later.

He turned to the wall of books behind him. Without thinking he went to the far shelves, climbed the ladder and pulled a small, blue book from the others on the highest ledge. Stepping back down to the floor, he opened it.

An Unfortunate Attachment
by A Repentant Lady.

A repentant lady indeed. Not half so repentant as he had been. His gaze dropped to the handwritten inscription beneath.

When he first opened the book almost seven years ago he had been outraged to read what she had written. Now it made him smile. Almost. He had never read the book itself. Perhaps he should.

But not right this moment. Right now all he wanted was a bath, a shave and a change of clothes. As much as he wanted to take the book with him to read in the bath, he couldn't risk one of the servants seeing it or, heaven forbid, reading any of it. He would come back and begin it later, and then, when he had read it from beginning to end, he and Sophia would sit down and have a little talk.

And he would either tell her that she was a misguided liar, or he would make things right. He had a feeling that no matter how wronged Sophia
thought
she was, it wasn't going to be the latter.

T
hey spent two days doing nothing but shopping, eating and talking, before Letitia surprised Sophia by appearing in her chamber in the late afternoon with the announcement that Julian was
finally
taking them out.

"Not to Almack's, I hope," Sophia joked, setting her book aside. "I vowed never to darken those doors again."

"Even if your gowns were ready I would not dream of subjecting you to Sally Jersey this early in your visit," Letitia replied, plopping herself into a nearby chair. "No, he's taking us for a ride in
Hyde Park
!"

While the idea of an outing in the park was lovely indeed, it certainly didn't warrant the sparkle in Letitia's eyes, not on its own. "And?"

A broad grin curved Letitia's generous mouth. "I have sent word to Mr. Wesley that we will be there. I am certain I will be able to see him this afternoon!"

It was difficult to share her friend's enthusiasm. "Do you think that is a good idea? What if your brother notices your partiality to this gentleman? I thought you wanted to keep it a secret until Mr. Wesley could talk to him."

As usual, Letitia waved her concerns away. "Julian will never know. But never mind that, will you come to Hyde Park with us?"

Sophia found herself smiling despite her misgivings. She hoped that once Julian met Mr. Wesley and saw how much Letitia loved him, his own regard for his sister would convince him to agree to the match. She wanted Julian to be different from her father, even though thinking ill of him made it easier to dislike and distrust him.

But either way, provided her friend didn't do anything rash, Sophia would keep her secret and do what she could to help her avoid a marriage like Sophia's own.

"Of course I will come."

"Excellent!" Letitia cried, clapping her hands together. "We shall leave within the half hour." Jumping out of her seat, she stopped long enough to rake Sophia with a solemn gaze.

"Is that what you are going to wear?"

Laughing at her friend's lack of tact, Sophia also rose to her feet. "I do have a riding habit, you know. While it is not the height of fashion, I am certain it will do for today's outing."

Letitia's frown gave way to the same happy grin that had lit her face almost constantly since their arrival in London.

"Where are you going?" Sophia asked when Letitia made for a door at the far corner of her chamber.

"To tell Julian," Letitia replied as though Sophia were daft. "He was going to his room to change his coat."

An invisible hand closed around Sophia's throat and squeezed. "J…Your brother's chamber connects to this one?"

Letitia nodded. "Through a small parlor, but do not worry. He never uses it. You did not think I would put my dearest friend in a chamber that was below her station, did you? This was my mother's room."

And with that, Letitia opened the corner door and slipped through. It clicked shut behind her, leaving Sophia in stunned silence.

The countess's bedchamber! How could Letitia have been so idiotic as to put her in the room adjoining Julian's? It mattered not that there was little chance of anyone else ever finding out, Sophia knew, and that was bad enough.

Sucking a deep breath into her lungs, she willed herself to be calm. There was no way she could ask Letitia to move her and not raise her friend's suspicion, and even if she did, she risked hurting Letitia's feelings. Giving Sophia her mother's room was a great honor, as Sophia was well aware of how much Letitia honored her mother's memory.

She would rather have Julian close than cause injury to Letitia. Besides, having Julian but a few feet away did not mean Sophia was in any more danger of acting on her foolish attraction for the man than if he were down the hall.

They were both adults, able to control themselves, and just in case one of them forgot that, the door was sure to have locks on it.

And if that didn't convince her, the thought of the scandal that would ensue from an affair with Julian certainly did. Scandal would lead to her losing what little income she had— thanks to her late husband and his cretin of a brother. Wouldn't Charles love that, to have her penniless and completely at his mercy? The idea of that alone should be enough to keep her from losing her head where Julian was concerned.

Julian, on the other hand, she couldn't speak for. And since Sophia's limited experience with men had proven that the opposite sex was not above taking whatever it wanted from hers, she would make certain that the door remained locked from her side.

Starting now.

After checking the lock, Sophia rang for the maid Letitia had insisted she have. She had best get changed for their outing.

Twenty-five minutes later, she was washed, dressed in her old but presentable dark blue riding habit and had the matching hat pinned on over a sleek but elegant hairstyle. She made her way downstairs to the great hall to join Julian and Letitia. Fortunately only Letitia was there.

"Julian has gone to see about the horses," her friend explained. Then, in a conspiratorial tone she whispered, "He is a little upset with me for surprising him from your room."

Sophia was willing to wager it wasn't Letitia coming from the room that surprised him, but rather
where
Sophia's room was in relation to his.

Julian joined them a few moments later, looking magnificent in snug buckskin trousers that hugged his long legs, a dark green coat and beaver hat. It seemed a shame to cover up all that thick hair with a hat, but it wouldn't be very seemly for him to go out in public without one.

The glance he sent Sophia was brief at best. "Shall we go?"

Outside, three horses stood patiently waiting with two grooms. Julian immediately went to a chestnut gelding and swung himself into the saddle. Letitia made for a small gray mare, leaving the black for Sophia.

It had been a long time since she had been on a horse, but she wasn't the least bit nervous as the groom gave her a hand up into the saddle. The mare stood perfectly still as Sophia positioned herself and arranged her skirts. It felt perfectly natural to be in the saddle again as the horse clip-clopped down the densely packed drive.

Wolfram House was located on Upper Brook Street, near Grosvenor Square, so the ride to Hyde Park wasn't a long one. Still, it gave Sophia a chance to glance around at the neighborhood and soak up the excitement and motion that was London. It was as though a door had been opened for her, a door into a bright, new world where she could throw off the mantle of her former life and be herself again.

And perhaps she could. As long as Charles wasn't there to watch her she could do what she wanted, go where she wanted. As long as she didn't bring scandal upon herself she was free.

Julian rode slightly behind, leaving Letitia and her mount between them. Whether it was for his own benefit or for society's Sophia wasn't certain. There was no such thing as being too careful where gossip was concerned. Still, he had managed to avoid her for most of the last two days.

Really, she shouldn't be bothered by his lack of attention. Whether it was because of the incident with Charles, or gossip, or because he genuinely wished to avoid her, Sophia didn't know and she didn't really care, but it stung her vanity and her pride to think that he could forget that kiss in the library quite so easily as to pretend that there was nothing between them.

"How are you faring, Sophia?" Letitia asked with a jaunty grin. "Is the mare to your liking?"

Returning the smile, Sophia ran a gloved hand down the mare's glossy neck. "She's beautiful. What is her name?"

"
Amanté
," Letitia replied, and Sophia's heart faltered in her chest. "Julian named her. I do not know what it means."

"It is Spanish," Sophia replied hoarsely, her throat tight. "The Spanish word for love."

"Oh!" Letitia's smile brightened as she shot a backward glance at her brother. "How lovely!"

Sophia did not dare look at Julian to see his reaction. Nor did she want him to see hers, for then he would know that she remembered and she would have to ask why he had named this beautiful little horse one of the few Spanish words she had taught him.