My Seductive Innocent (38 page)

A
fter that fateful day in the attic, Sophia stayed true to her vow with a zealous determination. With the help of Amelia, she hired a staff of twelve, including Mr. Burk, who had written to her wondering if she might be looking for a stable master. It seemed he could not tolerate Lady Anthony, which Sophia understood all too well. Once the staff was in place and she was settled into her home, she cloistered herself from everyone in the outside world except Amelia, who visited three days a week to give Sophia lessons on how to become an Incomparable.

As the winter months drifted into spring, Sophia pored over Debrett’s and spent hours learning the correct forms of address for anyone and everyone she might encounter. She learned how to sit, walk, talk, dance, and sing. She studied French and history, and took lessons on playing the pianoforte. She rode Aphrodite every day and became an expert jumper and foxhunter, with Mr. Burk’s aid.

In her free time, she would go to Nathan’s library and write letters to Harry or read one of the books that she thought Nathan might have read, snuggling under a blanket that smelled of pine, as he had. By the time spring had turned to summer, she had read “The Wanderer,”
Principles of Political Economy
, every single poem by Wordsworth and Shelley, and so many other books she lost count. Sometimes she would call Mr. Burk into the study at night and they would sit while she read poetry to him. In turn, he would tell her stories about Nathan.

It was on the third or fourth story about Nathan rescuing an injured animal that tears suddenly filled her eyes with a realization.

“Wha’ is it, lassie?” Mr. Burk asked, stopping his tale.

She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. “I think Nathan saved animals because deep down he wished someone would have saved him.”

Mr. Burk nodded. “Ta be sure. Especially that mangy, three-legged dog he loved so much—Duke.”

Sophia’s brow furrowed. “I never saw a three-legged dog at Whitecliffe.”

“Ye would’na have. He kept the dog with him always. When ye were in residence at Whitecliffe, the dog was in London because, if ye remember, His Grace’s trip to Newmarket was supposed ta be brief.”

“Where is Duke now?”

“I dinnot know, Your Grace.”

It took Sophia several weeks to locate Duke and have him fetched to live with her, and then it took several more weeks to get Duke to quit growling at her, but by the time August rolled around, Duke was her best friend, constant companion, and guard. Everywhere she went, so did Duke. And for a three-legged dog, he got around rather impressively. The only thing the large black-and-white, long-haired dog ever did that she didn’t care for was to bring “gifts” to the house. She liked gifts just fine, as long as they were alive, but Duke especially loved to bring her dead gifts. She eventually got used to it and overlooked this one flaw. In her heart, she understood that Nathan had viewed himself like that dog, the one no one had wanted, and so for her, Duke could do no wrong.

O
n a snowy day in January that marked the end of her mourning period―which she was only aware of because Amelia had been reminding her that she had to keep her promise to formally enter Society―Amelia surprised Sophia by appearing at her home earlier than was socially acceptable. And the duchess was not alone. Trailing behind her was Madame Lexington, who Amelia had asked to come. And trailing behind Madame Lexington were two girls, both of whom appeared to be twenty-one, the same age as Sophia now.

She’d quite forgotten she had turned twenty-one until Amelia had asked her several visits ago when her birthday was. Only then had she realized the day had come and gone.

“What’s all this?” Sophia asked as Amelia, Madame Lexington, and her assistants entered Sophia’s bedchambers.

Madame Lexington paused and appraised Sophia. Her lips parted and her eyes grew wide. “
Mon Dieu!
Nature has given you a great gift to make up for your great sorrow.”

Sophia was on the verge of asking Madame Lexington what she meant, but Amelia grasped Sophia by the arm and hugged her. “This is your birthday present! I’ve planned a dinner for your birthday tonight, and it will also be a test to see if you are ready for the house party.”

Sophia furrowed her brow. “What house party?”

“Oh my,” Amelia replied. “Did I forget to mention I have planned a house party in your honor?”

Amelia’s face was such a comical display of her trying to look innocent and failing that Sophia giggled. “You did forget to tell me that most important fact. When is this house party?”

“At the end of this week, so the dinner was of the utmost importance to allow us to see if there is anything else on which we need to work. I’ll expect you to stay at our house for the duration of the party, too. It’s a week long.”

“But I only live down the road from you.”

Amelia narrowed her eyes and plopped her hands on her hips. Sophia laughed and threw up her hands. One thing she’d learned this year was that Amelia had a stubborn streak in her as long at the Thames. And Sophia
had
promised she’d enter Society once her mourning period ended. Plus, she was getting a bit restless, and though she was nervous, she would like to make new friends and see new places.

Madame Lexington cleared her throat. “Your Grace―”

Sophia and Amelia both answered yes at the same time and then promptly burst into a fit of laughter. Sophia was the first to gain control. “Madam Lexington, call me Sophia.”

The woman gave a definite shake of her head. “No. I could not. It’s not proper.”

Sophia bit her lip. If Madame Lexington knew where Sophia had come from, she’d be happy to call her plain old Sophia.

“Call her Duchess, then,” Amelia inserted.

Madame Lexington looked as if she was about to object but then simply nodded before giving two sharp claps and saying, “Show her the gowns.”

There was a moment of flurry, and then both of Madame Lexington’s helpers scurried forward to present gowns to her. Sophia’s jaw dropped at the sight of a crimson gown that was cut so low she would be in danger of spilling out if she wore it. And she now had plenty to spill out. In her year in mourning, two things had grown: her hair, which hung midway down her back, and her breasts, which had gone from entirely too small to shockingly voluptuous. With an apologetic smile to Amelia and Madame Lexington she pointed at the crimson silk and shook her head. “I would never be so bold as to wear a gown like that.”

Madame Lexington eyed her askance. “You
should
be so bold,” the woman said blandly. “You have a figure that puts the very best I’ve ever dressed to shame, and my dear, I have clothed many Incomparable ladies.”

She gaped at the seamstress. She knew her figure had filled out, but when she studied herself in the looking glass, she saw the same old mousy-appearing lady. Just now with breasts and hips. “That is kind, but certainly too kind.”

“Non,”
Madam Lexington replied, slipping momentarily into French. “French women are never too kind. Too nasty, yes. Too kind, never! And I tell you honestly that you will beguile in the blue gown, but in the red one the eligible bachelors will chase you like bloodthirsty hounds after a fox.”

“Then the blue gown, with a fichu placed at the chest, will be perfect for me, as I do not want any eligible bachelors chasing me.”

Madame Lexington puckered her forehead and with a long-suffering sigh, turned a quizzical gaze to Amelia. “But I don’t understand! You specifically said―”

“Never mind about any of that,” Amelia interrupted. She tugged the sapphire gown out of the unsuspecting lady’s hands and shoved it at Sophia. “Go slip this on so we can see that it fits properly.”

Sophia took the gown and offered Madame Lexington an apologetic smile. “Despite whatever the Duchess of Aversley told you, Madame Lexington, I am most definitely not searching for a gentleman to marry. In fact, I plan never to remarry. No one could replace my husband.”

Madame Lexington’s assistant, completely silent until now, burst into giggles as they glanced at each other.

Madame Lexington turned scarlet as she looked from Sophia to her assistants. “Shh,” she hissed. “Get hold of yourselves.”

Sophia furrowed her brow. Whyever were they giggling like silly fools? “Is something wrong?” she asked them directly. She caught the sharp, dark look Madame Lexington gave them.

“No, Your Grace,” they hurriedly replied as one and with downcast gazes.

Sophia’s gut twisted. They were hiding something. “What is it?” she demanded.

Madame Lexington waved them away and faced Sophia. “They, like most women, thought your husband extremely handsome. They probably had silly hopes that one day he might notice them.”

Sophia thought of her mother’s letter that was tucked away for safekeeping in her dresser. “Hope is never silly,” she said. A lump formed in her throat. Her hope had given her Nathan, and she would never regret that, no matter how short their time together had been.

The fitting of the gown did not take long, but it took the better part of the rest of the day to be bathed and lathered in lotion, and to have her hair dressed and her face painted to perfection. Madame Lexington, it seemed, was not only a renowned seamstress but she was known for her abilities with cosmetics, as well.

She hovered over Sophia with something dark that she insisted Sophia simply had to wear on her eyes. Sophia studied what Madame Lexington was holding. “What is that?”

“Kohl. It will give your eyes a mysterious, alluring look.”

“None of that, then.”

“But―”

“No.” Sophia gave a firm shake of her head. “I want to appear respectable, not alluring.”

Amelia sighed. “Sophia, you are a widow. And not just any widow. Scarsdale was one of the most powerful and wealthiest men in England. You will be granted a wide berth to do as you wish. If you want to appear alluring, I assure you no ballroom doors will be slammed in your face. They will be scampering over themselves to admit you because the women will want to know what you possess that they did not that enabled you to capture Scarsdale’s hand, and the men will simply want to possess you. All you need to do is ensure they understand you desire marriage and not a romp.”

“Unless you do desire a liaison,” Madame Lexington said rather boldly.

“Do hush, Madame Lexington,” Amelia scolded. “Sophia is not the sort of widow to wish for a liaison. She is the loyal sort and wishes for love.”

Sophia’s throat suddenly constricted, but she somehow swallowed. “I don’t wish for either. I will remain loyal to the memory of Nathan as I know he would have wanted and expected me to.”

Madame Lexington and Amelia exchanged a long, not-so-subtle look that Sophia decided to ignore. They simply didn’t care for her decision, and that was all right. “I am entering Society as I promised you, Amelia, and truly I want to do so. But it is so I can make friends and get out in the world. Just because I do not want to replace Nathan doesn’t mean I want to be lonely; therefore, I desire friends, something I previously did not have in spades.” There was no need to announce the fact she had only had one friend before meeting Nathan. Amelia now made two.

“Oh, Sophia,” Amelia muttered but said nothing more.

Madame Lexington tsked several times but also said nothing to her. The dressmaker told her assistants to gather her things, and the ladies scurried to do her bidding. As they were carrying out the seamstress’s supplies, Sophia finally took a look at herself. She stared for a moment in wonderment at what she saw. And then she grinned.

“Madame Lexington, you are a genius and a miracle worker. I actually look passable.” The blue gown hugged her curves in all the right places, but fairly respectably so. Her hair had been drawn high on the crown of her head, and the look actually accentuated her cheekbones quite nicely. Several tendrils had been left loose and were curling about her neck, the contrast of her dark hair to her light skin striking.

There was not a chance she would be able to repeat how lovely Madame Lexington had made her look, but she was eternally grateful that she would look her best tonight.

Madame Lexington surprised her with a hug. “You are like a breath of fresh spring air,” the seamstress said. “Anytime you need a new gown, come to me and I will put you above all others.”