Читать книгу Regency Affairs Part 2: Books 7-12 Of 12 - Ann Lethbridge - Страница 38

Sophie awoke, naked and alone in the large bed. The sunlight flooded on to her face. Her only ornaments were her engagement ring and the thin band of gold Richard had placed on her finger yesterday. It took her an instant to think where she was and why. Her body ached with muscles she didn’t know she had. She reached out a hand to touch Richard. Even though she could see the imprint of his head on the pillow, the space beside her was cold.

She glanced about the bedroom. Someone had cleaned up the candle wax and the uneaten meal. Her dress and underthings no longer lay on the floor and her robe was neatly folded at the foot of the bed. A small fire blazed in the grate. But Richard was nowhere to be seen.

Something inside her shrivelled. She reached for the robe and slipped it on. What had she expected—that Richard would watch over her while she slept, transfixed by her beauty? That he’d be so enamoured of her charms that he wouldn’t bear being separated from her?

Her mouth twisted. All of her doubts and fears from yesterday came crowding back in. Had she done the right thing by marrying this quickly? Did she truly know the man she had married? The man who promised passion, but never mentioned his finer feelings?

Marry in haste, repent at leisure.

She had certainly married in haste. She hadn’t even given herself time to think. And Richard had never claimed anything more than desiring her. Was desire enough to build a marriage?

And she was stuck here until Richard returned, unable to dress herself without assistance. Silently she cursed the twenty-four hooks of her corset and the fifteen back buttons of her going-away dress. The other dresses she’d packed were just as bad. Without assistance, she was as helpless as a babe in arms.

Sophie swung her feet on the floor. ‘Hello? Is anyone there? Richard! I’m awake.’

Jane hurried in. ‘Oh, I hope I didn’t wake your ladyship with my tidying earlier.’

Sophie’s throat closed. Jane, not Richard, had tidied the room. ‘You are back.’

‘Mr Myers and I arrived back from the hotel early this morning. I could hardly allow my lady to be on her own on the morning after the wedding.’ Jane’s plain face broke in a wreath of smiles. ‘I need to have my lady looking her best for her new husband.’

‘You tidied everything up?’ Sophie’s face flamed.

‘There wasn’t much. Your clothes hadn’t been properly hung and the fire needed cleaning and restarting. The master said that I wasn’t to disturb you, that you needed your sleep.’ Jane bit her lip. ‘I dropped the shovel as I went out, but you slept for another hour.’

‘You have done nothing wrong,’ Sophie assured her, trying to peer around Jane, hoping to see if Richard would suddenly appear, having heard the murmur of voices.

Her maid’s shoulders sagged. ‘I am so glad. I want to be a good maid, your ladyship. I want to serve you well, particularly now you are a viscountess and will some day be a marchioness. I never thought I’d be a maid to such quality when I first entered service.’

‘Is his lordship here?’

Jane shook her head quickly. ‘His lordship went out over an hour ago. He didn’t tell me or Mr Myers where he’d be going.’

‘Did he say when he’d return?’

‘I doubt he will be long. He thought you’d sleep as you had such a big day yesterday with the wedding and all the preparations. You were such a picture, my lady. A fairy princess bride could not have looked finer.’

Sophie silently blessed Jane for not remarking how odd it was that a man should leave his bride on the morning after their wedding night.

‘I suspect he has gone to see his father.’

‘I shouldn’t like to speculate.’

‘We are not going on our wedding trip until his father departs from Newcastle.’

‘Do you know where you are going?’

‘The Alps, I believe.’

‘Mr Myers and I are to go on the trip.’ Jane clapped her hands. ‘I have always wanted to go abroad. The delay will give us time to get you a proper wardrobe. One fit for a peeress!’

Even her maid didn’t consider her a fit person to be Richard’s wife.

Jane began detailing the sort of costumes Sophie needed, from walking dresses to ball gowns and parasols for keeping the sun off. Sophie listened with half an ear and tried to ignore the tiny hard knot in her stomach.

If Richard had not returned by the time she finished breakfast, she would go to her stepmother’s rather than sitting around here, waiting. She’d use the pretext of sorting through the wardrobe she’d left and seeing if any of it was suitable. She wouldn’t go and see Lord Hallington until Richard was with her—that would be prying. She didn’t want Richard to think she was checking up on him or becoming a shrewish wife, but if she remained here, waiting, she’d go mad.

‘There you are, my dear,’ her stepmother called out from the sitting room.

‘I … I came back for some of my things,’ Sophie called back.

‘Is dear Richard with you?’

‘No, I believe he went to see his father.’

‘His father is here, dear, taking tea with me in the small sitting room. Neither of us expected to see you today. But I am ever so pleased you called. We have something to ask you. Can you spare a moment?’

Sophie’s stomach knotted. Richard wasn’t with his father. He had gone somewhere else. The knowledge thrummed her. ‘I … I …’

‘No doubt Richard will be along as soon as he discovers where his father is. You will have time for a cup of tea.’

Sophie breathed more easily. Her stepmother thought that they had just parted. The last thing she wanted to explain was how she’d woken up alone, without even a note. And Richard was sure to come here once he had finished whatever he was doing. Staying in those empty rooms would have given her time to panic. This way she could begin her acquaintance with her father-in-law properly.

‘I am sure he will be,’ Sophie said, going into the small sitting room.

Her stepmother and father-in-law were sitting in front of a fire. A variety of china pigs were placed in front of her father-in-law and it was obvious they had been discussing their respective collections. Her stepmother probably wanted to know where one of the china pigs was. Sophie attempted to remember if any had broken lately.

‘What is it that you wanted to ask me?’ Sophie asked, opting for a bright voice as her stepmother passed her a cup of tea.

‘Where did you say you and dear Richard met?’

The back of Sophie’s neck prickled. The story was foolproof, but somehow it didn’t seem right to lie any more to her stepmother or her father-in-law. They deserved the truth, but Richard might want to be there when she explained fully.

Sophie mentally sighed. She had to play for time. She placed the cup down with a clank. ‘We met in Liverpool last spring. I was there for the ship launch. You remember, Stepmother, the ship launch. It was such a big occasion.’

‘That’s what I thought. We were there on the nineteenth of March.’ Her stepmother gave a smug smile. ‘I consulted my diary. You enjoyed the play very much.’

‘Yes, it was … it was that evening when we went to the theatre that I first encountered Richard.’

‘Impossible!’ Lord Hallington thundered, banging his fist down.

‘Impossible?’ Sophie clasped her hands together and looked to the door, hoping Richard would appear. ‘No, no, I assure you it was then. Richard could not get me out of his mind. It was why he journeyed up to Newcastle and we became engaged. Things progressed more quickly than either of us imagined, but why wait?’

Sophie included her father-in-law in her smile. She was proud of her explanation.

‘The nineteenth of March is my birthday, my dear. Richard was at Hallington for the entire week. In fact, he stayed ten days,’ her father-in-law said in a firm voice. ‘Perhaps you are remembering the date incorrectly.’

‘Hornswoggle! The nineteenth was when we were in Liverpool,’ her stepmother declared stoutly. ‘It was the only time we were away from Newcastle, except to go to Corbridge for Christmas and the New Year. And the one short excursion to Carlisle Sophie made when I had a cold. I have shown you the diary.’

‘Do you have an explanation, Sophie?’ Lord Hallington asked. His brows lowered. ‘How could my son be in two places at once?’

‘Yes, I want to hear it.’ Her stepmother pinned her with her gaze. ‘We have been arguing over this for more than an hour.’

Sophie sank back against the sofa, suddenly sick. She had to tell the truth without Richard being there. She had no choice.

‘We didn’t meet in Liverpool,’ she whispered.

Lord Hallington gave her stepmother a triumphant glance.

‘Where did you meet if it wasn’t Liverpool?’ her stepmother asked in a deadly quiet voice. Even her cap radiated disappointment. ‘I think I deserve that much, Sophie.’

‘We met the night Cynthia Johnson eloped,’ Sophie said in a rush.

‘But that … But you said …’ Her stepmother’s face crumpled and she fumbled for her handkerchief. ‘How could you, Sophie?’

‘I know what I said.’ Sophie handed her stepmother her handkerchief. ‘I am ever so sorry, Stepmother. It wasn’t supposed to come to this. We … we never planned to marry. The engagement was false, but the marriage isn’t.’

‘You had best explain from the beginning, young lady,’ her father-in-law thundered as her stepmother wept. ‘You have caused your stepmother considerable distress.’

‘I will be happy to.’ Sophie glanced over her shoulder and prayed that Richard would arrive to rescue her. ‘Shall we wait for Richard’s arrival? It will be better if we are both here.’

‘No, I don’t think we shall,’ Lord Hallington said with a severe frown. ‘I take it that you are truly married? Your marriage was not some sort of attempt to trick everyone again for your own purpose?’

‘Of course they are married.’ Her stepmother pointed towards the door. ‘If you are going to make outrageous allegations, Lord Hallington, you may leave. Dear Richard is my son now. Sophie is properly wed and there isn’t anything you can do about it. Anyone with half a brain can see how much in love they are!’

‘We are truly married.’ Sophie winced. She wanted to kiss her stepmother for being such a romantic and so loyal. She was going to have to hope her stepmother would understand. But love didn’t come into it, not on Richard’s part. And some day, when she’d shown him that she was worthy to be a marchioness, it would be different. She had to believe that. Out of unpromising starts, happiness could be found.

‘Sophie, start from the beginning. Start with the night you met. Lord Hallington and I need to hear the truth.’

Lord Hallington started to say something, but her stepmother hushed him.

‘Sophie will tell us everything, Lord Hallington. I find it best in these situations to allow Sophie to explain in her own time. My stepdaughter is normally a truthful person. I am sure there is a logical explanation. After all, they are married and the settlement agreed to everyone’s satisfaction.’

Seeing no other option, Sophie began to explain, starting with the ball and how Richard had saved her. She skated over the kisses they had shared and the incident in the carriage where Richard had acted honourably.

‘In any case, what does it matter now?’ Sophie finished. ‘Richard and I are married and everyone is happy. All is well that ends well.’

Sophie choked back the ‘in love’ part. She loved Richard or rather the Richard she thought she knew, but she had no idea about his feelings for her. He had only married her to satisfy his notion of honour. Was he starting to regret his actions already? She wished he was there and then her doubts might vanish.

‘Do you know why Richard was in Newcastle to begin with?’ Lord Hallington asked, drawing his brows together.

‘What does it matter why Richard was here? He stayed to help out Sophie and they fell in love.’ Her stepmother gave a happy sigh. ‘Harum-scarum to begin with, Sophie, but ultimately one of the most romantic things I have heard in years.’

Richard’s father looked less convinced.

‘Do you know, young lady? Until I had his letter, I was unaware that he had ever visited this city. He was supposed to be in London.’

Sophie kept her head up. Richard had never said why he was at the ball that night. It hadn’t seemed important. ‘He was undoubtedly visiting friends. There are several men he was at Eton with on the cricket team.’

‘But why keep it from his father?’ Her stepmother rapped her finger against the diary.

‘Richard is a grown man. He doesn’t live in his father’s pocket and have to explain where he is going and who he is seeing. Perhaps the invitation was sudden,’ Sophie replied evenly. ‘I know he stayed only to help me out. The events at the Assembly Rooms meant he could not just disappear. He was quite clear on that point. He had a score to settle with Sir Vincent. That was the only reason he stayed. Then there seemed to be no reason to wait after the settlement was agreed.’

‘I wonder why my son failed to mention his journey? He went out of his way to make me think he was in London.’

‘Perhaps he knew that mention of the city upsets you.’ Sophie took a deep breath. ‘Your son loves you, Lord Hallington. He knows your mother is buried here and that is why you don’t visit it. Surely after all this time, you can visit her grave.’

Lord Hallington frowned. ‘That is not why. Newcastle is where my former wife lives, or rather lived.’

Sophie’s mind reeled. Richard’s mother. The woman who had caused a huge scandal. If his mother was in Newcastle, surely she would have attended the wedding? ‘Richard’s mother? He never mentioned her. Does he know?’

‘The divorce was a bad business. I had Marguerite agree never to speak to him as a condition of the divorce. I couldn’t risk my son being hurt the way I was. The woman is a she-devil.’

‘Funny, Richard has never mentioned his mother,’ her stepmother said. ‘Did he mention his mother to you, Sophie?’

‘Only in passing,’ Sophie answered truthfully as her stomach knotted. Richard would have said something about his mother. He had no reason to hide his mother from her and he didn’t know his father would appear at the wedding, unless … Sophie refused to allow her mind to go there. Despite what his aunt thought about her lack of suitability, he had married her.

‘I am sure he would have done, Sophie, if his mother was the reason for being in Newcastle,’ her stepmother said soothingly, handing Lord Hallington another piece of seed cake. ‘You have upset Sophie by implying differently, Lord Hallington. Do you know if your son and your former wife are in contact with each other? Do you even know for certain that she resides in Newcastle now? People do move about so these days, not like when I was young.’

‘I have no idea.’ The colour in Lord Hallington’s face subsided. ‘I don’t want him being hurt. I can forgive most things, but I can’t forgive what that woman did to my boy. How could a mother treat her child like that? Even now it makes my blood boil and the doctor has told me it does nothing for my heart.’

‘Did you ever tell him why you didn’t want him in Newcastle?’ Sophie asked, curious.

‘Of course not!’

‘Well, then, you are making mountains out of molehills,’ Sophie argued. Her stepmother was right. Richard would have confided in her something so important as his mother living in Newcastle. ‘Think about the consequences if you had accused Richard of it.’

Privately she decided that when they returned from their wedding trip, she’d make an effort to find the woman and see if she wanted her son in her life. She knew that if either of her parents were alive, she’d want to see them. She loved her stepmother dearly, but it wasn’t the same. Her mother might have died when she was just a little girl, but she still had memories of her gentle hand on her brow and the way her rose scent hung about her. It would be a good thing to do, she decided, feeling virtuous. But until she discovered where his mother lived, she wouldn’t say.

‘You are right, my dear. It is no wonder that Richard decided to act so quickly. He knew a good thing when he saw it.’ Lord Hallington mopped his brow with a spotted handkerchief. His high colour had receded, but a sheen of sweat shone on his forehead. ‘What a blessing it is to have you in my family. I hope we can become good friends. I have longed for a daughter for … for a long time.’

‘I hope so as well.’ Sophie took a cautious sip of her tea while she glowed internally. She’d won Lord Hallington’s approval and her stepmother understood. Everything was going to be wonderful once Richard arrived. She put a hand to her throbbing head … if he arrived.

‘What is going on here?’ Richard asked from the doorway. Her heart did a crazy leap and she remembered how he’d kissed her so thoroughly last night. ‘Did no one think to invite me to the family party?’

Sophie gulped. Richard had arrived at precisely the wrong moment. ‘I was just explaining how we met.’

‘In Liverpool?’ His face seemed to be carved from stone, but his eyes flickered between her and his father.

Sophie stood up and linked her arm with his. ‘The true circumstances.’

The colour drained from Richard’s face. ‘Did you volunteer the information, Sophie?’

‘The nineteenth of March is your father’s birthday.’

‘I know when my father’s birthday is.’

‘The ship was launched on the nineteenth,’ Sophie explained evenly, willing him to understand the problem. ‘My stepmother noted it in her diary.’

‘But you said late March.’

‘In my world, the nineteenth is late March.’

Richard put a hand to his throbbing head. His quick visit to his mother and sister had turned into a disaster of epic proportions. His mother had flown into hysterics, making all sorts of wild accusations about his father and what he’d do to her and how Sophie was sure to be a she-devil. In the end, he had gone for the doctor, who sedated her with laudanum. Richard waited with a terrified Hannah until his mother slept and then had left for home.

All he had wanted to do was to sink deep inside Sophie and forget the trauma. He wanted to enjoy further awakening Sophie’s passionate nature and making her truly his own.

He had hopes that Sophie would have remained asleep while he was away, but she was nowhere to be seen and neither was there a note. The rooms were devoid of life. The pit of his stomach roiled. Abandoned again. Always. It hurt that he cared when she cared so little.

Luckily Myers had returned from shopping for the ingredients for his black boot polish and volunteered the information that Sophie and her maid had gone to her stepmother’s to get more clothes. Richard had not stopped to change his neckcloth, but had hurried off.

Now, rather than collecting Sophie and departing with all speed, he had to cope with more trauma—his father and Sophie’s confession. There had been no need to check the date of the Liverpool launch before. It hadn’t been important.

‘I hadn’t realised the launch was on the nineteenth,’ he admitted as evenly as he could. ‘The nineteenth is my father’s birthday. I always spend that day with my father.’

‘So Lord Hallington informed my stepmother. They were in midst of an argument about it when I arrived.’ Sophie held out her hands. Her blue eyes were wide and pleading. ‘You can see why I had to tell them. My stepmother thinks it very romantic what you did. Apparently it is just like in one of her novels.’

He was suddenly glad that Sophie knew nothing about his mother or Hannah. She would have been unable to resist telling his father and then all hell would have broken loose and Sophie would have been hurt, used as a pawn or worse. His parents were his burden, not Sophie’s. He had made her marry him. She had not asked for the craziness of his family.

He ran his hand through his hair and peered more closely at his father, searching for signs of his temper. One hysterical parent on the day after his wedding was enough, two were unthinkable. Against the odds, his father appeared happy with the situation, far happier than he’d seen his father in a long time.

‘You did admirably, my boy,’ his father said. ‘I can see why you decided to remain in the north, and why you married Sophie so quickly. You were always headstrong, but a good woman is hard to find.’

‘You approve?’

‘Yes, I approve!’ His father clapped his hands together. ‘I’m utterly impressed and astonished. Despite the unorthodox meeting and courtship, you managed to find the sort of woman I have always wanted for you. Your aunt as usual wrote a load of blathering nonsense. I should have guessed. No sense about pigs, none whatsoever about people!’

‘Then you won’t mind if I take my bride away now?’ Richard put a hand on Sophie’s shoulder and felt her flesh quiver under his fingers. Today could be redeemed. ‘We did only marry yesterday.’

‘We entirely understand,’ Mrs Ravel said with a beatific smile. ‘I was surprised to see Sophie here. I would have thought you’d depart on your wedding trip today. Sophie’s father took me to Paris and then to Venice.’

‘When do you leave for your wedding trip, Richard?’ his father asked.

Richard froze. This was his chance to get his father to leave without causing a scene or alarming Sophie.

‘Richard and I have decided to postpone the wedding trip so that you will have time to get to know me,’ Sophie said before he had uttered a word.

His father’s eyes widened. ‘I had no wish …’

‘But we do.’ Sophie darted forwards and gave his father a kiss on the cheek. ‘It will mean so much to both Richard and me. You are part of my family now. And you travelled on a train for the first time. Trains can be rather overwhelming. The noise, the dirt and the steam.’

Tears came into his father’s eyes. ‘Bless you, child. I will look into taking rooms. There is much to admire about this city. I haven’t been here since I was a young man. The pigs will have to do without me for a while. My new daughter requires me.’

Richard forced his jaw to relax. His father had never done that for him—put him ahead of the pigs. Sophie with her impulsive invitation had just closed the one bright hope in his life—that his father would leave Newcastle quickly. His father would now stay and his own problems had grown. Somehow he had to figure out how he was going to protect Sophie and keep her from being used as a pawn.

‘What do you think you were playing at, Sophie?’ Richard exploded the instant he shut their bedroom door. ‘Leaving like that! No note. Nothing.’

Sophie dropped her reticule on the ground. She had known something was wrong by his silence on the journey back and the way he’d marched into their bedroom. True, he’d been charming at her stepmother’s, but he had insisted they leave immediately after he’d finished his cup of tea, not even waiting for Jane and her dresses.

‘I don’t know what you are talking about.’ Sophie crossed her arms and readied for war. He’d been the one to be out when she awoke.

‘You failed to leave a note.’ He ran his hand through his hair. ‘I had no idea where you were when I returned.’

Sophie tapped her foot on the ground. All the hurt and anger from earlier rose within her. He dared to complain about her absence when he couldn’t be bothered to be there when she woke! She was the one who should be angry, not he. He should be on his knees in abject apology, rather than demanding explanations. ‘You also failed to leave a note. I had no idea where you were. I refuse to wait around in rented rooms, hoping you might put in an appearance before nightfall.’

His mouth twisted. ‘You decided to serve me back?’

‘No, I let Myers know where I was and when I expected to return.’ Sophie stuck her chin in the air. ‘I needed my dresses which button down the front. I refuse to be stuck somewhere naked simply because all my clothing requires the assistance of a lady’s maid.’

She waited for him to accept the truth.

He glared at her. ‘Did you have to tell my father about how we met?’

‘I had little choice.’ Sophie met his gaze with a furious one of her own. ‘I could hardly lie to him. You saw how it was. Undone by a date. It had to come out sooner or later. The truth always does. My stepmother took it very well and your father as well.’

‘Who else will learn of the truth?’

Sophie rolled her eyes. ‘I suspect I shall have to tell Robert and Henri. My stepmother is sure to tell them in any case. They and their children are like family.’

‘Shall I take a notice out in The Times?’ he enquired in a cutting voice. ‘It will save time.’

‘Once you meet Robert and Henri, you will love them.’

‘I prefer to make my own judgement about people. You swore only a few days ago that this Robert of yours would find fault with me and my suit.’

‘Yes, but we are married now.’ Sophie pressed her hands against her temples. She had only said that when she had been certain he had no desire to marry her. Everything had changed. ‘It no longer signifies. They know what society demands when people are compromised. Ultimately, all they want is to see me happy. They will be delighted that you did the right thing.’

He reached out to her, but she ignored it and stood there with crossed arms. She refused to ask him where he’d been. He should tell her and explain why he had left her for so long this morning.

‘This is all wrong.’ He reached out again and pulled her into his arms. He rested his chin on the top of her head. ‘That’s better. You were too far away. Can we start today over, please? I missed you more than I thought I would.’

‘I would like that,’ she said. Being in his arms made everything better. He’d missed her or perhaps just her body. It had to be enough. She would make him proud of her accomplishments. She’d show him how truly worthy she was and he’d start to truly care for her. He might not love her now, but she could make love grow … if she had enough time.

‘I didn’t expect to see your father,’ she said, concentrating on his waistcoat rather than looking him in the face. ‘My dark-rose gown has easier buttons and requires no crinoline. Jane wants my wardrobe to be fit for a peeress, but I’d rather be able to dress myself. Surely both can be managed?’

‘I like your way of thinking, Lady Bingfield.’ Richard’s eyes glowed with appreciation as he ran his hands down her back.

They had that, Sophie realised. They desired each other. It would have to be enough to build her marriage on. She couldn’t suddenly wish for undying love when he had never pretended more than desire. She had to hope his feelings for her would grow. Right now, his touch was wakening the ache in her middle.

She gave her mouth up to his mind-numbing kiss. When he kissed her, she knew everything would be right with the world.

Much later when they lay in bed together, Sophie’s head against Richard’s chest and her body faintly throbbing, she glanced up at his face and he seemed to be far away, concentrating on the bedpost rather than on her face.

‘You haven’t heard a word I said.’

He placed an absentminded kiss on her hair. ‘Was it important?’

She shook her head. Her question about his childhood could wait. ‘What were you thinking about?’

He put his hands behind his head. ‘My father took the truth about our meeting well though. Better than I had hoped. It was a simplistic, but fatal error. I never thought about his birthday.’

She ran her hand down his chest. ‘We had different expectations when we decided the story.’

‘I could tell he likes you.’ His hand stroked her hair. ‘He does have excellent taste if you can get him to talk about something more than pigs.’

‘You did want him to stay. He seemed sad earlier. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.’ Sophie shook her head. Now was not the time to bring up the intelligence about his mother. Not after their quarrel had just mended. She had hated how her insides felt during their last one.

‘You were completely right. I was being selfish. I wanted to start our wedding trip as soon as possible and didn’t think my father would want to stay as he normally hates being away from his beloved pigs.’

‘He puts his son above his pigs.’

‘I live in hope, rather than expectation.’ He gave a pained smile. ‘Thank you for putting duty before pleasure. We will go once my father decides to depart, but it won’t be long before the pigs need his attention. I want a proper wedding trip with you this summer. I positively insist on it.’

‘We are still together and we will get to the Alps this summer.’ She placed a kiss on his chin. ‘I’m looking forward to painting you properly. A sunlit Alpine meadow will be the perfect backdrop.’

‘Shall I be naked?’

‘Richard!’

His eyes danced and he ran a hand down her flank. ‘I keep forgetting how truly innocent you are, Sophie. Only if you desire it. Otherwise, I shall sit very still, dressed in my best hat, coat and trousers while you paint. The very proper husband for my Lady Bingfield to paint.’

Truly innocent. Sophie’s heart gave a little pang. She should never forget how experienced he was. He was used to women who knew how to do all sorts of things. The cruel words Sebastian had shouted through the keyhole circled around her brain—Men tire of innocence very quickly. How could she ever hope to hold Richard, if she remained innocent? How could she hope to keep him from being bored? She wanted to use the desire to bring finer feelings to the marriage. She had to show him that she was worthy of taking her place beside him, so that he wouldn’t regret his impulsive act of honour.

‘Sophie? You appear awfully serious? Is something wrong? You have forgiven me, haven’t you? I won’t allow you to wake up without me again. I promise. I had no idea that it would upset you so.’

She pushed her doubts away. In Richard’s arms, everything was perfect. ‘Nothing is wrong. How could it be with you here?’