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‘Perhaps, but since Antoine and I left home I have seen much of relationships between men and women, and I am not convinced marriage is to my benefit. A man stands to gains much whereas a woman loses everything.’
‘Not if she marries the right man,’ Lavinia said.
‘But she will not know if he is the right man until after she’s married him,’ Sophie said. ‘And then it is too late. Besides, what gentleman of good family is going to want someone like me? A farmer’s daughter, from Bayencourt?’
‘Rubbish! You no more resemble a farmer’s daughter than I do a tinker! ’ Nicholas said. ‘You are an astonishingly beautiful young woman who carries herself like a duchess, and who speaks the King’s English with a slight, albeit charming accent. I cannot think of any man who would not be proud to have you by his side.’
‘There, Sophie, did I not tell you?’ Antoine said. ‘If you gained nothing else from your employment with Mrs Grant-Ogilvy—’
‘Good Lord. Constance Grant-Ogilvy?’ Lavinia interrupted in surprise.
Sophie sucked in her breath. Mère de Dieu, she had begged Antoine not to mention that woman’s name. ‘Yes. Do you … know her?’
‘Not personally, but I understand she is a woman of high moral character and an absolute stickler for propriety. You could not have had a better teacher in the arts of being a lady.’
The moment passed—and Sophie breathed again. ‘Nevertheless, I am not a lady and I did not come to London looking for a husband.’ She turned to Nicholas. ‘I came to see you. And to meet Lavinia.’
‘Yes, well, why don’t we talk about all this in the morning?’ Nicholas said. ‘After you’ve had a chance to settle in.’ He glanced at his wife, seeking support. ‘What do you think, my dear?’
‘I think that’s a good idea,’ Lavinia said slowly, ‘but we probably owe Sophie an apology as well.’
Sophie blinked. ‘An apology?’
‘It was never our intention to make you uncomfortable, my dear. We simply thought that if you wished to be married, we might be able to provide you with a better opportunity to do so. However, if that is not the case, will you not at least stay and give us a chance to get to know you? We have both waited a long time to say thank you.’
Sophie began to smile. ‘And I have waited a long time to see Nicholas well again. But the final say must be Antoine’s. He has been as much guardian as brother to me these past three years and I could not stay if he was not easy with the decision.’
‘Well, Antoine,’ Lavinia said, ‘what do you say?’
Antoine drew a deep breath. ‘En vérité, je ne sais pas. It seems … so much to ask. A great imposition on you both—’
‘Then let me tell you one more thing,’ Nicholas said quietly. ‘My memory of Sophie was of a child. A golden-haired angel who appeared to me through a nightmarish haze of darkness and pain. I really had no idea how old she was and in bringing her here now, I thought to give her whatever a child her age might like. But the young lady who stepped down from the carriage is not a little girl who hankers after sandcastles by the sea. She is beautiful young woman with a mind of her own, and more than anything, we would like to get to know her better. All you have to do is say yes.’
Antoine was quiet for a long time, longer than Sophie expected. To her, the question was straightforward, the answer, simple. ‘You have concerns about leaving me here, Antoine?’ she asked at length.
‘No, not really,’ Antoine said finally. ‘I admit, it wasn’t what I had in mind, but as Nicholas pointed out, I have neither the financial wherewithal nor the social connections to make life better for you. And given that I would like to see you married—’
‘Antoine—!’
‘Soyez patient, Sophie. You and I have had this conversation before. I too believe that marriage is the only respectable occupation for a woman, and your chances of making a good marriage here are far better than they would be in France. As to marrying an Englishman … well, that decision must be yours. But if you would like to stay with Nicholas and Lavinia, I won’t stand in your way.’
‘Please stay with us, Sophie,’ Lavinia said. ‘It would make us both so very happy.’
Sophie looked at the three people in the room and realised that for the second time in three years, her life was about to change—but this time it would be a change for the better. In the company of Nicholas and Lavinia, she would be able to explore London and all it had to offer. She would have access to good books and fine music, perhaps have conversations about subjects that had always been of interest to her. And if her time in London culminated with a proposal of marriage, she could always say no. But the chance to get to know these two dear people might never come again.
‘Yes, I would like to stay,’ Sophie said firmly. ‘And, if possible, I would like Antoine to stay as well.’
‘Sophie! C’est trop demandez!‘
‘No, it’s not too much to ask at all,’ Lavinia said quickly. ‘We simply thought you would be anxious to return to France.’
‘Which, of course, I must or Monsieur Larocque will look for someone to take my place.’
‘But surely a few more days won’t make that much of a difference,’ Nicholas said. ‘There are people here who would like to meet you. Friends, who know what you did and who would be proud to make your acquaintance.’
‘Why not stay with us for a week?’ Lavinia suggested. ‘Nicholas and I will be attending a ball tomorrow evening and we would be delighted to have you come with us. It will be the perfect opportunity to introduce you and Sophie to society.’
Antoine frowned. ‘If I stay, it will not be with a view to entering English society.’
‘Then come for the sport,’ Nicholas said. ‘Lord Bruxton plays an excellent game of billiards. I can promise you some stiff competition if you’re up for it.’
‘Antoine is actually quite good,’ Sophie said, knowing her brother would always downplay his abilities. ‘Monsieur Larocque often invites him to play.’ She got up and crossed to his side. ‘Please say you will stay, Antoine. It will give you a chance to practise your game before you play Monsieur Larocque again. And I would enjoy seeing les dames anglaises swooning over you.’
Antoine snorted. ‘They will surely have more sense than that. But, if it will make you happy, I will stay—but only for a week. Then I must go back.’
It was good enough for Sophie. She didn’t care if it was Nicholas’s persuasiveness or her own pleas that had finally convinced her brother to change his mind. All that mattered was that he was to stay in London for a week—and that she was to stay for at least a month. After such an auspicious start, how could she look upon this as anything but the possible start of a new and memorable chapter in both their lives?
Robert Silverton was not in a good mood as the carriage made its way from Portman Square to Mayfair. Not only because he had no desire to spend an evening being given the cold shoulder by a large number of the three hundred guests Lady Bruxton would have surely invited to her petite soirée, but because of what he had heard at his club just that afternoon.
It seemed that despite having told Montague Oberon he had no intention of participating in his ridiculous wager, the man had gone ahead and set it up regardless. Now he and several of Oberon’s more disreputable friends were engaged in a race to establish the most beautiful woman in London as their mistress.
‘I shouldn’t worry about it,’ said his sister, Jane, from the seat opposite. ‘You need only strike your name from the book and in a few days it will all be forgotten. It seems a silly thing upon which to wager.’
‘It is, but Oberon lives to gamble and when the topic of—’ Robert shot her a wry glance ‘—that is, when talk veered in that direction, he couldn’t resist putting forward this preposterous wager.’
He watched her lips compress, knew she wanted to laugh. ‘You needn’t pussyfoot around the subject with me, Robert, I am well aware that most men keep mistresses. What do you think those old tabbies talk about while they are watching their young charges pirouette about the ballrooms of society?’
‘How prettily they dance?’
‘Not for a moment. They gossip about which gentlemen are having affairs, and about which married ladies are in love with other women’s husbands. How do you think I found out about Lady Andrews and Jeremy West?’
‘Yes, I did wonder about that,’ Robert murmured. ‘But it is hardly the kind of information an unmarried lady should be privy to.’
‘Oh, my dear Robert, you have no idea how much scandalous information I am privy to. It is one of the highlights of my sad little life. But seriously, you must stop worrying about me all the time. You’ve done little else since Mama died and it really isn’t fair. You should be out there looking for a wife.’
‘Need I remind you that I was briefly engaged to Lady Mary Kelsey?’ Robert said. ‘And that as a result, my name has now been struck from the list of eligible bachelors.’
‘Then why are we going to Lady Bruxton’s tonight?’
‘Because you still need to be exposed to good society and Lady Bruxton was kind enough to invite us both, despite my shoddy reputation.’
Jane wrinkled her nose. ‘I don’t care what anyone says, you were right to break off your engagement. Life would have been very unpleasant for both of us had you gone ahead and married Lady Mary. I know she didn’t like me.’ She was silent for a moment, but when she spoke again, there was a delightful wickedness in her voice. ‘I’ll wager Mr Oberon would never consider me in the running for the most beautiful ladybird in London.’
‘I should damn well hope not! Apart from your being a respectable young woman, I cannot imagine you married to a man like Oberon.’
‘Why not? When his father dies, Monty becomes a very rich young man. The list of ladies wishing to be his wife or his mistress will stretch long, of that you can be sure.’
‘And I pity every one of them,’ Robert said, suddenly reminded of the French girl he’d seen at the Black Swan Inn. A girl whose beautiful face lingered in the shadows of his mind. He hadn’t seen her or her brother again after taking his leave of them that night, but he hadn’t forgotten her—and neither had Oberon. He’d talked about nothing else the entire way back to London.
‘Well, let’s hope there will be a few new faces at Lady Bruxton’s tonight,’ Jane said. ‘Otherwise, I shall be forced to marry a blind man who falls in love with the sound of my voice and does not mind that I hobble on the way to the drawing room.’
‘You will marry a man who loves you despite the fact you hobble,’ Robert informed her with amusement. ‘And I have every confidence this will be the year you find him.’
‘Goodness, such unwavering belief in my ability.’
‘Do you not share it?’
‘I would like to, but I fear Tykhe has chosen to bestow her favours elsewhere.’
‘Then we shall seek our own good fortune,’ Robert said boldly. ‘Thumb our noses at the Fates.’
‘Oh, no, we must never do that,’ Jane said, laughing. ‘Unless we wish to bring their wrath down upon our heads.’
‘Nothing of the sort,’ Robert said. ‘But we have endured more than our fair share of bad luck, Jane. It is time the gods smiled favourably upon us for a change.’
Sophie recognised him the moment he walked into the room. Though he was far more elegantly attired than on the occasion of their first meeting, there was no mistaking the confidence in his stride or his ruggedly handsome features. He stood tall and proud, his dark hair gleaming in the candlelight, and though several women turned to look at him as he passed, his warmest smile was reserved for the young woman at his side. A slender lady wearing green and who walked with a cane in her hand. ‘I know that gentleman,’ Sophie said.
Lavinia’s dark brows rose in surprise. ‘Which one?’
‘The tall one who just came in. Silverton, I believe his name is.’
‘Yes. Robert Silverton. And that is his sister, Jane. Where do you know him from?’
‘The Black Swan Inn. He and another gentleman were there the evening we landed.’
Sophie had purposely made no mention of the events that had taken place at the inn. Nicholas would have been furious that his arrangements had fallen through, and Lavinia would have been horrified at the thought of a lovers’ quarrel erupting into gunfire in the courtyard. But with Mr Silverton in the room and the prospect of an encounter likely, Sophie thought it best to mention that the two of them had spoken. ‘I would not have thought them brother and sister. The resemblance is not strong.’
‘No. Robert tends to follow his father’s side while Jane gets her fair hair and delicate colouring from her mother’s. But they come from a very good family. Their father was knighted for services to the Crown, and their mother was the youngest daughter of a baronet,’ Lavinia said. ‘Sadly, their deaths kept Robert and Jane out of society for many years.’
‘Neither of them is married?’
‘No. Jane was injured in a carriage accident as a child and does not go about much. You see how she limps. As for Mr Silverton, I regret to say he is out of favour with society at the moment.’
Sophie frowned. ‘Out of favour?’
Lavinia glanced around, and then lowered her voice. ‘About six weeks ago, Mr Silverton asked a young lady to marry him. She accepted and wedding plans got underway. Then, a few weeks later, he broke it off without a word of explanation to anyone. Naturally the lady was terribly upset and said some very harsh things about him in public. After all, it’s one thing for a lady to change her mind, but quite another for a gentleman. As a result, no self-respecting mother will allow her daughter anywhere near Mr Silverton, and many doors have been closed in his face. I’m surprised he’s here tonight.’
Sophie watched the good-looking brother and sister move through the crowd and noticed that while some of the guests offered them a reserved smile, others ignored them completely. ‘It seems a very harsh treatment,’ she said. ‘He must have had a good reason for breaking the engagement off.’
‘I’m sure he did,’ Lavinia agreed. ‘But a gentleman simply doesn’t do things like that. And the fact he won’t say why he did it has hurt him irreparably. Lady Mary is telling her own version of the story and it is not kind. Even Jane has suffered for it.’
Sophie switched her attention to the sister. A truly lovely young woman, Jane Silverton stood a good head shorter than her brother and looked to be fairly delicate. And though the smile on her lips was cheery, the paleness of her cheeks told another story. ‘I should like to meet her. I think it’s cruel that she be shunned for something her brother did.’
‘That’s very kind of you, dear.’
‘I just try to put myself in her place,’ Sophie said, for in truth, she had been in Jane Silverton’s place once, though not for the same reasons. ‘And you should know that while Mr Silverton and I did have a conversation that night, we were not formally introduced. He may not even remember who I am.’
‘Well, he’ll remember you after tonight,’ Lavinia said, discreetly raising her hand to attract the couple’s attention. ‘Madame Delors surpassed even my expectations with that gown. You are easily one of the most beautiful women in the room.’
While Sophie took leave to disagree with the latter part of Lavinia’s statement, she couldn’t deny that the gown of cream-coloured lace over a gold satin slip was the most glorious thing she had ever seen. Cut outrageously low in the front, it displayed a rather alarming amount of skin—which had prompted her to stitch a wide band of lace inset with pearls and tiny satin roses into the neckline—and from a raised waist, the skirt fell in elegant folds to the floor. Delicate slippers of soft kid leather, cream-coloured elbow-length gloves, and a spray of cream-and-pink roses in her hair put the finishing touches on what Sophie could only think to call a truly magnificent ensemble.
Even so, she doubted it would be enough to thaw Mr Silverton’s chilly reserve.
‘Mr Silverton, Jane, how lovely to see you again,’ Lavinia said when the pair finally managed to reach them. ‘Allow me to introduce a very dear friend of mine, Miss Sophie Vallois. Sophie, this is Miss Jane Silverton and her brother, Mr Robert Silverton.’
‘How lovely to meet you, Miss Vallois,’ Jane said. ‘Or should I say, enchantée?’
The girl’s voice was as delightful as her sparkling green eyes and Sophie found it hard to believe that any gentleman would find her lacking. ‘How do you do, Miss Silverton,’ she replied, before adding more diffidently to her brother, ‘Mr Silverton.’
‘Miss Vallois.’ He briefly inclined his head. ‘We meet again.’
So, he wasn’t about to pretend ignorance of their first encounter. She awarded him a point for honesty. ‘I didn’t think you would remember.’
His deep brown eyes were steady on hers. ‘On the contrary, I am unlikely to forget.’
‘Sophie informs me the two of you met at the Black Swan Inn,’ Lavinia said.
‘Saying we met would not be entirely correct,’ Mr Silverton said. ‘We were brought together by circumstances less than conducive to pleasant socialising and parted soon after.’
‘Then how fortunate you should both end up here tonight in order that the formalities might be observed.’
The gentleman inclined his head. ‘As you say.’
‘Is your husband not with you this evening, Lady Longworth?’ Miss Silverton asked.
‘Yes, but he and Sophie’s brother just left to play billiards with Lord Bruxton. Apparently they are all quite mad for the game.’
‘Your brother plays billiards?’ Mr Silverton asked Sophie in surprise.
‘When he has a chance, yes.’
‘I thought the study of medicine was an all-consuming passion.’
Sophie raised her eyes to his, daring him to disagree. ‘A man must take some time away from his studies, lest he become too weary to absorb anything new. Even God rested on the seventh day.’
Was that a hint of a smile? ‘A lofty comparison.’
‘But fitting under the circumstances. I admire anyone who has the determination to strive for something they truly believe in.’
‘And I have always been impressed by people who choose to help others in such a way,’ Jane spoke up. ‘But tell me, how did the four of you meet?’
‘Through my husband,’ Lavinia said easily. ‘Nicholas and Antoine met in France several years ago, and we finally persuaded him to come to London and to bring Sophie with him. Unfortunately, Antoine must shortly return home, but Sophie is to stay with us until the end of the Season.’
‘Oh, how wonderful!’ Jane said happily. ‘Then you must pay us a visit while you are here, Miss Vallois. We will have petit fours, and speak French, and you can tell me all about the latest fashions from Paris. J’adore la mode française. Have you seen much of London?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Then why not join us tomorrow afternoon? Robert has promised to take me for a drive around Hyde Park. It would be lovely if you and your brother could come too.’
