There is a reason I never fell for you… Phillip
CHAPTER 10
“Good Lord, please tell me that I am dreaming and that I can wake up from this nightmare!” Sophie did indeed look faint. Eden eyed her curiously, perhaps her friend was increasing. Pregnant women always tended to be dramatic, or at least it seemed so to Eden, and Sophie was carrying on as if Eden had done something terrible.
They were to have a Bluebells meeting in half an hour, and Eden just could not wait to share her exciting news with her best friend. Indeed, Eden wished to share her newfound knowledge with all her fellow Bluebells.
“Over my dead body!” Sophie declared, with a look of true horror.
“I hate to say it, dearest, but you are acting a tad like my mother.”
They both shuddered a bit.
“Eden, you cannot carry on thus. It is one thing to have a bit of carnal knowledge to even the playing field with a gentleman. It is quite another to frolic and play with the biggest rake in London while throwing discretion and sense completely out of the window. You do not understand how much this will affect you. He will ruin you.”
Eden rolled her eyes, “What does that truly mean, anyway? I know that for some they must marry to survive. But think about it, Sophie. I have my inheritance from my godmother. I have more than enough to live off, and despite however angry my parents might get at me, they can never touch it. My father barely knows I am alive, and my mother sees me is a blight on existence.”
Sophie sighed, “She does love you, Edie, in her own way. She is just too self-absorbed to be a good mother.”
“Regardless, the only other person I care about is you. Would you write me off if I fell from grace?” Eden grabbed Sophie’s hands, searching her face for answers.
Sophie shook her head vehemently, “Never, Edie, I could never do that. But what if there was a child? What if you were banished from town, and I couldn’t see you very often? What if your father married you off to some horrible wretch that beat you?”
Eden’s lips turned down, “Why are you making this all out to be so terrible? I was so very excited, and now I am fearful and confused.”
Sophie put her arm around her friend, “Because I love you, because you are like a sister to me, because I know that when my world was falling apart, you moved heaven and earth to make it right again. I cannot let you destroy your life, Edie.”
“So, what do I do now?” Eden moped.
“You leave that up to me,” Sophie smiled grimly. “Please carry on with the meeting. Give my love to the girls, but let them know that I could not attend today’s event, and do not, for anything, tell them what you have been up to. I will try and straighten this mess out and be back later this afternoon.”
Eden nodded reluctantly and bid her friend farewell.
*****
The marquis was more than surprised to have a visitor that afternoon, and especially the wife of his rather elusive friend Elias.
“Why, Sophie, I do believe that marriage agrees with you.” Phillip met her with both hands extended. She allowed him to place a small chaste kiss on her brow before moving away to the opposing chair in his study.
“To what do I owe this immense pleasure?” he grinned. “And if you wouldn’t mind my asking, where the devil is that husband of yours?”
A true smile flitted across her face, “Oh, Randall, it has been too long. You are good for the soul. Or at least you can be some of the time, when you are not vexing me. Elias is here and there. I am certain that if he wished to be found, you would have seen him.”
Phillip shook his head, “Oh, there is a reason I never fell for you, Sophie.”
“Was it because I have been madly in love with Elias for the past four years?” she said dryly.
His eyes lit with amusement, “That is part of it, but I would say it was mostly that maddening quality you have of practicality in all things. I am assuming I am being brought to task?”
“Of course, you are!” she sat up straighter. “You are to leave Eden alone.”
“No,” he replied.
“No?” she was confused.
“Yes,” he started to smile. “The answer is ‘No.’”
“I do not understand you—stupid man,” Sophie was getting rather irritated. “I want you to leave her alone!”
“Yes, you have been very clear on that,” he laughed aloud. “You should see your face!”
Sophie stood in a huff, “I… I am going to tell Elias!”
That made Phillip throw his head back in deep rumbles of laughter. Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes, which only made her angrier. Phillip was certain he was going to see steam leaving her ears next.
“You do that!” he encouraged, “and be sure to tell him that I am looking for him as well!”
“You, sir, are a rake and a scoundrel!” Sophie spat at him.
But nothing she could say or do would stop his laughter - it only encouraged him. So, she turned on her heels and left, slamming the door.
It was just then that the Dowager Marchioness encountered her, “Baroness Mangrove, how lovely to see you.”
Sophie tried to compose herself, “Yes, it is lovely to see you, Lady Lancaster.”
The Dowager motioned to the shut door of Phillip’s study, “Was all of that ruckus coming from in there?”
Sophie gave up all pretense, “Your son is a cad. He intends to ravish my best friend. I just know it!”
But rather than look horrified, the Dowager looked rather intrigued, “You do not say. Who is your best friend?
Sophie frowned, “This is not a good thing.”
The Dowager frowned immediately, “Of course not, I shall speak with him immediately, but I shall need a name first.”
Sophie’s brow cleared, and she looked as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “Oh, I would very much appreciate it. It is just that she is such a lovely girl, and I do not think that she realizes how very wonderful that she is. I do not want Randall to destroy her.”
The dowager frowned, “Is my son that bad?”
“The first time I met him was in a dress shop, when he made me wait hours while he had his mistress outfitted in the latest Paris fashions. If that weren’t bad enough, I later learned that the fashions were mostly ladies’ undergarments.”
A light flush rose on the Dowager’s cheeks, “I can see that he has much to atone for. Thank you for this enlightening conversation. I will make sure that your friend does not come to any harm.”
Sophie thanked Randall’s mother again and then turned to leave. It was only as she descended the stairs that she was halted one last time by the Dowager.
“Baroness?”
Sophie turned, “Yes, Lady Lancaster.”
“Thank you for sending for me before it was too late.”
Sophie’s color leached from her face, “How did you know it was me?”
“I didn’t really,” the dowager winked, “until now.”
“Are you angry?” Sophie’s face was grim.
“Never,” the dowager looked away for a moment before glancing back at her. “I spent way too long grieving in the country. I ignored the living and almost lost my son. I truly mean what I said. Thank you for sending for me before it was too late.”
Sophie gave her a small smile, “Then you are truly welcome, Lady Lancaster.”
As Sophie was escorted out of the house, Joseph couldn’t help but wonder if the day's events had changed anything. He hurriedly went back to the Dowager’s sitting room and for the briefest moment watched her as she stared out of the window into nothingness.
Her hair was still rich golden brown, with very few threads of silver. Her eyes were every bit as lovely and expressive as her two youthful daughters’ eyes. Her figure was where she differed. Because where the girls were tiny, still developing really, the dowager was all woman.
Joseph knew that it was beyond cliché to lust after the master’s wife, even if the master had passed on and she was now the master’s mother. But Joseph had taken one look at Evangeline fifteen years ago and had known that she was the one that his heart had been made for. It was silly, he knew. It would never go anywhere or come to anything. There were months and even years sometimes when he didn’t see her. But he loved her just the same.
“Are you going to stand there all day, Joseph?”
Her voice startled him, “I had planned on it, milady.”
Her amused twitch of lips betrayed her.
“Well, then, by all means, carry on.” She went back to staring out the window.
“I cannot. Because now that I know you are aware, it becomes rather stalker -like,” Joseph entered and bowed. “Milady, I did not mean to interrupt. Please, forgive me.”
She smiled shyly then, and his heart seized for a moment. Did she have any idea how bloody beautiful she was?
“No harm done, Joseph.”
“Are you staying with the current plan even after your talk with Lady Mangrove?”
She nodded slowly, “I would say even more so. The fact that she is so worried leads me to believe that he is really interested in Eden. I know my son. He would never hurt an innocent, nor would ruin a girl’s reputation. If anything happens, he would marry her. We follow the course.”
“As you wish, then,” he went to leave, but something in her eye caught his: a fire that he hadn’t seen before. Perhaps he had just wished it there?
Please, let this not be the case.