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“Peregrine did not desire our match?”
“Perry did not desire any match. He is not a … relationship person. He is having difficulty understanding why I set my current course, but I am hoping in due time he will realize the advantages of clean living and healthy kinship. We never experienced a proper family because my mother passed away when he was just a few years old and my father … was … um … not a family man. Even I hardly remembered my mother until you said … what you said on the terrace. I hope between the two of us we might influence him over the coming months.”
Sophia perked up at the thought of a second challenge. The truth was, she was rather bored living with the Abbott family. They were all so even-tempered and moderate. No one ever needed her help. Growing up with her parents, she had been needed, especially by her mother, who would grow quite despondent during her father’s long, unexplained absences. Sophia had made it her mission to cheer her sorrowful mama by bringing her gifts, such as handpicked flowers, and reading to her novels or poetry. Sophia missed the sense of purpose she had experienced as a child to lift everyone’s spirits and bring the family together.
The Balfour family needed her, and she could not deny the rush of resolve and intention that filled her at the thought of assisting her new family. To be sure, the idle life of a viscount’s ward and heiress had bored her since she had completed her schooling and found herself with nothing to do but prepare for social events. And read, of course.
Now Richard was offering her not just a chance to manage her own household, but to bring his family together. What a delightful challenge to fill her days with a sense of responsibility once more.
“I would like that.”
Richard looked surprised for a moment, then grinned. “You are an exceptional woman, Sophia Balfour.”
He grabbed the hand resting beside her plate and brought it up to his lips to press a soft kiss to her fingers, the contact sending a fissure of warmth up her arm. “I am glad to hear that because I insisted Perry continue to reside at Balfour Terrace. He shouldn’t feel displaced by our marriage. I did not know if you would object to his presence.”
Sophia shook her head. “I look forward to learning about Perry … and … you.”
“Then you shall. But today you will only learn about me. Once this breakfast is over, I plan to spend the day alone with you. I have a surprise for the moment your family departs.”
Sophia experienced a rush of pleasure at his words. Richard was taking their marriage seriously, and it felt validating to be the focus of a handsome and fascinating man. Suddenly, she wanted the breakfast to be over so she could be alone with … with herhusband. She restrained a sudden desire to fan herself at the thought of being alone with a man who was not her direct relation for the very first time. Would he be in a hurry to bed her, or did he have other plans?
CHAPTER7
Two hours later, Richard ushered her out of his—their—townhouse to a waiting curricle with a matching pair of chestnut bays swishing their tails in the crisp spring air.
“What is this?” she queried in a breathy voice. She smoothed her pelisse and the ribbons of her bonnet, nervous about her first time in an open-air vehicle. She had never gone driving with a beau, having avoided courtship for so many years, and a thrill of excitement ran through her that she was to do so now with her handsome husband by her side. Although, anyone who saw them together in the curricle would likely assume he was merely courting her with this traditional method, for a drive in an open-air carriage did not require a chaperone. To her knowledge, the gossips were not yet aware of their unexpected union.
Richard turned to her. “I never had a chance to woo you. With how events transpired, I feel I owe you a courtship, which will be even better now that we are wed and do not require a chaperone. Shall we get to know each other?”
Sophia was dumbstruck. It was so … so thoughtful. A shy smile spread across her face, and she nodded. Richard lifted her into the carriage while the tiger in his knee-length coat stood politely looking away while holding the team. Once Richard walked to the other side and embarked to take hold of the reins, the servant moved to the back and mounted the rumble, causing the curricle to shift into a new position. She gasped slightly at the shift of balance, shooting a hand out to grab the edge of her seat. The lightweight curricle was a very different experience from the large family coach she was accustomed to.
Richard shot her an encouraging grin, then deftly guided the horses into motion. Soon they were driving through the light traffic in Mayfair. When they entered a congested street into Berkeley Square, she realized where they were heading. Although she had never desired a courtship before this strange turn of events, suddenly she felt giddy with delight.
“You are taking me to Gunter’s?” she exclaimed.
Richard smiled as he continued to drive the horses patiently through the square, heading for a line of trees and railings where several curricles and phaetons were parked. Ladies perched in their shaded seats, while a number of foppish lords leaned idly against the railings and observed the square.
“I have never been!”
Richard turned his head in surprise, before straightening to look back at the street he was navigating. “Never?”
“Lady Moreland receives visits, and she pays calls on her friends, but she rarely goes out in public. Mostly we go to the modiste, the haberdashery, and occasionally the theatre or opera. My cousin and I are sometimes allowed out with servants in accompaniment, but we always use the opportunity to go straight to the bookshops. Which is to say, I have passed by this square, but I have never stopped here.”
Richard appeared pleased at this news. “I have chosen well, then. Every lady should visit Gunter’s before she weds, but at least we got you here before—” He stopped, then lifted a hand to rub his neck in slight embarrassment.Before our wedding night, she supposed was the end of that sentence, experiencing a quiver of delight that he anticipated the evening.
Richard brought the curricle to a stop by the trees. The tiger descended from the rumble and came forward to help place the carriage under a large tree, the branches of which extended out to provide welcome shade from the midafternoon sun. Then the servant moved a respectful distance away to lean against a tree far apart from the patrons of Gunter’s.
To her surprise, Richard remained seated and did not disembark to go stand with the other lords, who were staring at them with curiosity. She recalled, from the various gossip between her aunt and her friends, that he had not openly courted any woman before, although he had been hunting for a wife for several Seasons. There had been a rumor that he had been jilted by the daughter of a baron in Somerset, but that must have been two Seasons earlier, if recollection served, and no other woman was rumored to have caught his eye. She wondered briefly about the broken betrothal. It was likely that his philandering might be the cause of the rift, considering that his crusade to redeem his honor had just begun, according to him, the night of the Astley ball when he overheard her criticism. The woman in question had purportedly wedded Richard’s cousin, the Duke of Halmesbury, in his stead.Should I ask him about it?No, she decided. This was a day of courtship, not the time to discuss difficult topics.
“You are the first woman I have brought to Gunter’s.” Richard leaned in to inform her. “We may raise some eyebrows, and gossip that I am courting you will run rife throughout the day until news of our wedding gets out. As far as these gentlemen know, this is merely an outing with an eligible young woman.”
Sophia giggled. The gossips would get their conjecture wrong today.
“How does this work, then?”
“A server will come out to take our order for ices, then bring them out to us. We will eat them, return the dishes, and when you are ready, I have another destination in mind.”
“And you will not join the lords over by the railings?”
