Chapter 18

Sophie could not contain her excitement for the day that lay ahead. The moment that she had been given the invitation to the Harrington home for a picnic and a day of games, she had been thrilled. Mostly because if this was happening in the Harrington home, then George was bound to be there, even if it was Gregory who was hosting the event.

Finally, she would be able to see him, to talk to him, and to make sure that he truly was alright. She could not wait to lay eyes on him once more.

Much as she was still a little worried about how he was feeling when it came to her, she still wanted to see him. She figured it would be easier to work out, face to face. To see his expressions as they talked and to watch him smile and laugh as they spoke. She always felt warm around him—safe too—which helped her heart to race and gave her that pleasant feeling she had become utterly addicted to.

As she got herself dressed in a floral-patterned day dress, Sophie could feel the intensity of her pulse racing. She might not have been familiar with English lawn games, but her father had reassured her that she would be able to pick them up easily enough. He had even stated that a lot of them were similar to games she had played in Sweden, so she should not worry.

Even if she did not join in with any games, she was excited to share a picnic with everyone. To talk and gossip with her newfound English friends, who would likely help her along the way if she truly did struggle. Katherine and Victoria had quickly become some of her favorite people in the whole world.

"Sophie," her mother called up the stairs, just as Lily finished tying a pretty white bow in her hair. "The carriage is here and waiting for us."

She smiled to herself, noting the way that her eyes sparkled in the reflection. There was an intense bubble of excitement dancing in the pit of her stomach; she simply had a feeling that today was going to be one of the most thrilling of her life so far. She just hoped that she was not getting too carried away with herself, hoping for too much. Lost in her daydreams and fantasies.

"Coming," she called back as she raced out of her bed chambers. "I am on the way."

Her parents waited for her at the bottom of the stairs, also in fine attire. They had also been invited to the Harrington household today, but it was unlikely that they would be partaking in the lawn games. Her father had already let her know that they would be drinking brandy and talking business. It would be more of a chaperone role than anything else.

"You look lovely," her mother commented with a smile. "Come on, let us leave now. We do not wish to be late."

The carriage took them over the cobblestones of London towards the Harrington home. Sophie found herself barely able to sit still as they traveled because her mind was all over the place. All the dreams and fantasies that she had been having about George came flooding to the surface. Especially the dreams about them on their own little adventure through life together, starting on a boat.

"It shall be nice to see Lord Harrington again," her mother commented with a sly smile.

"I thought it was his brother, the new viscount, running this event?" Sophie's father jumped in.

She watched as her mother nudged him in the side. "Yes, but I am sure our friend from the ship will be there too."

Having her family's blessing, knowing that they were also fond of George, only made this a lot more thrilling. If they had been strongly against him, then she would have had to find a way to turn off her feelings. The last thing she would have wanted to do was upset her family.

But that thought gave her pause for thought.

Knowing that Gregory had also expressed interest in Sophie, and that he had seemingly been trying to woo her too, troubled her. It clutched her chest in a vice like grip, consuming her with worry.

Much as she did not want trouble in her own family, she did not want to create it in others as well. The last thing she wanted was for the Harrington brothers to fall out because of her. That would be absolutely devastating.

Maybe Gregory was not that interested in her. That would be the best outcome for everyone involved. Perhaps he was in the process of trying to charm a lot of ladies, to work out who he was more drawn to. Since their conversations were often stilted and a little awkward, Sophie was convinced that she could not become the object of his affection. There had to be someone else he liked more…

That was a comforting thought, if it were true.

Sophie just hoped it was true, and that no fight would come at the end of this.

"Are we here?" she asked, bolting up a little straighter as she spotted a grand looking mansion out of her window. "Is this it?"

It was a lovely looking home, with red bricked turrets jutting out into the sky. The windows were large, allowing in a lot of sun light, which would surely make the home very warm inside. This was a part of George's childhood, it was where he grew up before he moved to Sweden.

Perhaps inside she would get to know him a little better, and be able to unveil the mysterious sides of him she still needed to see. Because despite everything, she was certain that she did not know everything there was to know about him yet, and eventually she knew that she would have to see it all.

The carriage pulled up outside the home, and the carriage driver assisted Sophie and her mother climbing down to the ground. Sophie sucked in a deep breath, feeling like she was taking in a part of George. After the talk that she'd had with her grandfather, she was still a little mixed up about what might happen next, but she was also more certain than ever that this was what she wanted.

She wanted him.

Sophie followed her parents up to the house, surprised to see Gregory outside, waiting to greet his guests there. He had a big, bright smile on his face, looking like he was in his element as he invited people inside to his home. It was likely he was taking this opportunity to remind everyone that he was the one who had inherited everything, to establish his new place as the viscount here.

Others might be impressed with that, but Sophie was not concerned. She had not grown up with the very English focus on titles. She knew that she wanted to follow her heart, that was the only thing that she was interested in. She felt very lucky in that regard. She did not have the pressure of expectation weighing down on her.

"I am so grateful that you are here, Lady Dashwood," Gregory declared, making a point to make a fuss of her as she entered his home. "I am sure that we will have rather a fun afternoon. You look ravishing, as always."

Ravishing.

There it was, that word again. She wished he would say anything else.

"Thank you for the invite, Lord Harrington," she replied politely instead of saying what was really on her mind. "I am thoroughly excited for the lawn games."

She slipped out of his grip as soon as she could, grateful that Gregory had many other people to greet. She was far looking forward to seeing who else was in attendance.

Although her eyes did not immediately locate George, Sophie was grateful to find Katherine and Victoria, already standing close to a game that looked terribly fun. They waved her over to join them as soon as they saw her too. Again, Sophie was filled with gratitude because she had been able to find friends so easily. Ladies that she could trust and have fun with as well.

"Good afternoon, Sophie. Come and join us, we are about to partake in Grandmother's Trunk."

Sophie furrowed her eyes in confusion. "Grandmother's Trunk? I do not believe I have ever heard of that one."

"Do not worry," Victoria laughed. "We will help you through it."

"It is a good game to play whilst watching everyone else," Katherine declared with a laugh. "It is always fun to see who else is here, and what they might be doing. I am sure there will be a lot of delightful gossip by the end of the day."

Sophie might not have been too interested in talking about others, but she did like the idea that she could keep an eye out on the other guests.

"So we roll the die," Victoria explained as Sophie discreetly tried to scan her eyes around the garden. "And use the cards to decide our next move…"

"I am sure it is simple enough," Sophie replied with a smile. "Let us play, and see if I can pick it up as we go along."

As she suspected, the game was not too challenging. Her father was right when he had reassured her that she would not have too much trouble learning the rules, so it was not long before the conversation started to delve into more exciting topics."

"Lord Harrington cannot seem to take his eyes off you," Victoria teased Sophie. "I am surprised he has not tried to play games alone with you."

Sophie smiled through gritted teeth. What a shame it was the wrong Lord Harrington. She did not want to meet Gregory's eyes to give him the chance to get her alone, but if it were George then everything would have been different. "I do not think the host will be too fussed about me today."

Katherine laughed. "Oh, I would not be too sure about that. With his new title and inheritance, this is most certainly the Season where he will be wanting a bride. We are not the only ones to have noticed that he only seems to have eyes for you."

Sophie's heart sunk.

Those words suggested that she had been the topic of gossip. Of course she had assumed as much, but to have it confirmed was not much fun. She did not like it at all.

Especially because the gossip revolved around the wrong man.

If that gossip were to fall on George's ears, then he may wish to take a step back from her. He might wrongly assume that she was flattered by Gregory's attention, and that the title was all she cared about. How would she be able to explain to him that was not the case? Her grandfather had told her to be open and honest, and to express her feelings to George, but it might not be that simple.

The worry iced up her heart and tore through her blood, making her cold all over.

Being in this position of not knowing was absolute torture.

She scanned her eyes around the garden once more, desperately trying to find him, and this time she got lucky.

Sophie blinked a couple of times to ensure she was not imagining things, but this time she was not. It was him, George was here, and he was looking her way also.

Everyone else in the garden seemed to melt into nothingness.

No one else mattered, only him and the way that he had kick started her heart all over again.