Chapter 23

Sophie tried to sneak in through the front door of her home, so she did not have to face endless questions from her parents about her night, but it seemed like they were at the door waiting for her. Perhaps they had spent the whole night troubled about where she was, just as she suspected they might be.

"Oh, Sophie, it is so good to have you home." Her mother threw her arms around her daughter gratefully. "Did the storm catch you out last night?"

She could not stop herself from smiling secretly. "Yes, but I was fine. George saved me from the weather yet again."

"He did?" Her mother pulled back and stared at her in shock. "Well, that is interesting to hear. He has become quite the hero in your life."

"I honestly think he might be willing to propose soon."

That caught her father's attention. "Do you think?"

Sophie bit down on her bottom lip and nodded. After last night, she was sure that George was going to ask her to be his wife. How could he not? Surely, he was not just as convinced as her that they were meant to be together forever. Sophie did not know it was possible to feel so much pleasure with another person, and she hoped that he was feeling the same way.

"Well that is wonderful news." Her mother clapped her hands together excitedly. "I wonder when it will happen… perhaps he will ask us for permission tonight."

"What is happening tonight?"

"The Kershaw ball of course." Her mother chuckled. "It is the Season. We have constant activities to take part in, and that includes a very important ball tonight."

"Right, well I suppose I should rest in preparation for the ball then," Sophie agreed enthusiastically. "And I will pick out my finest gown."

She did not know the Kershaw family, but she was not thinking about them and their opinions on what she was wearing. It was very likely that George would also be at the ball, and she needed to impress him. She wanted him to be as blown away by her as she was him. She wanted him to look at her with the same desire-fueled eyes as she did him.

Last night as they were in bed together, he stared at her as if she was the most beautiful woman on the planet. He made her feel gorgeous, like she was a goddess, and that was a wonderfully intoxicating sensation.

As Sophie left her parents at the bottom of the stairs and she headed to her bed chambers, she could not wipe the smile off her face. She lightly brushed her fingers over her lips, recalling his mouth all over her. His fingers grazing over her body, his lips tasting her, his magnetic thrusts that sent her spinning.

It might have been wrong for them to succumb to temptation, but if it led to her happy ever after, then Sophie did not mind. She could not blame herself for caving to him when he already belonged to her, which was exactly how she felt…

***

Sophie's heart raced as she stepped into the ballroom, to hopefully see the man who had brought her to life last night in a way she was not expecting. She had gone through all the politeness when meeting the Kershaw's and greeting some of her parent's friends as well, and now she was ready to do what she had come here for…

To dance with the man that she could not wait to marry.

She had spent all day long smiling to herself and thinking about him, hoping that she might be able to sneak another moment alone with George. Perhaps they could sneak off to a little cove somewhere, or they could take a walk in the gardens to perhaps lock lips once more.

There he is!

Her heart skipped a beat as she finally lay eyes on George. He was standing with Sebastian, not looking her way, but that was alright. She could admire him from a distance while she waited impatiently for his eyes to meet hers. Eventually he would feel her looking at him, right? Even if he was deep in conversation at the moment, with his furrowed brow which only made her that much more handsome to her.

He really was the best-looking man that she had ever been lucky enough to see.

But Sophie could only wait so long. Without her own friends around her at the moment, she had no one to distract herself from her impatience, Sophie could not hold herself back. She tried to walk slowly, to act like she was mingling with everyone in attendance. But there was really only person she was edging towards. She craved him she could not see anyone other than George, no one else mattered…

"Oh, Lady Dashwood, it is good to see you."

Sophie's blood ran cold as George spoke. Why did he not sound like he was as thrilled to see her as she was him? She had been thinking about him constantly, but he most certainly did not have the same look on his face. She could not help but notice that he seemed to be sharing loaded looks with Sebastian.

"Yes… it is good to see you too. Is everything alright?"

Why did he look like he did not want to be talking to her? Was last night not as incredible for him as it had been her? She had not even considered that until this very moment.

"I am terribly sorry if I seem distracted, Lady Dashwood, but I have a lot on my mind with business."

She reached out to touch his arm, to let him know that she was here for him no matter what, but she stopped herself at the very last second. He seemed like his walls were up high and he did not want to be touched. Certainly not by her.

She felt sick to her stomach.

This was not how tonight was supposed to go.

"Lady Dashwood, how good it is to see you."

She cringed internally as she heard Gregory calling out to her. She knew that if he got his hands on her, she would not be able to speak to George again all night long.

But of course, she could not be rude, so she smiled and greeted him. "Lord Harrington…"

"Please, come and dance with me."

As he held out his hand, Sophie's heart sunk as she took it. Why could she not just tell Gregory that she needed a moment before she had her time consumed all by him once more? Of course it was not the done thing. She had to let him lead her into the middle of the dance floor. She had to let him put his hands on her while she did the same to him. Honestly, it was getting a little exhausting, following these strict English ton rules.

"Is everything alright, Lady Dashwood?" Gregory finally asked her when he saw that she had not really been paying much attention to anything he had said. "You seem rather distracted. You have not answered any of my questions."

"Oh, I am fine…"

He scoffed. "No, I can tell that you are not. Please, tell me what is going on…"

It was probably not the best idea to bring up his brother when Sophie knew that there was contention between them simmering underneath the surface even if they were fine in front of everyone else, but if there was anything to know, then she wanted to hear it. Perhaps Gregory would have an insight that she did not.

"I am a little worried about your brother," she finally confessed. "He is acting very strange tonight. I do not know if you have noticed that yourself…"

"Oh, you do not need to worry about him," Gregory scoffed, clearly not too keen on wasting time on spending time talking about George. "He is having troubles with his business which I am sure is weighing heavily on him. He does not have money to fall back on, so when deals do not work out in his favor, it is hard for him. He gets very sulky and withdrawn when he has issues with his finances, and everyone around him has to suffer. It is a cycle he has repeated throughout his whole life."

"So, he is struggling?"

Sophie was not totally convinced by what Gregory was saying, but George was definitely hiding something from her. If it was money issues making him act coldly towards her, then that was something she could understand. As long as he was not put off by her, she did not mind. That was a hit her self-confidence would not be able to recover from.

But if he would not talk to her, and he continued to keep a distance from her, then how were they supposed to overcome it? How could she help him if he would not let her? How could he still not trust her with everything after all that had happened between them? They were supposed to be closer than ever.

As Gregory continued to spin her around on the dance floor, she realized that she had lost sight of George. Sebastian too. She was not done with him; she was not done talking to him. They had barely even gotten started, and she was sure that he knew that just as well as she did.

But where was he? What on earth was he up to?

Urgh, she had been so looking forward to this night, she had thought it was going to be the start of her wedding with George asking her parents for permission for her hand in marriage. Especially with her parents making the same comment. She had dreamt about it all afternoon.

But that was not going to happen if he had vanished without doing or saying anything.