Chapter 29

Sophie's whole body was pulsating with worry as she raced towards Gregory's home. She was not sure where to find George, and although it was going to be very uncomfortable to ask his brother with everything that had been going on, she was no longer concerned about that. Her love for George had started to absolutely overshadow everything else. She needed to find him, or her heart would explode.

Tears had already started to fill her eyes before she reached the front door. The fear of not knowing how this would go was crushing her. She could hardly breathe under the strain of it.

By the time she knocked on the door, she felt like she was falling apart at the seams. The memories of everything her and George had been through together almost consumed her. He had been her hero for a reason, and she was more convinced than ever before it was because they were meant to be.

The foot man answered the door and politely invited her inside.

"I am here to see Lord Harrington," she gushed desperately. "Please tell me that he is home."

The foot man led her to the parlor to wait while he retrieved the lord for her. Sophie could not even bear to take a seat while she waited. There was far too much anticipation surging through her veins. Her grandmother's words of wisdom kept her going until finally she saw him.

"Lord Harrington, I am so sorry to intrude, I am looking for your brother…"

There was an intense regret in his eyes which halted her in her tracks. She was not sure what he was about to say, but she knew she would not like it.

"I am terribly sorry, Lady Dashwood. I tried to stop him, I really did…"

"Where has he gone?"

She already knew what he was going to say. There was only one place that George would be if he had traveled somewhere. But she did not want to believe it. She needed Gregory to say the words before she would ever be able to accept it.

"He is taking a boat back to Sweden."

Her knees buckled. She felt like she was going to tumble to the floor in a heap. This was the worst possible thing that could have happened. It was too late. She had lost him. Sophie could practically feel her heart cracking inside of her. It was a pain unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Why did she leave the ball? Why did she not stay and hear George out? She had been so upset by his lack of words that she did not give him a chance to explain himself.

And now she was never going to get the chance to hear what he had to say.

It was too late. She would never see the love of her life again.

"Oh my," she gasped as another roll of agony ricocheted through her. "What am I to do now?"

"I am so sorry," Gregory surprised her by saying. "I did not realize that my behavior was going to cause so much hurt. Seeing you cry really made me see what a fool I have been. If there is ever anything that I can do to make it up to you, I will."

The sincerity in his eyes really made her believe him. She did not know if she would ever fully be able to trust him, but it was nice to hear that he cared enough to try and make things right.

"There is only one thing I want you to do, and that is to take me to George. If his ship has not yet left."

She did not know if there was really any chance for her to make things right, but if she could, then she would try. Sophie was not ready to fully give up as yet.

"I do not know if we shall make it…" Gregory started, before he saw the sheer determination on her face. "But let us try. I will get you to the docks, and hopefully the ship has yet to sail."

The chance might have been slim, but Sophie was willing to try. Thankfully so was Gregory.

He took her outside and got them a carriage to take them there.

They rode in a tense silence, but Sophie was pleased to feel the distrust slowly evaporating between them. She might have been upset with his desire to only marry her because of the dowry, but desperate men were always known to do desperate things. Luckily, no harm had been done, and she would ensure that he did not do the same thing again. Somehow, Gregory was going to have to figure out a way to deal with his own issues.

Sophie pressed her face up against the window as they drew nearer to the docks. Her heart was racing, and she tried desperately to figure out exactly what she was going to say when—or if—she got to see him. But truth be told, her mind was blank. The more the tension flooded her, the less she knew what she to say when she saw his face once more.

She did not even wait for Gregory, or the driver, to help her down from the carriage when the vehicle came to a halt. She took off running, even faster as she saw the ship drifting away, out into the harbor, out of her reach.

"George," she cried out as loud as she could, refusing to let the hopelessness come for her just yet. She was not sure what George could do if he saw her coming, perhaps he would dive into the water towards her. Either way, she absolutely needed him to see her face. "George, please! It is me, Sophie… George." Her voice broke on his name.

But as she reached the edge of the dock, almost tumbling head-first into the water herself in her desperation, it started to hit her.

Fate had struck again. And it had taken George away from her.

"Oh my, Lady Dashwood." She felt the reassuring hand of Gregory on her shoulder, but she felt nothing but heart ache. "I am so terribly sorry. I cannot believe that we did not make it. Perhaps you could write to him. He will receive the letter once he is back in Sweden, and then he can make up his mind about what to do next."

Sophie hung her head low, a tear leaking from her eye and splashing into the water below her.

"I am quite sure that he will come back for you," Gregory continued. "I have never seen my brother care for someone as much as he does you."

His kindness was truly appreciated, but not enough to make her feel any better. This was a heartbreak that she did not think she would ever recover from. They had both been foolish, she could feel it now. They should have simply communicated their feelings in a much more effective manner earlier on. Then all of this would have been sorted. They might have found a way to be together, then they both could be happy.

She remained where she was for a little longer, sadly watching the boat continue to float away from her. Taking away the man that she adored with every ounce of her being. But it soon got to the point where she could not continue to watch any longer, it was just too agonizing.

"Take me home," she mumbled disappointedly. "I need to go home."

With Gregory not far behind her, she started the long and slow walk back to the carriage. Her footsteps were heavy, her heart thundering slowly. In that moment, Sophie knew that she would never be the same again.

"Sophie!" someone called out her name, but Sophie did not even have the strength to life up her head. "Sophie, wait, it is me."

Was it…?

Could it be…?

She was too afraid to even lift up her head because she thought she might have been imagining his voice. But when he yelled again, she had no choice but to look.

"George?"

He was there. It was him!

She could not believe it. Her head was spinning with joy. This was so wonderful, she hoped it was not a dream. She had not lost him after all. For some reason, he was still here.

Sophie did not even think about who was around and who might see her. She raced to George and threw her arms around him, embracing him hard.

"I thought I had lost you," she sobbed. "I thought you were on the boat, and I would never see you again."

"I almost was," he admitted. "But I realized I could not leave without first truly knowing how you feel. Having your words of love in my mind from the ball kept me here. I need you to know how I feel as well."

Sophie pulled back and stared into his eyes. "And how do you feel about me?"

This was it.

The moment that she had been so desperately waiting for. Now that it was here, she was convinced that her head was going to explode from the intensity of the anticipation. Finally, George was going to let her in, and give her what she so desperately needed.

"Lady Dashwood, I am head over heels in love with you."

Relief flooded through her as he declared the words she so desperately wanted to hear.

"I am so terribly sorry that I did not tell you sooner. I was a fool, scared of my feelings."

Just as everyone had told her. She could not stop herself from smiling at him.

"George, I hope you know that I very much love you too."

In that moment, everything felt absolutely perfect. Just as it was supposed to be. Being brave and chasing down love had all been worth it for that one, single, glorious moment.