Chapter 9

Twins.

Sophie could still not believe it.

Gregory and George were twins!

No wonder they looked alike.

What were the chances?

Sophie was not sure, and she had spent the whole night tossing and turning, barely sleeping as she tried to figure it all out in her head. Her mind was blown. What were the chances that the two gentlemen she enjoyed the company of were related so closely? The night had been such a strange one.

Gregory was kind and handsome. She had enjoyed talking with him and dancing too. He made her feel calm and relaxed, like she did not need to worry about a thing.

But when she was around George, her whole body set on fire. Seeing him again at the Thompson's ball had only intensified and confirmed that. She was nervous around him, anxious and excitable, like her whole body was trembling with desire.

Her heart fluttered, her tummy twisted and churned, and he made her want to do things that she most certainly should not. Especially with a man that she was not married to.

No one had ever made her feel like that before, and she felt like she was completely addicted to that sensation.

But Katherine's warnings kept replaying in her mind: "He is a rake who gambled away the family fortune and vanished." That was what she said about Gregory's brother, and the last thing that Sophie wanted to do was get herself mixed up with a man who would not treat her, and her family name and wealth, well. If this was all true, then she had been fooled by George, made to believe that he was a good man, and she did not like the idea of being fooled.

What on earth was she going to do about the mess she had found herself in?

"Miss Sophie, oh my goodness…" Lily came bursting in to Sophie's bed chambers with excitement dripping off her tongue. "You will not believe it. We must dress you in your finest day dress immediately. I am going to have to style your hair to accentuate all your finest features."

Sophie rose to her feet with her heart hammering in her throat. "What do you mean?"

"There are a line of suitors waiting at the door to visit with you. They are all here with trinkets and flowers, gifts for you. This is terribly exciting, you must have made quite the impression on the guests at the Thompson ball last night."

Sophie could hardly believe it.

Her pulse pounded with a nervous anxiety.

But this was also very exciting. She had never been blessed with a line of potential suitors before. The attention was thoroughly thrilling.

"Oh my, Lily, what am I going to wear? How will I deal with all of this?"

Lily giggled excitedly. "You will be wonderful, Miss Sophie. These gentlemen are lucky to get to spend some time with you."

Sophie beamed at her hand maid, grateful to have her help. "Thank you, Lily. Let us find what gown I can wear while these men try to charm me."

***

Sophie could feel her excitement waning just a little bit.

Yes, it was wonderful to have so many gifts and compliments, to have so many men suggesting that they wanted to court her, but the attention did not all feel positive.

Such as the moment Lord Daniel Humphreys entered her drawing room with roses clutched between his fingers. Sophie knew from Katherine and Victoria, that this gentleman was already embroiled in a sordid love triangle with Lady Emily Black and Lady Sarah Smith.

The last thing that Sophie wanted was to get in the middle of that.

Plus, she could not help herself. There was really only one person that she wanted to see walking through that door. It was only George in her mind as she entertained others. His smile, his inquisitive eyes, his friendship… not that she was entirely sure what that would look like at the moment…

"No, no, it is my turn next!" a loud voice boomed through the room. "I have been waiting for far too long, and I know that Lady Dashwood will want to talk to me…"

Sophie was absolutely stunned to the core as she stared at Gregory, who was in the middle of fighting his way to the front of the queue to talk to her. She was a little shocked by this behavior. It was brash, unlike the way that he came across the night before.

"Ah, Lady Dashwood, you look absolutely beautiful," he declared as he handed her a very expensive bouquet of flowers. "It is an absolute pleasure to be in your presence once again."

He bowed, and Sophie found herself curtsying and smiling despite herself.

It was nice to see a familiar face.

"Thank you for coming to see me, Lord Harrington."

They took their seats and talked a little. Not about anything in particular, just small talk, but it was enough for Sophie to be reminded of how sweet and entertaining he was. He even made her laugh a little, which was nice.

"I cannot believe that I met your brother before you," she suddenly declared, bringing up the one topic of conversation that had so far been avoided. "On the boat. How strange…"

Gregory's face fell a little. "Well, he is already making his plans to return to Sweden."

"Oh, he is?" Sophie struggled to keep the disappointment from her voice.

"He has a business to run. He is not lucky enough to be able to spend time courting beautiful women and attending fancy balls. He must keep working hard…"

The insinuation was that George did not have money. Perhaps Katherine was right, and he was a reckless rake.

Sophie was more than a little disappointed, but she tried to push that aside for the time being. She did not want to be sad with Gregory and her other visitors here. They had taken the time to buy her gifts to see her, and they deserved the best of her.

It was just a shame that she knew now for certain that George would not be coming to see her…

***

It had been a long morning.

Sophie had talked to so many people and accepted so many gifts that it had all become jumbled in her head. She could hardly recall who she talked about what with, and who had given her what gift and what it all meant. How she felt about each and every person.

Thank goodness it was all over, and she had finally met with everyone who wanted to see her.

Of course, George had not been one of them, but perhaps that was for the best…

Even if she did have a sunken heart now.

"Sophie, would you like to go out for the afternoon?" her grandfather asked her kindly, seemingly understanding that she needed a break from everything. "There is a rather fine exhibit on Africa in the London Museum that I have been dying to see."

Sophie smiled and nodded. "Yes, that sounds absolutely lovely. I would very much like that."

She would not have to think about everything while she was there, she could just forget about all these worries for a little while, to just be, which was exactly what she needed.

Eagerly she got herself ready and she climbed in to the carriage with her grandfather and her father who had also decided to join them for an afternoon of fun. Thankfully, much to Sophie's relief, neither of them asked any questions about all the gentlemen who had visited her today, so she did not have to explain herself at all.

The museum stood tall, grand, and looming over the streets of London. It was impressive, and as there were crowds entering the building, Sophie could only imagine what was inside. An exciting exhibition for sure.

Her grandfather climbed out of the carriage, followed by her father. Her father extended a hand to her, so she could climb down from the carriage without tumbling. She most certainly did not want to make a fool of herself in front of the ton.

Sophie and her family joined the queue and slowly made their way inside the building. There was so much chatter and gossip surrounding her that it took her far too long to realize that her father was trying to speak with her.

"Is that him?"

"Pardon?" she asked, trying to lean in closer to her father. "Is that who?"

"The gentleman from the ship? Lord George Harrington?"

As soon as Sophie heard his name, her blood ran icy cold. Could he really be here now after avoiding her all morning?

Despite the fact that she told herself that it was for the best, knowing that he might be in the vicinity made her heart race like crazy.

She paused for just a second, but soon continued to get swept inside. She was not as convinced as her father that George was here, but even the idea that she might see him had her on edge. It felt like her whole body was fizzing with excitement.

That was until she lay eyes on him, standing in front of a giant beautiful African vase.

She did not know if she should say anything. If she should just walk by him or not.

But she could not seem to help herself. She drew nearer to him like she was being pulled by a magnetic force, and she started talking rapidly. "Are you following me?"

When he turned to see her, Sophie was amazed by the way his face lit up with excitement.

He was clearly happy to see her as well.

Every fiber of her being reacted to this man. This was not a meeting she would forget or that would blur in to others.

There was no denying the effect that George had on her. It was overwhelmingly powerful.

"Oh no, I am not following you. I did not even know that you would be here. I just enjoy this museum and I have not been here since I was a young boy."

"Hello there, Lord Harrington." Sophie's father leaned across to shake his hand, because he already liked him too. "Good to see you again. Of course you already know my daughter, but this here is my father…"

Sophie took a little step back as she watched her family interact with George. It was clear that her grandfather took to him quickly as well, as he discussed science, exploration, and adventure with the lord. He did not often like people this quickly. Sophie walked along behind them, enjoying listening in to the conversation, wishing she could be the one to talk to him…

A chance that came only when her grandfather got distracted by another gentleman his age, and a gorgeous African painting.

"I had an interesting talk with your brother today," she declared, deciding that if she was only going to be given a moment to ask what she wanted to, then this would be it. She was going to take full advantage of it. "And he told me that you are already planning to head back to Sweden."

Nerves zig zagged inside Sophie as she waited for him to respond.

There was more hanging on this than she had even realized when she first opened her mouth.

Perhaps she should not have asked this after all.

"Eventually, I will."

Sophie's heart sunk.

So he really was going to leave her here? She did not like that at all.

"But not yet," he continued with a smile. "I think I will stay in London for a little while first."

The eye contact was intense.

He might not have been saying it, but Sophie could feel in that moment the reason he was staying was down to her.

She felt a powerful heat rushing to her cheeks as she smiled back.

"You know, I think I would like that."