Chapter 9

The fresh garden air was a welcome change from the stuffy walls of the estate. She began strolling in the garden, admiring the row of roses. She had always been a fan of flowers and seeing them bloom made her heart swell.

She crouched down to smell the roses, but as soon as she did so, a tall figure snuck up behind her, startling her.

“What on Earth?” she gasped, surprised.

“Aha, I saw you coming from afar and hid myself behind one of the bushes. Unknowingly, you walked right into my trap.”

A tall man with a boyish grin and a playful glint in his eyes stood in front of Sophia. When he noticed the confused expression on her face, he leaned forward to extend his hand for her to shake.

“Where are my manners? I completely forgot to introduce myself,” he chuckled, amused by her reaction. “I am Jacob, the Duke’s younger brother. I have heard about you, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Oh,” Sophia straightened up her back, putting on a polite smile. “It is a pleasure to meet you indeed.”

“I see that you were admiring the flowers. Have they not bloomed so wonderfully?”

“Indeed, they have. I can see that the gardener must have put great care in looking after them.”

Jacob grinned, seeming proud of himself.

“Well, thank you for appreciating my services, My Lady. Gardening is a thankless job, and I am happy that someone finally sees the value in my work…”

Sophia’s eyes widened with surprise, and her gaze darted from the flowers and then back to him.

“Do you mean to tell me that it is you who has been taking care of these plants?” she asked.

“Of course. My mother always told me that I should be making myself useful around the house, and so I volunteered to become their gardener. My family pays me a measly sum for it, I must say, but I should think that if I keep it up, I should have enough to purchase a small plot of land by the years end.”

“I…” Sophia started, measuring her words carefully. “I must say that is quite the unique… disposition.”

“Do you think so?” Jacob questioned. “Why, I think it is quite a noble one. Are you in need of any gardening services? I would appreciate it if you were.”

“Um… well…” Sophia struggled with what to respond with. She was sure that hiring her future brother-in-law as her gardener would not go so well over with the Dowager. Yet, she did not want to disappoint Jacob as he seemed to be quite invested in the idea.

“Why the hesitation?” he questioned, observing her carefully now. “Do you believe that I am not competent enough? The proof is right in front of your eyes.”

Sophia shook her head.

“No, it is not that. Please you must not misunderstand me…”

Just then, a man with a small shovel in his hands crossed by them and began digging into one of the nearby bushes. He had dirt all over his uniform, and Sophia realized that he looked an awful lot like what a gardener was supposed to look like.

More confused than ever, she met Jacob’s gaze, and he burst out laughing.

“I am sorry, My Lady. I was only joking,” he said in between laughter.

“Oh.” Sophia felt a sense of relief wash over her. “You had me fooled.”

“It was just so easy. You seemed very taken by the flowers, and I decided to play a little joke on you. I cannot help myself. It is in my nature,” he laughed.

“I can tell that you are the youngest,” she smiled. “Very mischievous. My sister was the same way.”

A frown tugged at her lips at the mention of her sister, and she looked down to her feet. Jacob’s demeanour changed too, and Sophia was thankful when he did not prod her further.

“I must tell you that I possess no talents when it comes to gardening, but I am quite fond of horse-riding and travelling,” he mused.

“Travelling? Oh, it is a dream of mine to travel across the world,” Sophia admitted. “I have always wanted to know what other people are like, far away from the society that I live in.”

Jacob laughed loudly.

“It seems that you are equally as fed up with society as I am.”

“Oh, no, I did not mean…” she hastily tried to correct herself, worried that she had said something improper, but Jacob cast her a reassuring glance.

“You need not worry about speaking your mind with me. I am quite an easy-going fellow, and I will never judge you for having an opinion. In fact, it is quite refreshing to hear your thoughts. You are to become a part of our family soon, and I should like it if you consider me a friend.”

His words sounded earnest, and Sophia decided to trust him.

“Well, if you really must know the truth, then you would be correct to assume that I am quite fed up with the society which we live in,” she said, her eyes darting over to the gardener. Thankfully, he was at a far enough distance that he could not make out what they were discussing.

“Isn’t it just rotten?” Jacob offered. “Everyone seems to be obsessed with themselves and judgmental of others.”

“We have the same opinion then,” Sophia noted. “I often feel the same way.”

“Any sane person would feel the same way. Anyone who is trying to convince you otherwise is surely just keeping up appearances,” he said.

Sophia was reminded of her lessons. She had just been lectured on how important it was to keep up appearances. Biting down on her lip, she exclaimed a sigh that came out sadder than she had intended it to.

“As difficult as it is, it is important to keep up appearances,” she lamented. “After all, they are all you have when you are presented to society.”

Jacob was silent for a moment, as though he was trying to solve a difficult puzzle inside of his head.

“I have heard that before,” he finally replied. “By any chance, have you been spending some time with Mrs. Harington?”

Sophia’s eyes widened with shock. “How could you possibly tell? I have just spent many hours in her company.”

Jacob’s laughter boomed across the garden.

“Oh, my. I know her all too well. Mother is quite fond of her and growing up, she had us take endless classes with her to coach us on how to be fine gentleman.” He shook his head. “I am sorry that you are being made to go through the same tortuous experience.”

“Torturous is quite a harsh word.”

“Oh, is it?” Jacob raised his eyebrow. “How else would you describe it? I am sure that she must have told you at least twenty times to straighten up your posture and always maintain…”

“A polite smile on my face at all times,” Sophia completed the sentence for him, now laughing as well. “I guess she has not changed her ways.”

“Oh, she is quite old, and it is too late for her to change her ways. I am sure that she means well at heart, but I personally find her lessons to be very overbearing.”

Jacob had sparked Sophia’s curiosity. She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again. She did not know if it would be appropriate to ask him personal questions, given that they had just met.

“What is it?” he asked. “I can see that you are holding back on saying something to me. I am perceptive that way. You may speak your mind.”

“Well,” Sophia began, “I do not wish to overstep, but I am just curious on how you grew to develop these opinions. I know that the Duke has a strong sense of responsibility, and I assume that he must abide by these rules. How come you are so different?”

“Oh, you should not discount my brother just yet,” Jacob laughed. “But that is a topic for another time. As for me, well, I have always considered myself to be somewhat of a free spirit.”

“A free spirit?” Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Yes. I believe that a person only has one life, and it must not be spent worrying about what others think.”

“I think the same way!” Sophia interjected in excitement. “But it seems a lot more is suddenly expected of me now.”

“I can sympathize with you. I am aware that ladies of our society have it more difficult,” he attested. “However, you can rest your mind knowing that you do not always have to keep up appearances. You can be yourself around me as we are friends now. I am sure that with time, you will build a level of comfort with Duncan as well.”

“You believe so?” Sophia asked, biting down on her lip once again. She was glad that she had run into Jacob. Their interaction provided her a more authentic peak into what their household was like. She wanted to ask him a lot of questions, now that she had begun to feel safe around him.

“Yes, I am certain of it,” Jacob noted. “You will enjoy it when you move here, I assure you. In fact, I must give you a tour of the Estate. Shall we?”

Sophia shook her head.

“I am afraid I cannot as much as I would like to. The Dowager is expecting me to share a cup of tea with her.”

Jacob shrugged as though it was no matter of worry at all.

“That is hardly an issue. Come, I shall ask mother myself.”

The two of them walked over to the front of the garden. The Dowager was there already, and she seemed surprised when she saw the two of them together.

“Mother,” Jacob grinned. “It was such a lovely coincidence that I ran into Lady Sophia in the garden just now. I have decided to take up this opportunity to give her a tour of the Estate. Unfortunately, this means that I will have to borrow her for a while.”

The Dowager raised an eyebrow. Sophia noted that she seemed to have a soft spot for her youngest son as she did not immediately voice her objection.

“Perhaps you can wait a while…”

“But what will we be waiting for?” Jacob asked. “There is some free time that we have right now, and I think it best that we utilize it effectively.”

“Maybe the Duke has something to say on the matter. Getting his opinion would not be a terrible idea.”

“Mother, dear, I know what my brother would say. He would say that it is not a useful thing to cling onto superstitions. I am sure that I do not have to tell you that.”

Duchess Anna was quiet for a moment. Sophia wondered if there was something that she was missing here. Was there a conversation about her between them that she was not privy to?

Whatever the reason, Duchess Anna let go of her hesitation and nodded to show her approval, albeit begrudgingly.

“Fair enough. But I suggest Lady Sophia’s lady’s maid accompany you both.”

Within moments, Clara was summoned from inside the estate, and the three of them were on their way.

“I must say, I expected the Dowager to put up more of a resistance,” Sophia admitted. The two of them walked as Clara shadowed them.

“My mother has a tough exterior, but inside, she is soft. I believe the same to be true for my brother,” Jacob pointed out. “I believe that you will find this to be true when you get to know them better.”

“I will take your word for it,” Sophia noted. “After all, you do not have any reason to lie to me.”

“Unless, of course, I am secretly trying to sabotage your marriage to my brother.”

Sophia stared at him in horror.She did not know him well enough just yet to effectively gauge if he was joking or not.

“I am only joking.” Jacob burst out laughing once again. “The shock on your face makes it worthwhile each time.”

“I will require some time to get used to your playful nature.” Sophia shook her head, laughing. “But I do appreciate it a lot. My aunt, who is like a mother to me, has an excellent sense of humor herself. It always brightens up my day.”

“Indeed, a life without laughter is life wasted,” Jacob observed. They had walked a fair distance from the garden now, and along the borders of the Estate ran a river. Jacob directed Sophia’s attention over to it.

“This is where we all come when we want to clear our mind,” Jacob said.

“It is indeed quite beautiful,” Sophia replied, a slight hesitation to her voice. She did not follow Jacob when he started to move closer to the border.

“Would you not like to see it up close?” Jacob asked, confused. “It is quite the spectacular view.”

“No, thank you. I am fine where I am,” she replied politely, shaking her head.

Even since the accident, she had developed a real fear of bodies of water. Just being near them was enough to invoke traumatic memories for her. Jacob must have seen the fear on her face, and he started to walk back towards her.

“Then, I shall not go either. We can stroll in the grass instead,” he suggested.

“I find that to be a much more suitable offer,” she agreed.

As they began to stroll, Sophia noticed Jacob stealing subtle glances at her scar.

“It is my turn now to tell you that you should not hold back,” she said. “I am sure you are wondering if you should address the elephant in the room… the scar on the side of my face.”

She did not like discussing her scar much, but over the years, she had learned to do so. After all, it was only natural that people were curious when they saw it.

“I did not want to appear rude, My Lady.” Jacob rubbed the side of his arm. “But I was curious to know what had happened. Of course, I have heard whispers, but I try not to focus on gossip. I would much rather that I hear from you.”

“That is noble of you. Surely, the gossip is not kind,” Sophia noted. “If you must know, then, many years ago, my family and I were travelling in a carriage when we were met by an… accident.”

She felt herself choke up once again, but she willed herself to not show weakness in front of him.

“Our carriage crashed into the river. It proved to be fatal for them, and I was the only survivor.”

As she recited the story, she realized that she had finally learned how to separate her emotion from it. Earlier, she would not be able to repeat it without bursting into tears, but the years had hardened her.

“I am so sorry, My Lady. That is indeed a tragic loss. It is a testament to your courage that you are standing here, telling it.”

Or a testament to my curse… She decided to not share that part of her thoughts with Jacob.

“It happened, and I cannot change it,” she replied with a melancholic smile. “I have learnt that life is never fair, and these things happen without any warning.”

“I cannot even fathom it,” Jacob replied. “The closest I have gotten to that sort of grief is when our father passed away.”

“That must have been difficult,” Sophia consoled, and then she remembered what the Duke had told her about his late father. It was clear that he did not have a favorable opinion of him.

“Let us say that it left me with a mixture of emotions,” Jacob replied. “My father was a difficult person, but my experience with him was not as bad as the Duke’s.”

“Is that so?” Sophia’s curiosity sparked once again.

“Indeed. However, I do not wish to bore you with the details. I am thankful that you chose to share your story with me, but I believe that we should move away from such heavy topics.”

Sophia nodded.

“Perhaps we should start to head back now…” she suggested. “The Dowager must be wondering where we are.”

“As you wish.”

As they headed back to the main estate, Sophia could not help but feel curious about the late Duke. She wondered what it must have been like to be raised by a father that did not do this job so well. Was it any better than being raised without one?