Page 27 of Foolish Bride
Filled with joy, he kissed her hand. “Thank you, Sophia. It is comforting when one’s friends are happy with your good fortune. I suspect many will not be so generous.”
“Why should anyone complain about this? You have served your country well. If you do not deserve a dukedom, then I do not know who does.” She huffed.
Daniel kissed her forehead. “There are many in England who think when a title is not inherited, it should revert to the crown and that should be the end of it. Plus, if I remember correctly, there was a distant cousin who made a claim on the title of Duke of Kerburghe, but his claim was flimsy and he was a criminal of some kind. The Prince denied his claim. There will be those who will be difficult, but really, who cares? We are happy for you, Mike.”
“That is all a man can hope for,” Michael said, with a short bow.
* * * *
“The Earl of Malmesbury, Lady Malmesbury, and Lady Elinor,” Fenton, the Marlton butler, intoned from the Parlor door.
Sophia rushed over to greet Elinor and her parents.
“Lord and Lady Malmesbury, it is so good of you to come.” Sophia was the perfect hostess. Everyone in their circle adored her and had gotten used to her American accent.
“Happy to be here, Lady Marlton.” Father rubbed his bulging belly, keen that dinner party meant food would be the first indulgence.
“There are some nice canopies near the pianoforte, my lord, and I am certain Marlton will fix you a drink should you require one.” Sophia knew what Malmesbury was after.
Elinor rolled her eyes so only Sophia could see.
“Capital idea.” Father bounded toward the refreshments.
Mother drifted over to where Lady Daphne Collington sat. Sophia’s great aunt was on the gruff side, but she was a mainstay in London society, and even those who did not like her would never admit such a thing. Those who knew her, like the Burkenstocks, admired the dowager greatly.
Lady Collington had recently started carrying a cane, which she often wielded like a sword. She pointed it at Mother. “You have not come to call in far too long, Virginia.”
From across the room, Elinor couldn’t hear Mother’s response, but the two women sat close talking.
Elinor smiled at Sophia. “They will be occupied for hours gossiping.”
“Leaving you free of your mother’s matchmaking.” Sophia leaned in conspiratorially.
Elinor nodded. She was in another daring gown of green. It curved around her body like a second skin, showing off more than it hid. “Mother is crazed over the interest the Duke of Middleton has taken in me. I do not know what to do with her. She is now convinced that I shall be a duchess, and she will hear nothing else.”
“Do you like Middleton?” Sophia asked.
The idea made her tired. “I do.”
“And that is the end of the world?” Sophia said sympathetically.
“He is kind and funny. He seems to like me a great deal, and he does not even seem to mind that I am in love with someone else.”
Sophia looked up to see Michael across the room, watching them. She pulled Elinor into a corner. “You didn’t tell him that.”
“I did, but he seemed to understand. He sent me a note today thanking me for the dance at Skivingtons’.”
“Amazing.” Sophia shook her head.
“What is amazing?” Dory asked as she joined the pair.
Dory waited for the full explanation. “Perhaps this is not the place to discuss this.” She too glanced over to where Michael sat with her brother Markus. “Why don’t we meet at my house tomorrow for tea? Then we can have a frank discussion and see if Middleton is a possibility. Do you think you can come without your mother?”
Elinor longed for time with her friends and time away from Mother. “I shall manage. I would like a talk. I feel alone these days.”
Dory took one hand and Sophia took her other. Sophia said, “You are never alone, Elinor. You shall always have the two of us, and we will all three have each other no matter what life brings.”
A tear slid down Elinor’s cheek. “Thank you.”
