Page 41 of A Wicked Viscount's Stormy Affair
“Are we here?” she asked, bolting up a little straighter as she spotted a grand looking mansion out of her window. “Is this it?”
It was a lovely looking home, with red bricked turrets jutting out into the sky. The windows were large, allowing in a lot of sun light, which would surely make the home very warm inside. This was a part of George’s childhood, it was where he grew up before he moved to Sweden.
Perhaps inside she would get to know him a little better, and be able to unveil the mysterious sides of him she still needed to see. Because despite everything, she was certain that she did not knoweverythingthere was to know about him yet, and eventually she knew that she would have to see it all.
The carriage pulled up outside the home, and the carriage driver assisted Sophie and her mother climbing down to the ground. Sophie sucked in a deep breath, feeling like she was taking in a part of George. After the talk that she’d had with her grandfather, she was still a little mixed up about what might happen next, but she was also more certain than ever that this was what she wanted.
She wantedhim.
Sophie followed her parents up to the house, surprised to see Gregory outside, waiting to greet his guests there. He had a big, bright smile on his face, looking like he was in his element as he invited people inside to his home. It was likely he was taking this opportunity to remind everyone thathewas the one who had inherited everything, to establish his new place as the viscount here.
Others might be impressed with that, but Sophie was not concerned. She had not grown up with the very English focus on titles. She knew that she wanted to follow her heart, that was the only thing that she was interested in. She felt very lucky in that regard. She did not have the pressure of expectation weighing down on her.
“I am so grateful that you are here, Lady Dashwood,” Gregory declared, making a point to make a fuss of her as she entered his home. “I am sure that we will have rather a fun afternoon. You look ravishing, as always.”
Ravishing.
There it was, that word again. She wished he would sayanythingelse.
“Thank you for the invite, Lord Harrington,” she replied politely instead of saying what was really on her mind. “I am thoroughly excited for the lawn games.”
She slipped out of his grip as soon as she could, grateful that Gregory had many other people to greet. She was far looking forward to seeing who else was in attendance.
Although her eyes did not immediately locate George, Sophie was grateful to find Katherine and Victoria, already standing close to a game that looked terribly fun. They waved her over to join them as soon as they saw her too. Again, Sophie was filled with gratitude because she had been able to find friends so easily. Ladies that she could trust and have fun with as well.
“Good afternoon, Sophie. Come and join us, we are about to partake in Grandmother’s Trunk.”
Sophie furrowed her eyes in confusion. “Grandmother’s Trunk? I do not believe I have ever heard of that one.”
“Do not worry,” Victoria laughed. “We will help you through it.”
“It is a good game to play whilst watching everyone else,” Katherine declared with a laugh. “It is always fun to see who else is here, and what they might be doing. I am sure there will be a lot of delightful gossip by the end of the day.”
Sophie might not have been too interested in talking about others, but she did like the idea that she could keep an eye out on the other guests.
“So we roll the die,” Victoria explained as Sophie discreetly tried to scan her eyes around the garden. “And use the cards to decide our next move…”
“I am sure it is simple enough,” Sophie replied with a smile. “Let us play, and see if I can pick it up as we go along.”
As she suspected, the game was not too challenging. Her father was right when he had reassured her that she would not have too much trouble learning the rules, so it was not long before the conversation started to delve into more exciting topics.”
“Lord Harrington cannot seem to take his eyes off you,” Victoria teased Sophie. “I am surprised he has not tried to play games alone with you.”
Sophie smiled through gritted teeth. What a shame it was the wrong Lord Harrington. She did not want to meet Gregory’s eyes to give him the chance to get her alone, but if it were George then everything would have been different. “I do not think the host will be too fussed about me today.”
Katherine laughed. “Oh, I would not be too sure about that. With his new title and inheritance, this is most certainly the Season where he will be wanting a bride. We are not the only ones to have noticed that he only seems to have eyes for you.”
Sophie’s heart sunk.
Those words suggested that she had been the topic of gossip. Of course she had assumed as much, but to have it confirmed was not much fun. She did not like it at all.
Especially because the gossip revolved around the wrong man.
If that gossip were to fall on George’s ears, then he may wish to take a step back from her. He might wrongly assume that she was flattered by Gregory’s attention, and that the title was all she cared about. How would she be able to explain to him that was not the case? Her grandfather had told her to be open and honest, and to express her feelings to George, but it might not be that simple.
The worry iced up her heart and tore through her blood, making her cold all over.
Being in this position of not knowing was absolute torture.
