Page 32 of A Wicked Viscount's Stormy Affair
Her heart fluttered as she nodded. “Alright, thank you. Please send him in.”
She clutched her hands together hard, trying to remain calm and in control on the surface, even if she was flapping like crazy underneath. She sucked in and held her breath while she waited for Lord Harrington revealed himself, until she learned which one it was.
“Good afternoon, Lady Dashwood.”
Oh thank goodness.
It was George.
Sophie’s heart leapt up into her throat. Relief absolutely flooded through her, and a smile spread across her face.
“Good afternoon, Lord Harrington, it is wonderful to see you.”
She could say that and really mean it, which felt wonderful.
“I have brought a gift for you.”
Surprise flickered across Sophie’s face as she took the parcel from him. She was not expecting that, especially not a gift like this that was not flowers. She stared at George in shock when she held on to the parcel.
“What is this?” she gasped.
“Just something I thought you might like.”
She dove her head inside the bag, and her heart raced as she saw what was inside.
“A book?” A smile spread across her face as she remembered the conversation that she had with George as they danced at the ball. “You remember that I adore reading.”
“Of course I did. And it is a novel about traveling across the water, which I hope will remind you of our time together on the way to England.”
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
Sophie’s eyes brimmed with happy tears. This was the nicest thing that anyone had ever done for her. She did not even know what she could say. She did not know how to express herself properly. Her eyes met his once more and she hoped desperately that he could see how much this had touched her.
“Thank you, Lord Harrington. This is wonderful…”
Before George could respond to her, their conversation was interrupted by her grandfather who had entered the room without knowing what he was about to walk into.
“Oh, I am terribly sorry,” he declared as he darted his eyes between Sophie and George. “I did not mean to interrupt. I just wanted to let you know, Sophie, that I have organized a private tour of the battleship that is currently in the Thames…”
“Oh my! That is certainly exciting,” George jumped in animatedly. “I have heard it is quite the vessel.”
Sophie watched her grandfather smile widely. It warmed her heart to see him this way, he always enjoyed it when someone was interested in the same things he was. “I am friends with the captain, and he has said that I am welcome to bring my family aboard. You should come with us, Lord Harrington. It should be quite the fitting outing since the pair of you first got acquainted on a ship.”
Sophie looked at George to see how he would respond to this. It truly did sound like a lovely idea to her, and a real chanced for them to talk about anything and everything, but she did not want to make him do anything he was not in the mood for. He may be busy, and just here for a brief visit with his wonderful gift.
“If you do not mind me coming along with you, I should love to,” George declared enthusiastically, much to Sophie’s joy. “I am quite fascinated by boats myself, so I would love to be lucky enough to explore the vessel. A private tour from the captain himself is not a chance that comes along often.”
Sophie’s grandfather patted him on the shoulder happily. “Then you shall come. The whole family will be with us. A carriage will be here to take us there soon.”
What a surprise!
Sophie did not even know that she would be touring the battleship today, and now she was going to do so with George as well. Being back on a boat with the man who had saved her from the water sounded like the perfect afternoon for her…
***
The battleship was fascinating. Utterly wonderful. Sophie was truly enjoying herself as she walked around the boat with her family. The library aboard filled her with the most joy. The captain had an extensive collection of books and maps which she wanted to examine them all.
Unfortunately, it seemed like she was not going to have time to do so, because her father and grandfather were very keen to climb on deck to see the cannons.
