Sophia felt her cheeks flame at being caught in a compromising situation but, surprising herself, was not sufficiently bothered to break contact.
“It’s about time you did right by the gel,” Mrs.Digby said with a chuckle.Her voice grew distant as she headed back out to the hall.“I do my monthly accounting on that desk, you know,” she muttered just before she shut the door.
* * *
They walked hand in hand back to the drawing room.Along the way, Vincent pulled her into an alcove to kiss her, and again behind the main staircase.She tucked his neckcloth back into his shirt.He had to bend down, palms upon his knees, so she could reach.Distracted by his mischievous grin that promised more later, it took her several tries to tie the knot correctly, the folds fluffed just so.
Her concentration was further tested by the way he trailed his fingers along the bare skin of her arm and up to her neck to tuck her fichu back into her neckline.He dipped his fingertips so far into her dress to smooth wrinkles out of the snowy white silk, she felt her cheeks flush again.
By the time they reached the drawing room door and heard the buzz of several simultaneous conversations within the room, she thought they’d made themselves presentable.
Given the abrupt silence when they stepped over the threshold, perhaps not.
All eyes in the room swiveled to them.
Mr.and Mrs.Ebrington, Mildred and Matthew, Ashley and David, Wallace, Xavier, Mrs.Digby, and Mrs.Royston.Theo had arrived, too, and sat on the sofa staring at Sophia, her teacup frozen halfway to her mouth, her brows raised.
When playing or singing, Sophia felt at ease being the focus of attention.
She was not singing or playing now.
She cleared her throat.Only now did she realize several small braids had come unpinned and dangled along her shoulders.Her lips felt swollen.Before she could raise her hands to cover her flaming cheeks, Vincent raised her hand—their fingers still twined—to kiss her knuckles.
“You may wish us happy,” he announced, his rumbly bass carrying clearly though he hadn’t raised his voice.“Miss Walden has consented to make me the happiest of men.”
Sophia held her breath as everyone remained motionless.
Matthew broke the silence.“It’s not a competition,” he grumbled, his grin belying his sharp tone.
“He’s already lost enough competitions lately,” Ravencroft said with a grin.Ashley nudged him with her elbow.
As the three men laughed, Sophia realized they were ribbing each other about the Catch Club competition, where just weeks ago Ravencroft’s group had bested Fairfax and Huntley’s group.
Mrs.Digby rushed forward to congratulate them, drawing them both into her embrace.“Now I won’t have to say farewell to you,” she said to Sophia with a sniff.“You’re permanently a part of the family, my dear.”
“You must call me Aunt Agnes,” Mrs.Royston added, wrapping her arms around them.
Others came forward to congratulate the couple, pulling them farther into the room.Sophia tried to respond appropriately but still felt dazed by Mrs.Digby’s comment.And Aunt Agnes.
Matthew was family to Mrs.Royston, though he was no blood relation.Mildred would become family by marrying him.
Ravencroft was family though he was not a blood relation, either.And by marrying him, Ashley, orphaned after the death of her parents, was also family.
And now Sophia had family.Not only had she won the devotion of Vincent, upon marrying him she’d immediately gain a large circle of family.Brothers-in-law.Aunts.And she would remain connected to her dear friends, Ashley and Mildred.
No longer would it just be her and her distant cousin Claire, and Claire’s odious husband.
No longer would she be alone in the world, reliant on her own wits for survival, hoping for good fortune.
A sob escaped her throat.
“Cara mia?”Vincent used two fingers to gently tilt her chin up so he could see her face.
She tried to give him a reassuring smile, to look at him through the tears that had sprung to her eyes, but he was a watery blur.
In the middle of a comment from Mrs.Ebrington about love in the air with not one but two betrothals, Vincent took Sophia’s hand and led her to the window, where the table was still set with a chessboard.Before she realized what he intended, he sat down on one of the ladder-backed chairs, lifted her and settled her sideways on his lap.One arm wrapped around her waist, he offered his handkerchief with the other.
She registered that a hush had come over the room again.Then Theo suggested Mildred and Matthew perform a duet, and conversation buzzed about what song they should sing and on which instruments they’d play.
