“Ah. Still getting ready, I see. Unfortunately, this is as good as I get, so I will head down, unless you prefer I wait for you?”
“I would like to go down with you,” she said. “I am nearly ready. Right, Libby?”
“Last pin, ma’am. There you are.”
Sophie rose and turned to him. “I hope I don’t embarrass you.”
“Impossible. You look... terrified.”
A burst of nervous laughter escaped her. “Not very gallant of you.”
He offered her his arm. His strong, steady arm. And she decided she appreciated that more than a dozen flowery words.
Drawing strength from his calm confidence, she walked beside him down the stairs and into the anteroom where his family gathered before dinner.
Mr. Overtree and Colonel Horton, also in dark evening attire, stood together near the hearth, heads bent in low conversation. Mrs. Overtree stood near the door, looking elegant in deep claret silk and a lovely ruby necklace. Her cool gaze swept Sophie head to toe.
The woman formed a vague little smile, which left little doubt in Sophie’s mind that she found her daughter-in-law’s gown lacking. Or perhaps her daughter-in-law in general.
A young dark-haired woman rose from the sofa, eyes lighting up, a smile breaking over her dainty face.
“Stephen!” She hurried across the room and threw her arms around her much taller brother.
He stooped to receive her embrace with comfortable familiarity. “Hello, Kate. How are you? Allow me to introduce—”
Ignoring his formal opening, the young woman turned to her, all smiles. “And you must be Sophie. I am so happy to meet you! You can’t imagine. Stephen has long professed himself a bachelor, but I knew better. And here you are!”
She pressed a kiss to Sophie’s cheek, and Sophie was stunned to feel tears sting her eyes. Her warm greeting was sweet relief after the reserved reception from Stephen’s parents.
“Welcome, welcome, a hundred times welcome. How jolly it will be to have another young lady about the place. Miss Blake comes often, of course, but... Oh, you don’t know Miss Blake yet. I shall have to bring her round tomorrow.”
“Give Sophie time to grow accustomed to the rest of us first, Kate,” the captain said. “We don’t want to scare her away.”
“Scare her away? As if we could, silly. She is your wife. And I can’t wait to hear all about how you two met and your whirlwind courtship.”
“Kate, I don’t think—”
The butler opened the dining room door and announced, “Dinner is served.”
Relief. Saved by the butler.
The meal passed more smoothly than Stephen would have guessed. He’d been worried his mother would begin interrogating Sophie on her background and family connections before the fish course. Instead, the conversation remained innocuous, with Kate monopolizing Sophie’s attention, taking it upon herself to tell her all about the parish and their neighbors—whom they dined with and whom they did not, and the vicar, and the church, and so on. Stephen felt his heart surge with affection—and gratitude—for his much younger sister.
At one point, their mother reprimanded, “Katherine, do pause in your chatter long enough to eat your dinner.”
“And to breathe...” their father added wryly.
Kate dutifully nibbled a bite and then dove right in again. Her cheerful chatter left Stephen free to converse with his father and grandfather, and to hear the parish news and what he had missed on the estate. Lambing was coming on soon, and they’d hired an extra few lads to keep watch over the flocks. Jenson was busy repairing the crumbled stone fence on the west boundary, and the farrier was concerned about Grandfather’s old horse, Valiant.
He glanced across the table at Sophie, who ate absently while smiling in apparent pleasure at his sister, now and again asking a clarifying question or laughing softly at something the girl said.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so difficult after all....
Sophie breathed a sigh of relief as dinner drew to a close—too soon, she realized, when Mrs. Overtree asked her and Kate to join her in the white parlour while the men smoked and drank port.
Stephen partook of neither, she knew, except for his one lapse on their wedding night. And she found herself wishing he would excuse himself from the men and stay with her. She was surprised at her reticence to leave his company. Odd that the man who still intimidated her seemed safer than his mother. The old saying went through her mind,Better the devil you know than the one you don’t....
Kate plopped down onto the sofa beside her. “I want to hear every detail of his proposal, but I’ll wait until he’s here, so I can see him turn bright red.”
