It was not the best first impression that Sophia could have made, but then these were not typical duchesses. Anna and Maria laughed warmly at her and nodded in agreement.
“We know that,” Maria explained. “Not everyone does, but we do. Anna, she is perfect for our group. You must bring her along!”
Sophia looked to Spencer, and all that he could do was grin. This was precisely what he had hoped for, as his sister would be best off with a group of ladies whose ideals she shared.
“The next meeting is in our home, so I planned for you all to meet then,” Anna explained. “But I wanted her to know that she is not alone. I also know that we can be rather intimidating to meet all at once, though I am certain she would have been perfectly fine.”
“Just how many of you are there?” Sophia asked.
“Four,” Maria continued. “I agree with Anna, for we can be quite relentless, but I know you will fare well with us. What sort of things do you like to read? Right now, we are on an article that our friend Theodora selected, but we usually read books instead.”
With them all settled into their conversation, Spencer prepared to leave with Damien for a while, but at that moment, he appeared with his son. The little boy came bursting into the room in a fit of laughter and went to his mother, hugging her legs.
Maria took him in her arms and placed him on her lap instinctively, and for a brief moment, Spencer wondered just how that instinct felt. He had always felt an urge to care for Gilbert, but he knew there was no comparing it. He was only his uncle, and it was different compared to how he imagined he would feel about his own children.
He wondered how Anna felt about it all, too, but as he looked over to her, he could tell that something was wrong. She was not engaging with it all as she did before, instead looking on with an empty expression.
“If you will excuse me,” she said suddenly. “I need a moment.”
“Would you like me to come with you?” Maria asked, but Anna shook her head and left in haste.
“Is she alright?” Sophia asked.
“It has been a difficult time,” Maria explained. “She likely feels quite overwhelmed and needs a moment, that is all.”
Spencer knew that a good husband would follow his wife and ensure that nothing was wrong, but he knew his wife.
And he knew that he was no good husband.
“So, Miss Sophia,” Maria continued. “Do you plan to stay?”
“Yes, your friend has managed to convince me, though I cannot quite say that I think it is a good idea. Should those in London know who I am, they shall both be ruined, and the fault will be mine.”
“Yes, well, you are better off accepting that my friend is not one to say no to a challenge. Besides, you have two duchesses with you, and two powerful dukes too. You will be fine, I will make certain of it.”
Spencer was grateful that his wife had chosen such good friends, and he wished that he had a larger group himself rather than a gentleman here and there. Sophia was in the best hands, and had he not been so stubborn, that could have been the case long before, but he had at last done the right thing, and his sister was safe.
But his wife was hurting, and he was to blame for it, and he could not find it in him to forgive himself for that.
CHAPTER 30
Anna could not stand it.
She could not sit in the room with her friend, and watch as she basked beside her doting husband and beautiful baby boy, and know that she would never have such a thing for herself. She was not important to her husband, at least not in the way that she wanted to be, and it was killing her.
She leaned against the parlor room door, taking sharp breaths in a vain attempt to soothe herself, but she knew that it was no use. She was at a loss as to what to do, for she had done everything right; carried herself properly, welcomed a stranger with open arms because it was what Spencer needed, and let him in at risk to herself, and still, he did not love her. He could not, she was convinced of that, and no amount of love would ever change that.
There was a knock on the door behind her.
“I do not wish to talk, Maria,” she called.
“That is just as well,” Damien said in his unmistakably deep tone. “I was hoping that you might make an exception for me?”
Given that he was a man of few words, Anna was so surprised by the request that she did not know how to refuse it. She stepped away, opening the door and letting him in.
“My apologies,” she said weakly. “I should not lock a gentleman out of a room in his own home.”
“Is that what you think I wish to say? Heavens, Anna, what has happened to you? You were never like this before.”
