“But why would he want to see me?” Sophia questioned, but it was too late. Her aunt was already outside to welcome him.
“Your aunt is right, My Lady. It is best for a lady to be prepared,” Carla said, nodding fervently. “Shall I accompany you to the powder room?”
Sophia shook her head.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Carla. I am sure that he is not here to see me. In fact, he must be lost. I do not think he is even going to come inside.”
“And yet, there he is headed right this way,” Carla pointed to the window where they could see her aunt and the Duke heading towards the front door.
“Oh no.” There was a rush of blood at Sophia’s cheeks, and she quickly took cover behind one of the pillars, wanting to hide herself from the Duke.
It was not as though she did not want to see him. In fact, it could be quite interesting to meet him again, but her nerves got the best of her, and she felt a strange shyness take over her at his unannounced arrival.
The two of them went into the drawing room, and Sophia found herself burning with curiosity.
“Carla, you must go check what they are discussing in there!” she instructed her maid, who in turn gave her a weary expression.
“I am not sure if that is very appropriate, My Lady.”
“Ask them if they want tea,” Sophia urged. “I must know the reason behind his visit.”
The Duke straightened up his tie as he arrived at Kerling Estate. Sophia’s place of residence had been easy enough to find after only a little asking around. He was told that she lived there with her aunt.
The red brick building stood in front of him, and he braced himself for what he had planned to do. Duncan had never done anything of this sort before in his life, and he tried to ignore the nervous knot in his stomach.
“Be a man, and do the right thing,” he muttered to himself.
It seemed that the residents of Kerling Estate had become aware of his arrival already as he saw the figure of an older woman waiting for him at the entrance. He realized that must be Sophia’s aunt.
“My Lady,” he greeted her politely, “Allow me to introduce myself…”
Lady Rose shook her head.
“Your Grace, since when are you in need of any sort of introduction?” she said with a warm smile. “I must say that I am quite surprised by your visit, but of course, Kerling Estate is here to welcome you any time.”
“Thank you, My Lady. Your hospitality means a great deal to me,” Duncan replied. “I hope that you were not occupied this afternoon as I was hoping to have a word with you.”
“Of course,” she smiled. “But we must do it the right way — over a nice cup of tea. Please, help yourself inside.”
She led him inside the estate and over to the drawing room. He was pleasantly surprised by how polite and welcoming her aunt was being. Given that he was the main reason why her niece’s reputation was now in tatters, she seemed to be treating him quite well.
Once they were inside the drawing room, Duncan cleared his throat once again. The nervous knot in his stomach returned once more as Lady Rose looked on at him expectantly.
“My Lady, the purpose of my visit this afternoon is quite formal,” he started, sticking to the script that he had prepared in his head beforehand. “Last night at the ball, I had the pleasure of making acquaintance with your niece, Lady Sophia. As you may know… that ended up being causing quite the stir.”
Lady Rose’s face turned serious, and Duncan noticed the worry lines creasing the side of her face. It gave away her age as she looked quite youthful otherwise.
“Yes, but Sophia told me about what happened,” she replied. “I trust her when she says that nothing happened between the two of you. It is a shame that the whole matter has been blown out of proportion.”
“So, you are well aware of what happened?”
“Of course. I know that neither of you had any bad intentions,” she pressed.
Duncan found it endearing how much she had faith in Sophia. Many people would be jumping to blame the woman.
“However, I need to know what your intention is now.”
“My Lady, I am here precisely for the reason you may think that I am. I want to do the honorable thing and ask for Lady Sophia’s hand in marriage.”
