“Unless, of course, I am secretly trying to sabotage your marriage to my brother.”
Sophia stared at him in horror.She did not know him well enough just yet to effectively gauge if he was joking or not.
“I am only joking.” Jacob burst out laughing once again. “The shock on your face makes it worthwhile each time.”
“I will require some time to get used to your playful nature.” Sophia shook her head, laughing. “But I do appreciate it a lot. My aunt, who is like a mother to me, has an excellent sense of humor herself. It always brightens up my day.”
“Indeed, a life without laughter is life wasted,” Jacob observed. They had walked a fair distance from the garden now, and along the borders of the Estate ran a river. Jacob directed Sophia’s attention over to it.
“This is where we all come when we want to clear our mind,” Jacob said.
“It is indeed quite beautiful,” Sophia replied, a slight hesitation to her voice. She did not follow Jacob when he started to move closer to the border.
“Would you not like to see it up close?” Jacob asked, confused. “It is quite the spectacular view.”
“No, thank you. I am fine where I am,” she replied politely, shaking her head.
Even since the accident, she had developed a real fear of bodies of water. Just being near them was enough to invoke traumatic memories for her. Jacob must have seen the fear on her face, and he started to walk back towards her.
“Then, I shall not go either. We can stroll in the grass instead,” he suggested.
“I find that to be a much more suitable offer,” she agreed.
As they began to stroll, Sophia noticed Jacob stealing subtle glances at her scar.
“It is my turn now to tell you that you should not hold back,” she said. “I am sure you are wondering if you should address the elephant in the room… the scar on the side of my face.”
She did not like discussing her scar much, but over the years, she had learned to do so. After all, it was only natural that people were curious when they saw it.
“I did not want to appear rude, My Lady.” Jacob rubbed the side of his arm. “But I was curious to know what had happened. Of course, I have heard whispers, but I try not to focus on gossip. I would much rather that I hear from you.”
“That is noble of you. Surely, the gossip is not kind,” Sophia noted. “If you must know, then, many years ago, my family and I were travelling in a carriage when we were met by an… accident.”
She felt herself choke up once again, but she willed herself to not show weakness in front of him.
“Our carriage crashed into the river. It proved to be fatal for them, and I was the only survivor.”
As she recited the story, she realized that she had finally learned how to separate her emotion from it. Earlier, she would not be able to repeat it without bursting into tears, but the years had hardened her.
“I am so sorry, My Lady. That is indeed a tragic loss. It is a testament to your courage that you are standing here, telling it.”
Or a testament to my curse…She decided to not share that part of her thoughts with Jacob.
“It happened, and I cannot change it,” she replied with a melancholic smile. “I have learnt that life is never fair, and these things happen without any warning.”
“I cannot even fathom it,” Jacob replied. “The closest I have gotten to that sort of grief is when our father passed away.”
“That must have been difficult,” Sophia consoled, and then she remembered what the Duke had told her about his late father. It was clear that he did not have a favorable opinion of him.
“Let us say that it left me with a mixture of emotions,” Jacob replied. “My father was a difficult person, but my experience with him was not as bad as the Duke’s.”
“Is that so?” Sophia’s curiosity sparked once again.
“Indeed. However, I do not wish to bore you with the details. I am thankful that you chose to share your story with me, but I believe that we should move away from such heavy topics.”
Sophia nodded.
“Perhaps we should start to head back now…” she suggested. “The Dowager must be wondering where we are.”
