“Is that so?”
“See?” Jacob grinned, satisfied with himself. “Your wife agrees with me, brother.”
“The ability to share a laugh…” the Duke repeated. “Well, I suppose that we will begin our search and keep you posted.”
“Please do not,” Jacob groaned.
“Oh, we will,” Sophia added playfully.
It felt incredibly freeing that Sophia no longer had to run away from her feelings. For one thing, she did not have to spend most of her time alone anymore.
She sat in her room with the Duke. He was sitting a few feet away from her on the bed and observing her from a distance.
“Were you serious about wanting to find a wife for Jacob?” she inquired.
“No, not particularly,” Duncan laughed. “I just wanted to tease him a little as the activity is too fun to pass up. I am sure that he will be able to find a match for himself when the time is right.”
“I suppose so,” she agreed. “I was not looking forward to playing matchmaker either. For one thing, my limited social circle makes me an awful candidate.”
The Duke chuckled and moved closer to her, now resting one of his hands on top of her shoulders. He began playing with her hair gently.
“Sophia…”
“Yes?” Sophia turned to face him, curiosity glimmering in her eyes.
“I have to ask you an important question.”
“And what might that be, Your…” Sophia stopped herself mid-way. “Duncan?”
“You must answer this for me,” he said. “Why did the lady bring a ladder to the ball?”
Sophia stared at him in confusion. Where was this coming from?
“Um, I am not sure. Perhaps she got the wrong address?”
Duncan laughed out loud at her answer and then shook his head. “No, she had heard that drinks were on the house.”
The ridiculousness of his joke caught Sophia by surprise, and she burst out laughing.
“Oh, my. Where did that come from?” she inquired.
“What do you call a well-mannered ghost at a gathering?” he asked, clearly not having exhausted his repertoire of jokes.
“Surprise me.”
“A genteel spirit,” he replied, and Sophia burst out laughing once again.
“I must say, you are being more amusing than usual,” she admitted, smiling ear to ear.
“Splendid. Then, my aim has been accomplished,” he replied. “You said that the key to a successful marriage is making each other laugh.”
“You held onto that?” Sophia felt touched that he had been paying so much attention to what she was saying. She had only made the remark in an off-hand manner to Jacob.
“Of course, I did. I have only just recently professed my love for you. Anything that helps me solidify our connection, I am willing to do,” he pointed out.
“That really means a lot to me,” she replied.
The two of them stared into each other’s eyes again. They were behaving like two love birds who could not get enough of each other.
