After sponging himself off and changing, he returned to the sitting room with a drink to wait for Sophia and his brother.
His mind wrestled with the way things had changed in so short a time, and how they would change in the future.
One thing was certain: he loved Sophia and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
The question was, would she want the same thing if she was no longer the goat girl? Would she still love him if she was suddenly a lady?
He mulled over the idea for the better part of an hour, until he heard the front door open as his brother arrived. There were loud, cheerful voices as Rawlings attended to the men and guards, and a moment later, Kellan walked into the sitting room.
“How’d it go?” Caspian asked, shooting to his feet.
“She’s locked up,” Kellan said with a sigh, sitting down in his favorite chair. “The king wants to speak to Sophia and Rosaleen tomorrow, but he liked Lord Manning and remembered his daughter, so it seems likely that justice will be done, if it is in fact true. How did you fare on that score?”
“Rosaleen says it’s true,” Caspian said, sitting back down, too. “So now all that’s left is to convince the king of it, I suppose.”
“Convince the king of what?” a beautiful voice said from the doorway.
Both men stood and Caspian couldn’t stop the smile that took over his face at the sight of his Sophia.
She was wearing one of his mother’s gowns, a dark green that made her pale skin and dark hair appear even more dramatic. She smiled shyly at him, and he crossed the room to her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her hair. “You look beautiful, darling,” he said, releasing her to look at her again. “This dress is perfect on you.”
“All your mother’s doing, once again,” she said with a laugh before turning to Kellan. “What news from the palace?”
“We have an appointment to see the king tomorrow,” Kellan said. “He’s inclined to believe it’s true.”
Sophia took a deep breath and reached out for Caspian’s hand. “And then we can go home?” she asked.
“And then we can go home,” Caspian said, squeezing her hand.
They should probably speak to the manager of the Manning estates before they did so…but he would bring that up tomorrow. He might not even be in Riyel, and they’d have to send a letter to summon him.
Rawlings came up behind Sophia and cleared his throat. “Dinner will be served in thirty minutes, Lord Kellan, if you wish to change.”
Kellan nodded. “Right. I’ll be back.”
Caspian drew Sophia back to the sofa they’d sat on earlier. “How was your bath?” he asked with a smile.
“The most wonderful thing I’ve ever experienced,” Sophia said with a smile. “I could get used to being a lady if that’s what baths are like.”
“You can have as many baths as you want,” Caspian said, shaking his head at her eager expression. “If that’s all it takes to make you happy.”
He was just glad she no longer seemed focused on what the following day would bring. But while she may have forgotten it, he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it.
Would the king recognize her as Lady Manning? Or would the snake of a woman who’d imprisoned his Sophia for years be allowed to go free?
Chapter twenty-one
Sophia
Sophia’shandstrembledasshe allowed a maid to pin up her hair.
Today was the day. Arguably the biggest day of her life.
Today she would find out if she was Lady Sophia Manning, or if she was simply Sophia the goat girl.
“You look lovely, Lady Sophia,” the maid said.
Sophia had forgotten her name.
