“Come…” Helena led her toward the drawing room. “And one drink!”
It was five minutes later when Sophia found a glass of wine in her hand. She nursed it as she stood toward the corner of the drawing room, avoiding the small crowd, thinking that she needed to finish this wine and go home.My parents will be wondering where I am…
“It might be bold of me to say…” Through the crowd, the Duke appeared. He looked pleased to find her alone, as if this was all part of a game. “But are you hiding from me?”
“I am nor hiding or so much as thinking of you,” she said back, choosing to take a sip of wine to distract herself with. And then, she had another.
“I am glad,” he said. “And I wish to apologize, Miss Sophia. Truly, I do.”
She started at that. “You… you do?”
“You sound surprised.” His smile faded and the look he wore might have almost convinced her that he was being serious. But it was his eyes that gave it away, brimming with humor and silent mockery.
“I did not think you have the capability.” She shrugged and had another sip of wine.
He laughed as he stepped toward her, standing to cut them off from the room. “Can I be honest with you? The reason I have spoken to you the way I have been is…” He clicked his tongue. “Curiosity.”
She frowned… and then had another sip of wine. “What do you mean?”
“You played well yesterday,” he said with sincerity that made her heart pang.Why do I care what he thinks?“And my words, while seemingly harsh, were meant as a compliment.”
“Is that right?”
“You have talent,” he continued. “So much that anyone can see it. But until you manage to lower those walls you hide behind, you will never aspire to your true potential.”
Sophia blinked at the comment… and then had another sip of wine. She wanted to believe that he was still mocking her, but he sounded sincere, and even the humor had left his eyes.
What is he trying to say? And why does he even care? He says that he is not being insulting, but he must know that he is. What is he playing at?
“I do not know what you mean,” she said with as much calm as she could. She went to have another sip of wine but found the glass empty. “There are no walls. I am not hiding behindanything. I am who I am, and the way I play is born from a lifetime of practice and nothing more.”
“And that right there is the problem.”
“I do not have a problem.”
“You do, Miss Sophia…” He took a step closer and she caught her breath. “Tell me, if you will, when was the last time you did something for yourself?”
She blinked in confusion and leaned back because he was standing very close… far too close, so that she could smell his musk and see the sweat glistening on his skin. “For myself… I do not know what you –”
“I know about you,” he continued, his voice lowering. “Your upbringing. Your parents,” he scoffed. “More than that, I know your type. You spend your whole life doing as you are told, and now you are convinced that’s the only way to live. But there must be something that you want…” Somehow, he stepped even closer. The room was full but it felt as if they were the only two in it. Sophia’s heart thumped and her knees began to wobble. “Something you crave that your parents would never allow. That you have convinced yourself is wrong, even if you cannot fathom why. What is it?”
Sophia suddenly felt exposed in ways she never had before.
The room, while full, was smaller than she realized. The voices that hummed throughout fell silent. Her heart thumped loudly, rushing blood to her ears. Her breathing was ragged. And the Duke stood over her so that the entire world seemed to exist for him and him alone.
What did Sophia want? She could not say. She had never thought about it. Once, she might have done. Times were that she had dared to wonder what her life would be like were her parents not so… strict. But that was not her world, so why think about it?
“I… I…” She stammered as she searched for an answer. She tried to tell herself that the Duke’s words did not matter, that she did not care. But if that was the case, why did they affect her so much? “I need some air, thank you.”
She put her head down and stepped around the Duke.
Then she walked through the room, avoiding gazes, trying to be invisible. Across the room was a small balcony that overlooked the back garden of the estate, and she stumbled through it, gasping as the cool night air hit her.
She moved to the railing, her breathing heavy, her mind turning as she tried to gain control. She was not used to this. She was not used to being undone by… by what? By words? By ideas that she did not even agree with? It was so unlike her!
“Miss Sophia…” His voice came from the doorway.
“Go away,” she said without turning around. “Please.”
