“The Duke has to marry,” she blubbered, trying to keep the tears away. “Something to do with his inheritance. And he asked me to be his bride because…” She laughed bitterly. “I don’t even know.”
“Because he likes you,” Helena said.
“No.” Sophia pulled away. “If anything, it is the opposite. He thinks I am boring. That I am too proper. He married me notbecause he wants me, but because he wants to see if he can corrupt me, or something to that effect.”
“Corrupt you how?”
“He seemed to think that I was unhappy, just as he seemed to think that marriage to him would make me happy. Freedom, he called it. This is a marriage of convenience, and once we are wed, we will be little more than strangers living together. This whole thing…” She threw up her hands. “It is a mistake.”
Anna and Helena looked at one another, their concern evident.
“Sophia…” Anna took her hand again. “If that is the case, why did you say yes?”
Sophia scoffed. “I wish I knew.”
“But you do know,” Anna pressed on her. “There must have been a reason.”
“I…” Sophia hesitated as she considered her answer. “I suppose I was excited by what he offered. He promised me freedom, from everything. That once we married, I could do as I wished, act as I pleased, be the person my parents never allowed. And it sounded like a nice idea at the time…”
“Is it not still?” Anna asked. “What has changed?”
Sophia frowned. “I just told you. I do not know him.”
“So?” Anna shrugged. “You did not say yes because you knew him. You said yes because you wanted this so-called freedom, no? And so long as he offers it still, what is there to worry about?”
“Anna!” Helena hissed. “You are not helping.”
“I am!” Anna cried. “Sophia, do you love His Grace?”
“What? No,” Sophia said.
“And do you wish that you did?” she followed up.
Sophia frowned… and then she smiled, suddenly understanding what her friend was saying. “Of course not. I don’t think he wants such a thing.”
“What does he want?”
She shook her head and sighed. “A marriage of convenience only. As he said, I am free to do what I wish, once we are wed.”
“This is a good thing.” Anna pulled her hand into her chest. “I know it does not seem that way but try and see it as such. As I see it, going into a marriage where you are not expected to fall in love certainly removes a lot of pressure. More than that, itgives you the freedom to care only about yourself. What could be better than that?”
“It’s not much of a marriage then,” Helena muttered.
“Exactly,” Anna grinned. “You have a chance to live your life how you want it. You truly will be free, Sophia. And the Duke cannot stop you!” Her eyes were wide with excitement. “You are an Untamed Heart.”
Sophia thought to roll her eyes at her friend, but she stayed the action, replacing it with a smile that she did not mean to share.
Anna is correct. This marriage is not a life sentence, but a blessing, and I should see it that way. I need to see it that way.
So what if the Duke did not care for her? So what if they were strangers? Was that not the entire point? And so long as nothing changed, Sophia had every reason to look forward to what her life might bring.
Smiling now, she turned and looked at herself a final time in the mirror. She wore a golden gown, her hair out in ringlets, and her milky skin glistened in the light. She looked beautiful, radiant and, most of all, she looked free.
The Duke was everything he said, so she had no reason to think he would change his mind. And so long as nothing changed between them, this marriage would stay as promised.
And what reason will there possibly be for things to change?None that she could think of, that was for sure. Yes, this marriage was a good idea, and Sophia had to believe it. Her life was not over, but just starting anew, and she would be ready for whatever came her way.
The old Sophia was dead, and it was time she accepted the fact.
