Were they sad for their daughter? Were they angry at the Duke? Did they think to console her, ask her what happened, or do anything that might suggest that they cared one wit about their eldest daughter and what was a most fragile situation that she was still struggling to come to terms with? Of course not!
As far as her parents were concerned, Sophia was to blame. Worse than that, they were not surprised because in their mind Sophia was the type who had this coming. As hard as she had tried her entire life to be the perfect daughter, they still saw her as a problem. And now that her marriage had failed, they were proven correct.
What followed were three days of pettiness much like the incident just now with the breakfast table. If Sophia thought how they had treated her before was strict, it was nothing compared to their new treatment. They seemed to think that what happened was a result of bad upbringing, and if they doubled down their efforts, that they might be able to mold her into someone whose marriage had not failed.
Or maybe they are just punishing me? There is no higher motive. They are not trying to correct bad mistakes. They are simply furious at me for what happened and this is how they show it.
Needless to say, Sophia broke her fast in silence, happy to pretend that she was not there… just as her mother was happy to pretend that she was not there also.
Her sister arrived at one stage too, and she was sure to ask if she might sit before doing so. When she did, she rolled her eyes at Sophia and Sophia smirked. But they did not speak, because her mother did not appreciate small talk.
It was just as Sophia was finishing her plate that she thought to rise from the table and be gone from her mother’s sight. Her mother was reading the morning paper, so best to slip out now before she had a chance to say anything else.
Sophia pushed back her chair to stand.
“What do we say?” her mother reminded her without looking up from the paper?
Sophia frowned.
“You did not ask to be excused,” her sister said under her breath so that only Sophia might hear it.
Sophia smiled gratefully at her younger sister before looking at her mother. “May I be excused?”
“How nice of you to ask.” A beat passed, Sophia frozen mid-stance. “Yes, you may be excused. But I want to see you upstairs in an hour. Practice, practice, practice.”
“Of course, Mother.”
“And your sister will be joining us,” her mother continued. “Try and set a good example.”
Her sister stuck her tongue out at that… but only when she was certain their mother was not watching.
It was the pianoforte that her mother was referring to. Now that Sophia was home, her lessons had returned. Typically, Sophia was forced to play how she used to, and predictably she found that she no longer enjoyed it as she once did.
So much had changed… Sophia especially.
Nonetheless, she put her head down and was about to hurry from the room when her father stormed in. One look at his face,how red it was with anger, and Sophia’s stomach dropped. She was the cause, she knew, and whatever the reason, it was sure to make this day even worse than it already was.
“You.” He pointed right at Sophia, who had taken just the single step away from the table. “You have some explaining to do.”
Sophia blinked. “Concerning?”
“What is this I hear of your husband being seen yesterday walking with Lady Clarissa Harwood? And not just walking! By all accounts, they looked very friendly.”
“Gabriel…” She swallowed and swayed. “He was… Lady Clarissa? That… that’s not…”
It was only three days ago that Sophia walked away from her marriage. Three days since she decided that she and Gabriel could not work, despite how much she wanted them to. And three days, apparently, was all it took for her husband to move on.
She had tried her best not to think of him – impossible to do, all things considered. Gabriel was everywhere that she went, living in every thought, present in every memory. He was impossible to escape from and would continue to be until Sophia was finally able to move on.
Do I even want to move on? That is what I struggle with. As upset as I am, as angry as I was, there is still a part of me thatloves Gabriel… just as there is a part of me that knows he loves me too.
It was hopeful, as well as deluded, but Sophia had not given up on Gabriel entirely. She knew how stubborn he was. Just as she knew that he cared for her. All they needed was time, she was sure, and then he would see what she knew for fact: that their marriage was far from over.
At least Sophia had thought that way. Now…
She stumbled as the world turned, latching out and grabbing a hold of the chair beside her for support. Her parents did not notice, both looking upon her with levelled fury and disgust in her actions. This was her doing, as far as they were concerned.
“Maybe it is nothing,” her sister suggested.
