He glanced down at her, his brow creased in a frown. ‘I thought you suggested we go home.’ His expression cleared. ‘But of course, you meant for me to take you back to your family and for me to go to my home.’ He shook his head. ‘I am sorry, my brain seems to be elsewhere today.’ He made to slow the greys.
‘Oh, you were taking us to Glanmore House?’ Her stomach fluttered, a warmth spreading through her, one it was impossible for her to tamp down.
‘Yes, but I can quite see why you would not want to spend any further time with a man with fewer wits than an apple.’ He shot a look at her maid. ‘My sisters-in-law have been asking me to invite you to take tea with them and they always provide the best cakes. We could visit with them now.’
She laughed, whether his comment about being less intelligent than a piece of fruit was meant to be funny or not. ‘I thought you wished to be alone with your thoughts, but I am quite happy to take tea with your sisters-in-law at Glanmore House, if you think they would not mind the late intrusion.’
‘I think they would very much enjoy getting to know you better.’
A bubble of excitement shot through her veins, surprising her with its intensity. She could argue that it was because her family would be disappointed if she returned too quickly with no news to share, but that would be a lie.Shedidn’t want to be parted from him just yet, and it wasn’t because she was developing inappropriate feelings for her pretend betrothed. If his quiet mood was nothing to do with spending time with her, then she wanted to know if there was anything she could do to make him feel better. They were becoming friends, and so far, it had been he who had done her all the favours, not the other way around.
‘If you are sure…’ Although he was waiting for her confirmation, he did not attempt to turn the greys around.
‘I am. I am still not convinced that my mind did not conjure up the Blue Lounge as a reaction to the shock of the situation. I would be grateful to learn if it really isthatblue.’
His lips lightly curved, some of the light coming back into his gaze. ‘It is a blast to the senses, but when you see it for the second time, you will realise that it is even more extreme than you first thought.’
Sinking back into the comfortable seat, feeling much happier than she had only moments before, Sophia allowed herself to enjoy travelling next to a man who was more than competent in driving his horses. They didn’t speak for the rest of the journey, and she watched as the animals trotted obediently ahead of them, his long fingers guiding the reins with apparent ease. His hands were broad and lightly tanned and she wondered what he did for exercise, because his arms had the look of a man who did not spend his days idle. Even beneath his jacket, she could make out the curve of his muscled arms, and she knew they were often the subject of much discourse amongst the unmarried ladies. Not one for ogling men, she had not given them much thought before today, but she had to admit that they were rather fine after all.
Glanmore House was as spectacular as she remembered and her breath caught in her throat as they made their way down the driveway. Coming from a fairly wealthy family, it was still rare to see such examples of immense wealth.
She expected Christopher to drive to the wide steps at the front of the house and for a groom to come and take away the carriage, but she was surprised again when he headed straight for the stables. A young groom came out to greet them, all smiles for Christopher, who jumped down from the carriage and engaged in a brief but friendly conversation about the young man’s health. Her parents had never been overly formal with their staff, but she had never seen anyone from the Ton act like this around someone whom they would not consider their equal. Christopher’s teeth flashed as he smiled, his hands running repeatedly through his thick hair whenever he spoke.
Before long, he was round to her side of the carriage, smiling up at her, whatever mood he had been in before apparently gone.
‘Once again,’ he said, ‘I owe you an apology. I did not mean to leave you sitting there. I have been a poor host this afternoon; please feel free to scold me.’
She waved away his concern. ‘I am most content to wait. It seemed like an important conversation.’
He held up his hand, and she took it, the warmth of his skin cutting through their gloves as he helped her down. She did not want to dwell on howthatmade her feel. Tingling skin and fluttering hearts were not for a faux betrothed.
‘It was. The young lad is rather sweet on my sister-in-law’s lady’s maid. I was asking if he had made any progress in his wooing of her.’
Sophia stopped in her tracks. ‘You were encouraging him?’
Some of the light in Christopher’s eyes dimmed. ‘You think that I should not?’
She couldn’t understand why he looked surprised; surely, he must know as well as she did what it would mean to the lad if this went on. ‘If it progresses further, they will lose their employment. What will happen to them then?’ Love was all well and good, but it did not put food on people’s tables. Christopher may be wealthy, but she would have thought he’d have understood that. While Sophia would not starve if she did not marry, life would not be all that pleasant for an unmarried spinster either. Love was a luxury that few could afford and that all-encompassing love that some claimed to feel was a motivation for destruction in most cases. You only had to look at her sisters, who fell in and out of love on a weekly basis, to know that it was a fallacy and certainly not something this young man should risk.
Christopher nodded slowly. ‘I see what you are saying, but perhaps he thinks his love is worth it.’
‘I doubt he will think so when he and his wife are starving because they no longer have a place to work.’
‘Tobias would not let it come to that,’ Christopher said as he helped Sophia’s maid down from the carriage too.
She found that hard to believe. She doubted His Grace, the Duke of Glanmore, ever showed anyone a soft side. He had the stern look of a man who would rip your head off if you dared to breathe in the wrong way. But she was not about to voice that opinion to anyone, let alone his brother. It would be social suicide to suggest that a duke was anything less than perfect and it would be beyond rude to criticise a man when you were about to walk into his home.
‘I can see from your face that you do not believe me.’ Christopher’s lips were curled in a slight smile. ‘If I had not come to know my brother better over the last year or so, I would agree with everything you are too polite to say. But, now that I have, I think it is possible there is a soft-hearted man beneath his hard exterior. Even if that were not true, neither myself nor my older brothers would let two people starve. Indeed, Freddie and Edward are sickeningly in love with their own wives and have become positively sentimental about romance since that started.’
‘That is—’ she searched around for a word that described the surprising revelation and settled on ‘—unusual.’
‘Quite.’ He turned and called over to the groom in question, requesting that the man show Sophia’s maid where the kitchens were so that she could have some refreshments. Once the servants were walking away, he said, ‘I know I mentioned taking tea with Emily and Kate, but would you like to take a turn around the garden? It is lovely at this time of year. We can discuss our lists in private there. Or would you prefer to have tea? I cannot guarantee that we will be granted respite from my brothers, however. For a large house, it is astoundinghow many of them one can stumble across when one is trying to discuss something private.’
‘A walk in the garden sounds lovely.’
Instead of entering Glanmore House by a side door, Christopher led her on a path that took them through a gate and into a section of perfectly manicured lawn. It was almost as if someone had got down on their hands and knees and measured each blade of grass to ensure they were all exactly the same height. Little wickets were set at various stages, obviously laid out for a game of pall-mall.
‘Are you any good?’ she asked, gesturing to the wickets.
