A hesitant smile touched her lips. “Are you lost?”
“Am I?”
She nodded. “The entrance hall is that way.” Her gaze flickered in the opposite direction that he had been heading.
“Ah.” He swallowed, remembering how tender his throat still felt. The events of the night before came pouring back to him, but he really,reallydid not want to acknowledge them. However, he did owe Sophia some expression of gratitude, no matter how painful it would be to remind her how weak he had appeared. He rehearsed the words in his mind.
“I-I’m glad to see you well again,” she said before he could speak. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “You frightened me.”
Isaac should have exercised more caution, but he couldn’t help but look at her. In the morning light from the nearby window, her hair picked up the golden tones he remembered. In the light, he saw a few faint freckles on her nose, and one darker one near the top of her lip.
That one had always been there.
His heart physically ached at the sight of it, so he looked down at the floor. “You might advise your stepfather to keep his cashews to himself in the future.”
“I should hope he has learned his lesson.” Sophia’s voice wavered with amusement. “I sincerely apologize on his behalf.”
Isaac shook his head. “There is no need to do that. I survived.”
“Narrowly.”
“It seems I have you to thank.” He met her gaze. “You were the first to come to my aid.”
Sophia’s eyes rounded in denial. “I did nothing. I was worried, that was all. It quickly became clear that you were in noserious danger.” Her hands tightened around the book she held. She may not have intended it, but the motion drew his gaze to the title on the leather spine.
An Account of Curious Idiosyncrasies and Unnatural Complaints
A slow smile tugged on his mouth. “A bit of light morning reading?”
Sophia’s cheeks darkened a shade. “My stepfather sent me to fetch it from his library.” The words spilled out so effortlessly, Isaac almost believed them. Almost. He would have rather believed that she had awoken that morning thinking of him—worrying about him. His heart was weak, grasping onto the smallest shreds of hope. He quickly reminded himself of his place.
“Well, that was very thoughtful of him.”
“I thought so too.”
Isaac concealed his smile as he studied the blush on her cheeks. “What is it like to have Blackstone as your stepfather? Are all his dinner parties so eventful?”
Sophia seemed surprised that Isaac wished to continue their conversation. In truth, he was too. He should have been marching off in the opposite direction, but now his feet seemed to have embedded themselves in the marble floors. So long as Sophia was still standing there, he couldn’t move.
“Not quite.” Her laugh sent a spiral through Isaac’s stomach. It had been far too long since he had heard that sound, yet it was instantly familiar. “It is no secret that he is eccentric. But despite that, he has one of the most open and kind hearts I have ever known. That is why my mother married him. She is quite happy as his wife.”
“Blackstone said your mother is at Lanveneth?”
Sophia nodded. “The ‘regal Lady Blackstone’ is enjoying the spoils of being a viscountess. She now divides her time betweenhere, her husband’s estate in Norwich, and Cornwall. She will return to London in a few weeks.”
Isaac considered his reply carefully. If they were to move forward as new acquaintances, then speaking of Cornwall would be a dangerous subject. “Is Lanveneth House still in good repair?”
“The steward manages it well. I haven’t seen it in years.” Sophia’s voice faded, and she hugged the book tighter. “How is Morvoren?”
Isaac cleared his throat, flinching at the pain it caused. “I haven’t set foot there since my grandfather’s death.”
Silence fell between them for a long moment. Sophia brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I imagine your grandfather’s death was difficult for you.”
He felt a deep ache in his chest. Sophia didn’t know that his grandfather had died just moments after he had learned of her departure. She didn’t know how the two events had aligned so cruelly. “And your father’s death must have been difficult for you.”
Her clear blue eyes met his. “The loss was most difficult on Prudence. There were days I feared she couldn’t bear it. He fell ill so suddenly.” Her forehead creased.
“Prudence seems to be enjoying London at least.”
