“Matthew.” She gave him a brilliant smile. “It’s so good to see you.”
Calling him by his given name aside, her manner was entirely pleasant and polite. He didn’t know what he’d expected—a snarling, angry banshee, perhaps—but this certainly wasn’t it. He made his way down the boarding house steps and tugged on the brim of his hat in greeting. “Miss Timperman. I trust you’re doing well?”
“I am, although much better now that I’m talking with you.” Her smile faltered just a little.
He waited a second, bracing for the anger that Sophia said Miss Timperman had unleashed on her. But Miss Timperman’s smile reappeared as if she’d threatened exactly no one earlier that day.
“My wife said you paid her a visit this afternoon,” he said carefully.
Her smile twitched again, and then fell away. He dug his nails into his palms, waiting.
“I did. I thought . . . well, I suppose I hoped we might become friends.” She clasped her hands and looked down. “But I don’t believe she wishes to be my friend.”
Matthew furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not a gossip, Matthew. I don’t like to tell tales or speak ill of anyone, but this time . . .” She shook her head. “Mrs. Canton was so rude to me that I hardly knew what to say or do. She told me that if I didn’t leave town immediately, she’d see to it that I’d regret staying.” She looked up at him then, her eyes rimmed in watery tears.
And Matthew didn’t know what to think. “That’s . . . . Surely you misunderstood. She told me that you said something similar to her.”
Miss Timperman pressed a hand to her heart. “If I offended her in any way, I didn’t mean to. I don’t know how I would have, though. I didn’t mean to cause her any distress.”
“I . . . I’ll tell her.” Matthew stood awkwardly, shoving his hands into his trousers pockets.
“Well, good night, then.” She gave him another bright smile before climbing the steps and going into the boarding house.
Matthew stared at the closed door. He didn’t know what had happened now. He believed Sophia, but perhaps she had misinterpreted Miss Timperman’s words. And as irritated as he’d been with Miss Timperman’s reaction upon learning he’d married Sophia, it was difficult to imagine her threatening Sophia—just as it was impossible to imagine Sophia doing the same to Miss Timperman.
They must have misunderstood one another.
Feeling more certain in his assessment, Matthew left the boarding house.
When he reached home, he found Sophia outside, sitting in a rocking chair on the back porch and reading a newspaper. He smiled at the image before him. It seemed each day Sophia surprised him with some new, fascinating aspect of her personality. “I didn’t know you took an interest in the newspapers.”
She looked up, her smile as lovely as ever. Unlike Miss Timperman’s grin, Sophia’s felt like home. The moment he saw it, Matthew felt at ease, as if he could finally shed the cares of the day and rest his feet.
“I like to know what’s happening in the world,” she said, setting the paper on the little wooden table next to the rocker. She stood and met him at the porch steps. “How did you find Miss Timperman? Was she remorseful or angry?”
Matthew leaned against the nearby column. “I believe this was all a misunderstanding between the two of you.”
Sophia lifted her eyebrows. “I most certainly didn’tmisunderstandthat she said I’d regret it mightily if I didn’t seek to annul our marriage.”
Matthew drew in a breath. He didn’t want to anger her. Both women seemed set on what they thought they’d heard. He only wanted peace between them, especially considering it seemed Miss Timperman wasn’t leaving anytime soon.
“She misheard what you said, too. She thought you threatened her if she didn’t leave town.” He spoke carefully, hoping Sophia would see what had most likely happened.
But instead, her eyes narrowed and she straightened. “Do you believe her words over mine?”
“No, I don’t,” he said honestly. “But I don’t think she meant you any harm. Just as I know you didn’t mean her harm.”
Sophia shook her head slowly, as if she couldn’t believe what he was saying. “No, what I said was true. You weren’t here. The way she said it . . . it wasn’t just the words she spoke. I had goosepimples from the way she looked at me, Matthew. Did you convince her to leave?”
He paused before he spoke. “I didn’t ask her to. After she told me what she thought had happened, I saw the misunderstanding—”
“Itwasn’ta misunderstanding.” Sophia clenched her hands at her sides. “Don’t you remember how angry she was when she found out we were married?”
“Yes, and you convinced me to give her the benefit of the doubt. Sophia . . . I believe you may have to ask that of yourself now.” He reached out for her hand, but she stepped away.
“No. I won’t do that. Not after she came here and—and—” She let out a breath of frustration. “I can’t believe you wouldn’t insist she leave after what she said.”
