“I am a fearsome dragon!” Oliver roared, his small face scrunched in concentration. “And I am going to eat you!”
“No!” Rosie ducked behind a potted plant. “Princesses cannot be eaten!”
“It is a rule,” Nancy added solemnly, clutching her sister’s arm.
Sophia found herself smiling, genuinely this time.
Alice appeared at her side, pressing a glass of champagne into her hand. “You look as though you need this.”
“Do I look that overwhelmed?”
“You look like a woman who has married a duke after a three-day engagement.” Alice’s eyes softened. “Which is to say, yes. A bit overwhelmed.”
Lady Brimsey joined them, her own glass of champagne in hand. “The ton will talk, of course. They always do. But I heard something rather delicious this morning.”
Sophia tensed. “What did you hear?”
“Lord Drakeston has left London.” Her mother’s voice carried a note of satisfaction. “Quite suddenly, it seems. No one knows where he has gone, only that he departed the morning after the house party ended. Some say he received a visit from the Duke of Heatherwell before he left.”
Sophia glanced at Edward, who stood several feet away, deep in conversation with Hugo. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up.
Her breath caught. The warmth in his eyes, so unexpected from a man who had seemed carved from ice only weeks ago, sent a flush creeping up her neck. She felt seen in a way she had not experienced before, as though he understood exactly what this news meant to her without a single word passing between them.
Sophia drew Alice away from the other guests. “Our solicitor came to our house this morning. He informed us that the debt has been paid. All of it. Edward settled everything before the wedding.” She swallowed against the tightness in her throat. “And apparently, she made it very clear to Drakeston that if heso much breathed a word about my family, he would find himself ruined in ways he could not imagine.”
Alice’s eyes widened. “Sophia, this is wonderful news.”
Sophia’s chest tightened. She had known Edward would pay the debts. He had promised. But hearing it confirmed that morning, knowing that the shadow that had hung over her family for three years had finally lifted…
She did not know whether to laugh or cry.
“He is a good man.” Alice squeezed her hand. “Whatever else happens, remember that.”
The guests departed in a slow trickle as the afternoon wore on. Sophia stood beside Edward in the entrance hall, bidding farewell to each one, until finally only family remained.
Her mother drew her aside, her cheeks flushed, her hands fluttering with unusual nervousness.
“Sophia, darling. There is something I must… that is to say, about tonight…” She cleared her throat. “When a husband and wife are alone together for the first time, there are certain… expectations.”
Sophia took pity on her. “Mama. I know what happens on a wedding night.”
Her mother’s eyes widened. “You do?”
“Jane told me. Years ago.” Sophia managed a small smile. “You do not need to worry.”
Relief flooded Lady Brimsey’s face. She pulled Sophia into a tight embrace. “My brave girl. My wonderful, brave girl.”
When they parted, her mother crossed to where Edward stood speaking with Thomas. She curtsied, and Edward inclined his head.
“Your Grace.” Lady Brimsey’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I wanted to thank you. For everything. For paying the debts, for protecting my family, for?—”
Edward raised a hand. “Lady Brimsey. We are family now.” His voice was quiet but firm. “And family protects family.”
Sophia’s mother smiled, her eyes glistening. She reached up and patted his cheek, a gesture so maternal that Edward blinked in surprise.
“Take care of my daughter. She deserves to be taken care of, for once.”
She kneeled to embrace Oliver, who tolerated the affection with the air of a young lord granting a boon. Then she was gone, the door closing behind her, and Sophia stood in the entrance hall of Heatherwell House as its new mistress.
