With gratitude, Sophia Grant.She could add nothing more. He would be hurt. He would recover. She could not think of him. She could not stop thinking of him.
She bit hard into the inside of her cheek. She must address the letter before tears ruined her efforts. She did not have it in her to write these words again.
“Katie,” she said, the exhaustion shallow in her voice, “have this delivered. And then leave me awhile.”
“But, miss…”
“Do as I bid you. There is no harm that can befall me now that could increase the pain I already suffer. I do not wish to be watched while I mourn.”
“Yes, miss,” Katie answered sadly. She carried the letter from the room, and with it, the finality of Sophia’s decision. She closed the door behind her with a soft click. To Sophia, it was the sickening sound of a tomb being sealed. And she was alone within it.
Chapter Eight
Tobias did notlift the brass knocker on the door. There was still time to turn back. He could feign illness, say his uncle needed him, make up an unforeseen emergency. Miss Grant’s letter had been so cold, so distant; it was enough to overcome evenhisboundless enthusiasm.
Almost.
In a secret chamber of his heart, he kept the tiniest flame of hope alive. The speed and force with which she had thrown up her defenses were just another manifestation of her insecurity. He was determined to flush it out, once and for all.
Yet he stood and did not knock.
His uncle’s warnings rang in his ears. “Do not push too hard. There is sorrow in this house.”He could not deny the wisdom in being cautious. But time was running out. The situation required drastic measures. He had tried his uncle’s way. He had been polite and formal. It had not worked. It had only driven the woman he loved further into herself. For her to abruptly end all correspondence was an extreme action. He would have to match it with his own.
Tobias squared his shoulders. The lovely, brilliant Miss Sophia Grant would be lost to him if his courage failed him. He reached out and, after a brief moment of hesitation, tapped the door with the knocker. It seemed too insignificant a sound to call anyone forth, yet the door swung open, and the butler appeared,his expression predictably neutral, except… Was that a twinkle in his eye?
“Ah, Mr. Mannerly. You are expected.” The twinkling butler waved his arm toward the entrance and stepped aside to allow Tobias in. “If you will follow me.”
Tobias did so, passing the dining room, where he had already made happy memories. This time, however, they came to a halt outside the drawing room, where the heat of a fire pulsed through the doorway. The door was ajar, and the footman knocked softly.
“Mr. Mannerly is here, Miss Grant.”
There was a slightly longer pause than expected. Tobias could imagine Miss Grant’s body stiffening with apprehension. Perhaps she was also straightening her skirts, or putting aside her sewing. Eventually, after several seconds that extended unbearably in silence, she said, “Thank you. You may go. I have Katie with me.”
The butler nodded to Tobias, twitching away the beginning of a smile, and strode back down the way they had come. A shrewd little face appeared at the door and a hand indicated for him to enter. It was not the elegant hand of Miss Grant, with her long, delicate fingers. There were no dark locks framing handsome features.
As soon as Tobias followed the girl into the room, he spotted Miss Grant on the chaise lounge. His heart soared at the sight of her, all doubts and agitation forgotten. He rushed toward her, his hands extended to grasp hers. He brought the tips of her fingers to his lips and pressed his affection warmly upon them, ignoring the horrified gasp of her lady’s maid.
Miss Grant pulled her hands free, wrapping the hand he had kissed inside the other. “Mr. Mannerly,” she said, her voice strained, “won’t you sit down?”
She was aloof, as she had been in her letter. And yet, her face was flushed, and her eyes were cast shyly away from him. She continued to clasp the hand he had bestowed his tender kiss upon. It did not seem to be the tight clench of regret, but rather a sort of cradling, as if she silently savored the memory of his touch.
He should have been confused. Instead, her inconsistencies gave him confidence that he had read the situation correctly. He had observed this exact behavior repeatedly at dinner two nights before. She had desired him and doubted him, both at once. Of that, he was convinced. When he had asked to meet with her father, she must have guessed what hope filled his heart. And because the poor creature did not think herself worthy, she would not let him try. It was just like her to throw up a barrier to protect herself. If she ended things with him, she could hide herself away once more. If he did not meet her father, he could not ask for her hand. This would be her reasoning.
Well, she was wrong.
Whatever her father’s so-called faults might be, Tobias was not discouraged. After all, it was not Mr. Conrad Grant he hoped to marry. He would insist upon the meeting. He would stand his ground. He would show her he was consistent and true. And she wouldhaveto relent. How could she not if he but loved her enough?
Since he knew she would only try to discourage him, he would not give her the opportunity. He must take the matter by the horns, and do it now.
He gripped the nearest armchair and pulled it up next to the chaise lounge. Miss Grant watched him with the startled expression of someone quite out of her depth. He ignored it and leaned forward, bringing his body even closer, so that she looked at Katie in a mute panic. He gave her no chance to speak. He would not let her protest. Today, no matter how she squirmedunder the reality of it, she would know the full measure of his devotion.
“Miss Grant,” he began, “thank you for seeing me. I understand full well what you have summoned me to say. But there is something I would have you know.” He turned his head toward Katie. “Might we speak in private?”
Miss Grant shook her head. “That is quite impossible. I am surprised you would ask, sir. I thought you were a man who valued my reputation.”
Tobias wanted to kick himself. He had barely said two words, and already he had offended her. He would have to do better, and fast.
“I assure you, my intentions are entirely honorable. But the matter I wish to discuss is…sensitive.”
