Page 14 of The Duke’s Cursed Virgin (Cursed Brides #3)

Chapter Thirteen

“ I never knew how much I loved that sort of music until tonight!” Anna gushed, her hands clasped dreamily to her chest.

There was a delighted look on her face that Sophia could understand. She might not be as impressed, but she had no regrets about being there. Lady Holton’s efforts were not for naught, though it was Lord Holton who looked even more puffed up and ready to engage several of the gentlemen in conversation.

Everyone seemed famished after the performance, with guests looking relieved to walk toward the grand parlor, where food and drinks were served. Conversation replaced the music, creating a rhythm—a hum. It wasn’t unpleasant, and even Sophia could not help but smile.

Her stomach grumbled as she smelled the various pastries on offer. She thought she’d take a mulled wine for herself, too. She watched the servants move gracefully, carrying trays and refilling glasses. Lady Holton must be so proud.

“It went well, didn’t it?” Anna prodded.

Sophia realized that she had not responded to her friend yet.

“Oh. Yes! As you may have noticed, I am entranced by everything. Your mother did an excellent job, especially with such a grand event!” she said passionately, gesticulating with her hands.

“But you must have heard her say all kinds of things about my sense of responsibility and taste,” Anna said, winking at her. “How I had so many skills and talents that made this all possible.”

“I did not miss that at all.” Sophia laughed. “But you may just find yourself a match. I noticed many young men’s eyes following you around.”

“Ah. You noticed that?” Anna asked playfully, twirling a ringlet around her finger. “I hope they are not looking for a wife who would be scrambling about, organizing balls and musicales, like my mother did. But what I noticed the most was a certain devilish-looking duke who could not keep his eyes off you.”

“How would you even know that? That would mean you were watching him the whole time!’

“Oh, well, every time I discreetly glanced his way, his eyes were on you. He was not watching the orchestra.”

“He was probably listening to it intently,” Sophia countered, but her voice dropped to a low murmur when she realized that Lady Holton and Aunt Mary were heading in their direction. “Uh, I am taking more of the fruit and cheese.”

A footman quickly placed more fruit and cheese on her plate. She nodded at him gratefully, mouthing her thanks.

Anna was more interested in talking than eating, but her plate was also soon piled with pastries.

Sophia wondered what Aunt Mary would think of their eating habits.

“Hmm. Well, it looks like someone needs some reassurance that it went well,” Anna whispered, referring to her mother.

“Hush!” Sophia mock-scolded. “It was a triumph. Your mother deserves all the accolades. It is satisfying to see everyone enjoying themselves!”

The two young women sat on two salon chairs next to each other.

“Oh, they walked past us,” Anna observed.

True enough, the two older women did not take the seats near them. They headed toward the guests, who were still milling about, getting refreshments.

“I suppose it is expected that they would check on the guests’ well-being,” Sophia said, nodding with approval.

Before Anna could respond to that, shadows seemed to settle over them as a group of women their age approached. All of them were dressed in the latest fashions and adorned with sparkling jewels. What made Sophia flinch was not any of those things and how they contrasted with her old dress—it was the expression on the ladies’ faces.

Curiosity in some. Pure malice in others.

Take Lady Beatrice Langley, for example. She was a tall and beautiful woman, and she was obviously the leader of the group. What would she gain from torturing Sophia?

And yet here they were.

“Miss Martin, we enjoyed the musicale. Everyone is talking about it, and we heard that you are responsible for much of the details,” Lady Beatrice praised. She might be smiling, but she still looked haughty.

“Thank you, Lady Beatrice.” Anna tried her utmost best to reply politely, Sophia could tell. She also saw how her friend’s knuckles had whitened. “My mother would be pleased to know that you found the musicale entertaining.”

“Ah, Lady Sophia,” Miss Harriet Whitmore chimed in. She tilted her head as if Sophia was an exotic animal. “Well, how lovely to see that you’ve decided to stay in London.”

Miss Whitmore did not look like she found it lovely that Sophia was still in London. To be perfectly earnest, Sophia would rather return to Scotland at that very moment. There were two reasons she was still there—Anna and her duty to her aunt.

Therefore, she did not have the final say on these matters, did she?

No. She was no longer the pampered Marquess’s daughter. She was now a lady’s companion, albeit supported by Aunt Mary’s tough love. She could not imagine being a companion to anyone else, though.

“It is lovely to be here,” she said through gritted teeth.

She suspected that her smile looked more like she was about to chomp on raw carrots.

“Indeed,” Lady Beatrice added. “I was surprised that you returned to London. If I were in your shoes, I would have remained in Scotland. I heard that you were doing so well there.”

Apparently, Lady Beatrice could no longer be bothered with small talk, so she went for something more direct.

Sophia could not argue, and she could not help but admire Lady Beatrice’s audacity and frankness.

She was certainly doing better in Scotland. But while she always reasoned that she was here for her aunt and the Holtons, she knew that she also needed to face her problems—in this case, the ton. Running to Scotland at every little inconvenience seemed cowardly.

Giggles followed Lady Beatrice’s statement. Everyone knew why Sophia had left London. Her status as a pariah had not changed. She was still unwanted here.

Sophia felt Anna stiffen beside her and saw her lips part. She gently put her hand on her friend’s arm. It was a silent plea for restraint. While she appreciated the fact that someone was on her side, she was worried about Anna and not herself. Her reputation was already irrevocably tarnished, while Anna still had a bright future ahead of her.

“Oh, I was certainly doing well there, but there’s nothing quite like home. What do you think?” she asked, giving the group a sweet smile.

Lady Beatrice returned her attention to Anna. Her lips pressed together as if she was thinking about something in earnest. Then, she nodded, as if approving her own thoughts.

“Miss Martin, because of tonight’s lovely outcome, I daresay you will be receiving many visitors soon!”

Sophia could not help but snort. Lovely. This group apparently didn’t possess much of a vocabulary.

“Thank you.” Anna must have summoned all her strength to say the two words.

Both friends were aware that the other young women weren’t too free with their compliments.

“Will you be staying, though, Lady Sophia?” Miss Louise Darlington asked dramatically, all raised eyebrows and pursed lips. “Or is tonight the last night you will be gracing us with your… lovely presence?”

“My lovely presence?” Sophia asked, not quite sarcastically. “I suppose it remains to be seen.”

“Shame,” Miss Whitmore bemoaned softly, her expression exaggeratedly sad. “I do hope you’ll find London worth staying in.”

The point was made using sweet words and sarcastic tones. Sophia had already accepted that her new place in Society was no longer the same. Gone were the days when young people her age were thrilled to see her and genuinely fond of her presence. These days, they were merely eager for every opportunity to make a barbed remark.

Again, Anna seemed to be trembling with barely suppressed anger. However, Sophia had learned to play this game. Years had honed her, if not healed her. She subtly touched her friend’s arm once again to calm her.

“If you will excuse us,” she began, a display of practiced grace. “Now that we had our fill of the pastries, I believe Miss Martin would like to engage with the other guests. I am certain some of them have great things to say to her.”

The three young waspish women gaped at them as if they could not believe Sophia’s audacity.However, at that point, Sophia was already guiding Anna away from them after setting their plates on the nearby table.

As soon as they were a safe distance away, Anna expressed her disgruntlement.

“Why did you not let me say something to them? They were being horrid to you—they should not even be here!”

“You mean you want to disinvite them?” Sophia asked, amused. “You know what I would be saying to you, anyway, Anna. Their words do not matter.”

Sophia realized that she was telling the truth and not simply appeasing her friend. She did not care about what other people were saying about her.

“It does matter,” Anna protested, a deep frown creasing her usually smiling face. “They were cruel. It’s unfair that the ton could shun people for getting into tragic accidents but not shun those who have a tendency for cruelty.I won’t let them treat you so harshly.”

“You may be right about the power of words. After all, gossip had caused my fall from grace. After my father died and I survived, I died several times throughout the years. Their words can do the same to your future, Anna. I won’t have it. I have had six years to heal, and I have long since accepted the life I’m living. I cannot accept that for you. Do not let their pettiness overshadow the success of your family’s musicale.”

Anna did not look convinced.In a low voice and with a pout that made her look years younger, she said, “It’s still not fair.”

“Many things in life aren’t,” Sophia replied just as softly, thinking of her family.

Being a pariah. Losing the marquessate to her uncle. Being a woman, to begin with.

“I have learned to choose my battles. We merely waste our time and energy fighting against people who have decided to narrow the way they think about life.”

“You are wise, Sophia,” Anna admitted reluctantly. “But I’m different. I still wish to have been able to say something to them.”

“I thank you for wanting to defend me. You didn’t have to be a friend to someone like me—someone cursed and ostracized—but you chose to. For that, I am grateful. But you are young. You have so much to live for. Go with the rest of the guests.”

“I-I want to stay here with you, Sophia.”

“I know, dear. However, you must use tonight’s success to establish yourself in Society.”

“B-But if they say something to you once more, I will not have a choice in the matter but to?—”

“Be perfectly charming, of course, dear,” Sophia interrupted, chuckling.

Anna exhaled audibly and finally gave Sophia a more relaxed smile. They held each other’s hands and squeezed before the younger woman followed her friend’s advice and mingled with the rest of the ton.

Sophia watched her friend go, smiling softly. A part of her wondered if she was now trying to live vicariously through Anna. Perhaps. There was nothing wrong with that. Her life had already imploded, and all the pleasure that she could ever get from life was now from books.

Books.

Speaking of books…

She blushed as she remembered her latest encounter with a forbidden pocketbook romance. The heated pages. Her hand under his skirt. The Duke catching her in the act.

As if destiny was trying to play games with her, a deep voice interrupted her growingly dangerous thoughts.

“Lady Sophia.”

Sophia had not heard from the Duke for several days. He had not spoken a word to her during the hours they were there at the Holtons’ residence. His finally breaking the silence was jarring.

She turned in the direction of his voice. Her breath caught, but she quickly tried to compose herself. If she could do it in front of those nasty ladies, then she could do it in front of the Duke.

Earlier, she had noticed how handsome he was despite his propensity to break the rules. Perhaps it was what made him attractive. Up close, she could see more of the sharp features she had been dreaming about more often.

“Your Grace,” she said hoarsely, curtseying to him.

There was a look of amusement on his face at her attempts at being polite. Proper. It was the first time a conversation between them begun with formalities, unless they counted the one that Anthony had instigated.

“Forgive me for interrupting your thoughts, Lady Sophia. However, I’ve noticed that you and Miss Martin are no longer joined at the hip,” he remarked. “It is also safe to say that the other young ladies are now finding new prey.”

What he said was true. Lady Beatrice and company were now badgering a plump girl of about eighteen or so. Sophia had to stop herself from intervening. She saw an older woman swiftly approaching the throng and hoped that it was the girl’s mother.

“And you approached me. Why?”

“You know why,” he said, shrugging.

His smirk was gone, replaced by something darker. His eyes seemed to smolder, eyeing her from head to toe. The Duke did not even try to hide the way he was caressing her with his gaze.

“I do not claim to know the ways of your mind, Your Grace,” she replied, miraculously maintaining an air of respect.

“What do you think all of this is?” he asked, gesturing with a tilt of his head toward everything around them.

She found the movement curious. The Duke certainly knew how tocommand a room—or at least, her.

“People of higher standing mingling together, after having eaten some pastries and listened to some music,” Sophia replied, shrugging.

Aunt Mary had always warned her against shrugging, but her aunt was currently occupied.

The Duke didn’t seem displeased either. He rubbed his chin and looked down at the floor, chuckling.

“You are certainly right about that. That is why I hate attending such events. Many—not all, mind you—are prone to frivolities when they are in such gatherings.”

“Some may have come for the music and conversation,” Sophia offered.

“You may be too generous,” the Duke began. “But perhaps you are right. Lord Holton seems to believe that some are here so that they could discuss Beethoven or Haydn with him.”

“I won’t mind discussing them,” Sophia admitted. “It certainly is better than coming to a musicale only to gossip about other attendees.”

“I cannot argue with you there, Lady Sophia.”

“What do you think all of this is?” she asked, returning his question to him.

She crossed her arms across her chest and looked at him intently. He needed to see that she was serious. The Sophia he had discovered was someone who broke the rules too many times.

The wanton.

The trespasser.

That wasn’t her. At least, not all of her.

Yes, she needed to break out of the invisible prison Society had thrown her in. Yet, in all her rebellion, she never imagined becoming someone’s mistress.

If that was his plan for her.

“This? It’s an intricate ploy to see you again. To talk to you,” he said softly.

The air seemed to crackle between them, and the Duke’s voice had lowered as if he were prepared to tell her secrets throughout the night. It felt so intimate, even though he had not taken another step toward her. He was keeping decent boundaries between them.

And yet…

Sophia knew that the boundaries had been broken weeks before tonight. He could not mend them by simply staying away for a while.

“You could have called on me if you truly wanted to speak with me,” she said. “Unless?—”

“Unless what, Lady Sophia? Don’t hesitate to tell me your thoughts,” urged the Duke.

He was watching her with eyes that spoke of many dangers, narrowed and intent as if every word that came from her lips was vital to his existence.

Sophia tried to shake off the feeling. She had always had a wild imagination, and perhaps she was also out of her depth.

“Unless your intentions are less than honorable, Your Grace,” she said weakly.

She could not help but avert her gaze. She saw that Lady Beatrice and her friends were watching her and the Duke with avid interest.

Of course.

“Less than honorable…” The Duke’s lips curled into a slow, wicked smile. “Ah, but they are, My Lady. Thoroughly improper, undeniably scandalous… and, I suspect, not entirely unwelcome.”

Sophia’s breath hitched, her pulse betraying her as it fluttered wildly at his words. Heat licked up her spine, pooling low in her belly, but—good heavens—they were in public. Anyone could see them.

“May I be excused, Your Grace? Our conversation is not proper. I will attend to my aunt,” she said.

Without waiting for his reply, she slipped away, her heart pounding, his wicked smile seared into her thoughts.