Betraying the Duke Read Free Page A

the hilariousness and laughed too.
    He stopped laughing to admire hers, smiling at the way she laughed wholeheartedly and pure. There was something about her that would not make her easy to forget and he was aware of that.
    Sophia realized he was looking at her and stopped laughing and straightened up, feeling nervous and trying to hide her shyness after having noticed how incredibly good-looking he was.
    “Well, I have to go, my family will be wondering where I went off to,” she said, clearing her throat and not actually wanting to go home.
    “Right, right. I am sorry again, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he replied, remembering how they had met.
    “That is alright,” she answered him, wanting to stay a little bit longer.
    “Have a pleasant day,” he said, tipping his hat and awkwardly walking in the opposite direction.
    She hesitantly walked back home, her mind now distracted by the strange man’s face.
    Something about his eyes… I do not know if he saw something in mine too… Sophia! Snap out of it! You are never going to meet him again; you do not even know his name!
    She climbed the porch steps back to the house ready to face her parents again, her father would be waiting to talk more on the matter and for preparations to start as soon as possible, this had to be done before anymore interferences could present themselves.
    Indeed, her father was sitting in the drawing room waiting for her to come back. Her mother sat next to him, her legs crossed quite content with her husband handling everything and not her.
    “How was your walk, Sophia?” asked her father as she stepped into the drawing room.
    Sophia remained quiet, she couldn’t mention the strange man she had met and she felt that she didn’t quite need to either.
    “Now, if you sit, we can talk about this a little more,” he instructed her, gesturing with his hand to the seat in front of him.
    Sophia sat quietly, not wanting to argue as she was tired and felt light-headed.
    “The man’s name is Elliot Clerk, and he is a wonderful man, whose father I’ve known for many, many years. He works as an article clerk and he’s a good man who would keep you happy,” her father said.
    Sophia didn’t say a word.
    “I’ve invited him to come over tomorrow, so that you two may meet and get to know each other a little better. You never know how many things you may have in common. You have the right to know each other and so he’ll stay for dinner,” he said, in more of an order than a choice.
    Sophia looked at him blankly.
    “Is that all, then?” she asked, as she got up to leave.
    “Yes. For now,” her father replied, not expecting her to behave in this manner. He had thought a tantrum or outburst would follow, some sort of reaction for opposing it, but nothing occurred.
    She got up and left without a word and cried herself to sleep, knowing there was nothing she could do, not any more.
     
     

Chapter Five
    The next day, Sophia, feeling glum, stayed in her room, opting out of having breakfast and beginning a hunger strike that didn’t really last very long as Mary, out of sympathy, sneaked food in for her shortly after breakfast.
    At afternoon, despite her long and sincere prayers, there was a knock on the door, and soon after Mary came into Sophia’s room to inform her of who had just arrived.
    “Sophia! He’s here!” Mary said as she rushed into the room.
    “I know, I heard the door open and Father with his enthusiastic and overjoyed voice greeting him,” Sophia said, still dressed in her sleepwear.
    “You know you are going to have to come downstairs, right?” Mary asked her curiously after realizing she was still not dressed.
    “I know, but….” Sophia began saying when she drifted off into silence, lost in thought.
    “What is it?” Mary asked curiously, seeing her sister’s facial expression change.
    “I’ve got it! Mary? You know how women have to be oh-so polite and graceful when these men show up wanting to marry