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“Like the other footman just arrived.”
His expression was strained. “Yes, milady.”
“Two Johns?”
He gave a nod.
“Both arrived from the Saunton country estates?”
He nodded again, appearing to be tongue-tied.
“Well. Good to meet you, John. I hope you enjoy London.”
Sophia abruptly opened the door to the nursery before he could reply. If he offered her another lie, she was going to vent her frustration, so she strode away.
When she entered, she found Ethan drawing on a page with a graphite pencil while his nursemaid, Daisy, sat across from him. His sweet face lit up at the sight of her. “Mama!”
Sophia froze in surprise. His small face scrunched. “May I call you Mama? Papa said he thought you would like it.”
Sophia’s eyes prickled, a lump in her throat while she nodded with enthusiasm. “Of course! I was just surprised. If you want to call me … that … I would be most honored.” She turned her face to dab at her eyes. When she turned back, Ethan was right before her, having crossed the room as silently as a cat.
“I have never had a mama before,” he said earnestly, his small face angled up to look at her.
On the verge of weeping, Sophia swallowed the thick emotion and dropped to her haunches.
“Now you do.” She reached out to hug him, and he ran up to embrace her with his small arms. Sophia rested her cheek on the crown of his head, his thick curling hair tickling her nose, and she did her best to fight back the tears welling up. Across the room, Daisy caught her eye and gave a wide smile in encouragement.
Sophia leaned back to look Ethan in the face. “Have you eaten?”
“Yes. Daisy and I had breakfast early. Not as early as the farm, but early enough.”
“Good. Would you like to go with me to the gardens?”
He nodded vigorously. Sophia smiled, rising to her feet to take his little hand. Daisy rose to follow her out of the room.
Exiting into the hall, Sophia came to a stop when she found the two Johns both waiting outside the door. She frowned, mistrusting that the two men were, in fact, footmen when she noted how they were slouching against the wall, quickly straightening when she had opened the door and surprised them.
There was no doubt in her mind that they were up to something. She resolved to seek Richard out.
Still worrying about the unexpected note, Richard strode into White’s for his meeting with the Duke of Halmesbury. He soon found his cousin sitting at a table with two fresh drinks on it.
The duke always put Richard in mind of a Norse god, with his powerful frame, broad good looks, and full blond hair. Although Richard was no lightweight at six feet, his cousin topped him by several inches. But Halmesbury possessed a friendly manner, and he was a true gentleman, which acted as a counter-weight to his intimidating physical stature.
Richard collapsed into the chair next to his cousin, the stresses of the day weighing him down.
Arching an eyebrow, he indicated the drinks with a nod of his head. “I thought you did not drink.”
“We are sitting at White’s. It is easier to order a drink to avoid being constantly pestered by the servers. You can have mine, if you like. I have not touched it.”
“My bride prefers if I do not drink. Something to do with her father, I think. It is the least I can do, given the chaos of the past few days.”
“Indeed, it quite surprised me to read about your nuptials, considering you made no mention of courting the lady at our last meeting. When we discussed your list of paramours.”
Richard flushed at the memory of that particular meeting. Thankfully, he had since made amends to several of the women on the list. “The union was unexpected. I had intended to court her properly, but during my first visit, she interviewed me for the position of husband and then threw herself into my arms just as her uncle entered the room.”
Halmesbury’s lips twitched, clearly suppressing a smile. “The countess compromised you?”
“Indeed,” Richard replied, shaking his head with a mix of exasperation and admiration. “After confirming my intentions were sincere, she declared her uncle would never agree to the match and kissed me senseless.”
