All at once, the stoic resolve Sophia was determined to maintain in the face of the man who had sold her off for a gambling debt began to crumble.
It rushed at her in a wave of pain—this man who she’d once held in such great esteem thought so little of her as to offer her in lieu of his losses at a gaming hell.
Kendal squeezed his hand around hers. “She is my Sophia now,” he replied with a regal aristocracy.
Aunt Nancy’s brow flinched with confusion as she glanced between him and Sophia’s father, apparently unaware of what had driven a wedge between them.
Father stepped closer, his eyes bright with clarity for the first time in months. Perhaps years. They glittered with unshed tears and his lower jaw worked without sound for the span of a moment, as though seeking the right words.
“I don’t deserve it,” he said eventually. “But I should like the opportunity to speak with her alone.”
“If you hurt her…” The threat in Kendal’s tone was unmistakable.
“I will not,” Father’s tone was as hard as Kendal’s.
Sophia slipped her hand from the warmth of her husband’s elbow. While she took comfort in his strength, she did not need it. Going to Scotland to forge her path had made her stronger than she realized. And Kendal had helped her fortitude.
Her father held out his arms as though to embrace her. The child in her longed to fall against him; the woman she had become lifted her chin in defiance. “I’m not that girl anymore, Father.”
“No,” he whispered softly. “You’re not.”
As he led her to his study, Sophia caught sight of Aunt Nancy turning toward Kendal. “What’s happened?”
Her father closed the door to the study, sealing out any further conversation. He looked at the floor first, as though gathering his thoughts, before pinching at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger and giving a hard sniff.
When he finally regarded her, she could see the redness of his eyes—the unmistakable effects of tears.
She pushed away the stab of pity.
“You tried to sell me into marriage.” Her voice shook with anger. “And when that didn’t work, you sent another man after me. Also to marry me. Am I so expendable?”
“I couldn’t afford to keep up with your seasons.” Father shook his head as soon as he spoke, clearly realizing it was the wrong thing to say.
“And so marrying me off to pay your gambling debts was the ideal solution?” Even saying it aloud needled at a fragile place inside her heart.
“I had no choice. Mr. Mongerton said he would come after our estate. We would be destitute.”
“Because of you.”
Her father lowered his head again in silent acknowledgment of her accusation.
“You used to be such a good man, one that I admired.” Her voice trembled with emotion she could no longer dam.
“I lost everything when your mother and the twins died.”
“No, not everything,” Sophia whispered. “But you didn’t seem to care. Cecelia was mother and father to both me and Henry. You used your vices as a crutch and you pushed us away. Now, this.”
“What can I do?” He dropped to his knees and gazed up at her. “To make it right?” There was desperation in his clear stare. “To prove to you and your siblings that I still love you?”
“Stop drinking.”
“I have.”
A glance toward the hutch confirmed the crystal decanters had been removed, as well as their matching glasses.
“Stop gambling,” she said.
“I have.”
“Tell me.” Sophia swallowed. “Tell me that you love me.”
His chin quivered as he got up to his feet. “My girl. My Sophia, with your bright smile and your happy energy. I’ve put you in the dark for far too long, and yet you were brilliant enough to keep on shining. I’m proud of the woman you are—accomplished and lovely, but also strong and intelligent.” He gave a little self-deprecating smirk. “More so than your father.” His mouth lifted at the corners. “I love you, my darling girl.”
This time when he opened his arms, Sophia did go to him. His embrace enfolded her, surrounding her in the familiar scent of the cologne he always wore and absent the previous ever-present odor of brandy.
“Ludlow,” Aunt Nancy said Father’s given name sharply from outside the door.
It would appear she knew. At least enough to be appalled.
Father released Sophia and she did not mistake the flash of fear in his eyes. After all, Aunt Nancy could be a force to be reckoned with.
There would be a good deal of explanations that evening, especially once Aunt Nancy spoke to Henry. But through it all, Sophia would have Kendal, her Adolphus, a man equal parts dangerous and boring in the most perfect ways. A man who would always be at her side and always, always love her.
Kendal never thought he would be the man doing this sort of thing. He strode into the Wicked Earls’ Club with the understanding it would be his last time.
In years past, Kendal had seen men come and go. Some so swift, he’d almost pitied them. Others with an obdurate insistence to never be wed—much like himself—who finally lost themselves to a lady’s allure.
Kendal had once thought them all fools. Hopeless romantics who were caught up in the enchantment of a lady’s affection. And here he was, gold pin secured in its small silk-lined box, ready to return it to the club with a gladness he’d never once considered of those men he so oft regarded as “poor chaps.”
Morrey was the first to see him, his gaze immediately settling on the pin box. His brows rose and he nodded his head once in acknowledgement. Kendal grinned in reply, absent any regret.
His cohorts at the club would always be about. It wasn’t uncommon to remain friends with those they’d brushed shoulders with for so many years. But his membership forfeiture was well worth a lifetime with Sophia and their future happiness.
It was the kind of life he hoped someday for Marguerite, though such a future for his sister seemed to be growing less and less possible with each passing year that she played the role of Marcus and sank deeper into the running of Mercy’s Door.
The Earl of Downing sat at a table by himself and quickly rose when he caught sight of Kendal. “I heard you’ve been wed.” He clapped a strong hand on Kendal’s shoulder. “Felicitations. You seem happy.”
“That I am.”
Downing nodded and shifted his weight. “Lady Kendal is a cousin to Lady Eugenia, is she not?”
Ah, the topic of Lady Eugenia again. The repeated mention was most definitely not a coincidence.
“I can introduce you if you like,” Kendal offered.
A touch of color showed on the man’s face. As fierce as he was in the ring, he was now almost bashful. “If we happen upon one another at an event and she is not otherwise engaged.”
“I’ll see that it happens.” Kendal patted the younger man on his broad back.
With that, Kendal made his way to the second floor where the Earl of Baxter kept his office. On his ascent, each earl Kendal passed caught his gaze with a nod, understanding what he was about to do. He paused before the polished wood door and rapped on its smooth surface, fully prepared to turn in his pin.