A Duke in Turmoil: Dangerous Dukes Vol 9 by Wendy Soliman

Author:Wendy Soliman [Soliman, Wendy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-01-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Sophia got through the rest of her day in a state of distraction, inwardly fuming as her mind dwelt upon her visit from the duchess. With the benefit of hindsight, she could have handled it better and not permitted her temper to get the better of her, she conceded. It was unwise to have confronted such a powerful adversary quite so directly. Sophia’s famous temper was one of her less endearing features, and came to the fore when she found herself the recipient of unjust accusations. The duchess had absolutely no right to make assumptions based on nothing more tangible than tittle-tattle and then threaten her family’s reputation in quite such a brazen manner.

How dare she!

What was she afraid of?

Several hours later, Sophia’s blood was still boiling and her aunt noticed her preoccupation.

‘Are you quite well, my dear?’ she asked when Sophia had twice failed to answer a question put to her.

‘Perfectly so, Aunt, other than a slight headache,’ Sophia replied as they climbed back into their carriage to make yet another of the social calls that her aunt so enjoyed and which Sophia found tedious and…well, pointless.

‘Oh dear, I do so hate having headaches myself. Perhaps we had better return home immediately. I had no particular desire to call upon Lady Franklin anyway. She is such a terrible gossip.’ Sophia suppressed a smile, aware that her aunt could be describing herself. ‘Under no circumstances must you attend Mrs Gregory’s soiree this evening. The crush of people will make your poor head worse.’

‘Yes, perhaps I shall not go.’

And so Sophia unintentionally found a way to avoid an engagement she had no taste for and spent the evening alone, intending to catch up with her correspondence. She had supper sent up to her room but failed to pick up her pen. Instead she stared aimlessly out at the dark gardens and allowed her mind to wander.

The question she had been wrestling with all day and which was responsible for the genuine headache that now plagued her, was whether or not to tell Ross about the duchess’s call. He would be furious about the assumptions she had made, which was all well and good, but Ross had not been in England for a decade and probably underestimated the duchess’s vindictive nature. If Ross took her to task then she would probably carry out her threat for no other reason than to cause problems for Sophia and her family, thinking she had a duty to protect the new duke from Sophia’s conniving ways.

She wanted him for herself, Sophia assumed, but Ross didn’t appear to return her regard and the duchess’s pride would have taken a dent as a consequence. She would strive to have her revenge, aware that no matter what trouble she caused, Ross couldn’t abandon her and her children altogether without incurring the collective disapproval of society’s elite.

Sophia managed a wan smile, doubting whether offending the matrons would cause him sleepless nights. Emily had underestimated her handsome brother-in-law’s character, much

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