“Yes, I do.”
“How did this happen in such a short space of time?”
“It was my music. Hearing my music seems to have changed Frank. Profoundly, I would say. He was very different. Thoughtful. He actually said it put him in touch with his soul, with the person he wanted to be. The same way reading Wordsworth does.”
“My heavens! You have affected a change in our Frank. No wonder he wants to marry you! What a terrible trial this scandal and engagement must be. Oh, dear.”
Sophie sipped her tea. “I do not think I could relate to anyone as deeply, nor love anyone else as wholly as I love Frank. And we were just beginning.”
“What a wretched coil. This is just the sort of love I have wished for you, dearest. Many people never experience such depth of feeling in themselves, never mind sharing it with a mate.”
“Yes. He grabbed the essence of the music, and it took him on an interior journey I think he was ripe to make.” She gave a little smile. “As for me, I was astonished. I promptly tumbled into love with him because he shares and understands what I have always felt in my heart about the pieces I play. It sounds grandiose perhaps, but I think it would not be too much to say that our souls touched.”
“I do not think that sounds grandiose. I think it is beautiful. It took a bit longer for that to occur with Peter. Until the birth of Alistair. Seeing that little being that our love created brought us soul to soul, as well. Since then, our feelings for one another have deepened in ways I am not good at explaining, writer though I am.” Elise traced the pattern in the lace of the tablecloth with her forefinger. “Have you explained this to Melissa?”
“How could I? She would feel bound to cry off. I know her. Her father would be furious, and she would still be ruined. She might never marry.”
Sophie felt suffocated by her hopelessness. She was not the reins-grabber that Fanny or Elise was, or she would have done as Elise suggested. But love for Melissa, who had been such a dear friend during Sophie’s years of difficulty, prevented her from taking this reckless step.
She fidgeted with her hands. “You should probably know the truth behind Melissa and Frank’s situation, though I do not know if you should tell the duke.”
“The truth?”
“Melissa left the ball with Frank in order to show him how to get into Fanny’s house and to my chamber when he was frantic about me. He thought I was dying and that he would never see me again. Frank was desperate. And they were caught when they returned to the ball. Of course, they could not say where they had been.”
“Oh, dear. Of course they could not. But it was most improper for him to visit you in your chamber, Sophie!”
“He was entirely respectful, and Melissa was present the whole time.”
Sophie knew she could not expect Elise to understand his second visit, so she maintained silence about that. Had it been a mistake to confide in Elise?
Overcome by a sudden wave of exhaustion, she rose. “I will repair to my room now, Elise. All this has made me quite tired. If you would be so kind, could you have my dinner sent up on a tray? I fear my ability to converse at dinner has deserted me.”
“Of course, my love. I have not been taking care of you as I should. I will also have hot towels sent up for your knee.”
“My weakness vexes me, as it must do you. Please remember that I have strengths as well. I have a rich inner life, and should Frank marry Melissa, I have the ability to weather it, though it would be difficult for a while. But the life I have always planned for myself never included a husband.”
~~*
Sophie was glad the next morning when she heard the news at breakfast that the duke and the baron had found a suitable house near Chipping Norton for the girls’ orphanage.
“It is a bit out in the country, but not too far. Walking back and forth to town should afford the girls some exercise.”
“How many orphans will it house?” Sophie asked.
“If they sleep three to a bedroom, it will allow for twelve,” Ruisdell said. “That is a good number to start with before we see if this experiment is going to work. There is a suite of rooms for the headmistress which is quite adequate.”
“What about the teachers?” she asked.
“We shall have to house them in town and buy them a carriage and horses to go back and forth,” Shrewsbury said.
“This is going to be an expensive endeavor,” Elise remarked.
“Before we can go any further, we need to determine whether the people with deep pockets are interested in funding such a venture,” the duke said. “Shrewsbury and I will divide the prospects and tackle them in person, one by one.”
“Where are you going to look for your headmistress and teachers?” Sophie asked. “Women like Aunt Clarice and Sukey want to live in London, not in a village like Chipping Norton.”