Remember Then

XXXIV. Sweet

Wickhurst was in total ruckus when the Town Herald finally announced the wedding of Nicholas Charles Everard, the Lord of Whiston.

Lady Alice expertly perfected the timing of accompanying her future daughter-in-law to gown fittings and shopping, displaying Sophia for everyone else to see and gawk on.

"You simply ignore them, dear," she said to Sophia. "Imagine the shadows on their face as smiles if that helps," she suggested. "But also be wary for their souls can be as dark as their shadows. Not all of them, of course, but still... simply smile. If I squeeze your hand, it is a sign that we are talking to a friend. If I softly clear my throat, we are facing someone who believes we like them but in reality we do not—or should I say we cannot. If I push you to keep walking, you keep walking."

"Why?" she laughingly asked, amused by Lady Alice's instructions.

"Why what dear?"

"What does a push means?"

"Oh, well," her future mother-in-law said with a wicked tone, whispering, "If I push you, it means we are facing a monster. But we are graceful. We do not wish to clash with monsters, do we?"

Sophia chuckled.

"But should it happen, you step back, dear, while I give them a fair amount of graceful verbal lashes."

Sophia shook her head. "You are proving to be just as how Nick said you will be."

"Mother," the woman insisted. "You call me mother."

Her face flushed as she muttered, "Mother."

Lady Alice sighed beside her. "You will get used to it, dear. Now, come along. We must hurry. Benedict and Agatha are due to arrive in an hour."

Sophia swallowed nervously. She was not ecstatic to meet the eldest Everard brother although she was eager to meet his wife who owned a school for servants near their Devonshire estate. She already had the pleasure of meeting Levi and his wife, Lady Victoria, merely three days after they arrived in Wickhurst. The Everard estate had never been quiet ever since with the children running about and with their aunts and uncles joining the fray most afternoons.

As to Sophia, she was overwhelmed. She was already in love with the Everards.

But she was longing for Marcus as well.

Her brother had not reached out, but she hoped he would make his presence known soon. He did not have to attend her wedding, but she would appreciate if he could spare some time for a short meeting.

But it seemed impossible at the moment for Marcus could not be chummy with the Everards if he wished to be accepted by the Trilbys. The two families were like water and oil.

"Now, dear, I am about to give you a push," Lady Alice whispered in her ear as they walked down the street, snapping Sophia back to reality. "We are walking right through a crowd of monsters."

"We can simply walk through them," she suggested.

"Ah, it is best we practice," her future mother-in-law said, giving her a gentle push to the side.

*****

The scandal and gossips were not new. Some were true, some were too farfetched to even be considered gossips. But no article was released that spoke grave ill of Sophia.

Nicholas could not help but believe Durley had something to do with it, but the man was too driven by his own goals that Nicholas would not be surprised if he allowed worse articles to be printed just to stray away from suspicion.