The Temporary Betrothal

Chapter Two

Mrs. Wiggs was in the kitchen as Sophie entered. Judging from the delicious smells emanating from the oven, she was baking bread. Sophie set her parcel down on the long oak table that the other servants dined at every night, and stretched her hands to the hearth’s blaze. She was soaking wet through and chilled to the bone, but a glow warmed her heart. She could not stop smiling, even as miserable as the cold and damp should make her feel.

“Bless my soul, don’t you look a sight? Nancy, run upstairs and fetch something warm and dry for Miss Sophie—there’s a good gel.” The housekeeper dried her hands on her apron and shooed one of the kitchen maids upstairs. “Whatever happened to you?”

“I got lost on the way to the haberdashers, and it began pouring,” Sophie replied with a chuckle. “Of course, in my haste to get the buttons and return home, I neglected to bring a parasol.”

The housekeeper made a tsking sound under her breath, and stirred up the fire. “I best make you some tea, or you’re likely to catch your death.”

A commotion sounded in the hallway, and two young ladies burst through the door, giggling and talking breathlessly over one another. “Sophie, you’re back. Did you find some buttons for me?” Amelia, the elder of the two Bradbury daughters, danced over to the table, seizing the parcel and clasping it to her bosom.

“Amelia, can’t you see she’s soaking wet? Poor Sophie, are you quite all right?” Louisa, the younger and gentler of the two girls, laid her head on Sophie’s damp shoulder.

“I am quite all right, thank you, my dear. It was a bit of an adventure, actually.” Sophie gladly accepted a steaming cup of tea from Mrs. Wiggs, and spooned sugar in it while she waited for the brew to cool down a bit.

“Girls? Where are you?” Lucy Williams, governess to the Bradbury family, called from down the hall.

“In here!” the two imps chorused, and Sophie couldn’t stifle a smile as she stirred her tea. The girls delighted in provoking dear Lucy, who proved to be quite a good sport about it all. Lucy strode through the kitchen door, planting her fists on both hips.

“Really, I turn my back for one moment and find you in the kitchen,” she scolded. “Is that proper behavior for two young ladies?”

“I don’t know if it’s proper or not, but the kitchen is the most interesting room in the house,” Amelia replied smartly. “Aside from your rooms, and Sophie’s, of course.”

“I agree,” Louisa chirped, flipping a long brown curl over one shoulder. “Here, we can steal biscuits and tea. In your rooms, we can loll around on the beds and talk nonsense.”

“Well, be that as it may, you two must fall into line. Your father returns later this week, and I must have at least a semblance of order and discipline. For his sake, if for no other reason.”

Sophie choked, the hot tea burning a path down her throat. Lord Bradbury planned to come home from London this week? She’d had no idea it would be so soon. For the two weeks she had been in Bath, no one had given any indication that his lordship would be in residence at all.

“Are you all right?” Amelia patted her back with a few solid whacks.

“Y-yes,” Sophie spluttered, trying to take a deep breath. “I—was surprised—that’s all.”

“Surprised about Papa? Don’t be, Sophie. He’s such a dear. You’ll love him,” Louisa assured her as she took the biscuit tin down from the larder.

“Yes, he is,” Amelia added, helping herself to a few biscuits. “He’s been so good to us all. We quite adore him. No need to be alarmed, Sophie. He’ll take one look at you and be satisfied.”

“I don’t want him to be satisfied with me—I want him to be satisfied with my work. It’s a very different thing,” Sophie admonished, draining the last sugary drops from her teacup. Thus fortified, she turned to Lucy. “I haven’t had very much time to begin my work. I’ve only just cut the pieces for Amelia’s riding habit.”

“I would not worry,” Lucy assured her, an encouraging smile lighting her brown eyes. “His lordship is very just and fair, and he knows you’ve only been in residence for a fortnight. I am certain all will be well.”

“Even so.” Sophie rose, shaking out her still-damp skirts. “I would feel better if I accomplished a bit more before his lordship returns. Come, Amelia, let us retire to the sewing room. I need to see if these buttons meet with your approval. They were hard-won notions, after all I’ve been through today.” And though they were hard won, they were well worth the effort. Lieutenant Cantrill, with his lean angular face and velvety eyes, drifted across her mind. ’Twould be difficult indeed to keep her mind on her sewing today. But if she wanted to impress his lordship, and keep her position as a seamstress, she had better try to banish the lieutenant from her thoughts—at least until after supper, when she could turn her mind toward his most fascinating problems, and how she might be able to solve them.

Chapter Three

A knock sounded on the sewing-room door. “Enter,” Sophie called. Perhaps it was one of the servants to bring her breakfast on a tray.

Instead, her dear friend Lucy poked her head around the doorjamb. “Oh, good. You’re alone. I thought perhaps the girls would be with you.”

“No, I think they are still having their breakfasts. Why do you ask?” Sophie tossed aside Amelia’s riding jacket and rubbed her hands together. Working the buttonholes in that stiff wool played havoc with her manicure. Besides, a good gossip with Lucy always broke up the monotony of the day.

“Something’s happened. You’ve been distracted and vague since you returned from shopping yesterday. And you barely said two words throughout supper last night. What is the matter?” Lucy sank down on the settee beside her, a grin crooking one corner of her mouth.

“I met someone.” Had she really seemed distracted? To the point that her absentmindedness was obvious to others? Well, she had been thinking about the lieutenant, after all.

“Really?” A broad smile crept across Lucy’s face. “Is it someone I know? You must tell me everything.”

“No. His name is Lieutenant Charlie Cantrill.” Saying his name aloud was difficult. It sounded so dignified and so...real, when spoken aloud. “He is a good friend of my family’s, and he rescued me when I got lost on the way to Guildhall Market. I literally bumped into him as I was trying to find my way.”

“Lieutenant Cantrill?” The governess’s brows drew together, and she looked off into space. “Why is his name so familiar to me? For I don’t know him, but I have heard of him.”

“He does a lot of work with the veterans of Waterloo,” Sophie added. “I am to help him work with the widows of some of the men who fell during the battle.”

“No, that’s not it. There was some scandal when he returned from the war—”

“Scandal?” Sophie’s heart leaped in her breast, and she leaned forward, grasping Lucy’s hands. “Do tell!”

“I’m trying to remember. Something happened. I think he was engaged to one girl and then the engagement was broken when he returned. As I recall, she was rather well-placed in Society, so it was a bit of a to-do.” Lucy smiled ruefully. “But since I don’t frequent those social circles, I cannot recall much more than that.”

Sophie sat back. Well, this was interesting. Perhaps Cantrill was a bit of a black sheep. That made him infinitely more intriguing. “Did he cry off? Or did the lady?”

Lucinda shrugged her shoulders. “I cannot recall.”

Why, this added an entirely new dimension to his character. Perhaps his moodiness and serious disposition was a mask for his true character. Maybe he was even a bit of a rake, despite his charitable work. Sophie stifled a laugh at the thought.

“I would watch myself around him, you know,” the governess admonished. “Until we know the truth of what happened, you should be on your guard.”

“I am to meet with him tomorrow,” Sophie replied, her eyes widening at the thought. “I can’t miss it. I promised my sister I would help with his work with the widows. The lieutenant is my brother-in-law’s closest friend.”

Lucinda nodded. “If he is a friend of your family, then perhaps there is no need for caution.”

Sophie nodded. “Do you know, I promised the lieutenant I would come up with a solution to a problem he has, since he was so kind as to rescue me yesterday. But I must confess that, even though I have been pondering it, I have no idea what to do to help.”

Lucy shrugged. “Tell me. Perhaps we can come up with a plan together.”

“Well, his family is very concerned with status and his place in Society. His mother wrote that he must give up his work with the veterans and look for a wife. His brother has ordered him to return to Brightgate and assume some of the responsibilities of the family estate.” She sighed. “I understand how the lieutenant must feel. I struck out on my own, and though Harriet supported me, she was reluctant to let me come to Bath at first.”

Lucy traced a pattern on the rug with the toe of her slippered foot. “Well, perhaps he could give the semblance of returning to Society and status while still remaining devoted to his cause,” she replied, a thoughtful crease marking her straight, fine brows. “After all, as long as he just gives the appearance of being a part of Society—that may be enough to appease his family.”

“True. But how could he compromise?”

“I don’t know. If his mother is concerned about the lieutenant finding a wife, perhaps he could pretend to be looking for one.” Lucy rose and walked over to the door. “I had better go find my charges. I would wager my last pound they aren’t in the schoolroom doing their Latin lessons.” She paused in the doorway. “Oh, and Lord Bradbury has arrived, and would like to meet with you this morning. If you would go down to his study in fifteen minutes or so, he will be expecting you. He likes to meet all the servants in person and will probably plan out Amelia’s Season with you. So be prepared.”

“Of course.” All thoughts of helping the lieutenant fled. Now she must prove her worth to her employer. Sophie rose, gathering a stack of fashion plates to show his lordship. “I shall go down at once, Lucy. Thank you for your help.”

Lucy winked. “Think nothing of it.”

* * *

Though Sophie had been downstairs a few times since her arrival, the labyrinthine corridors were confusing. And why were all the doors painted the same color? Goodness, it was difficult to know where one was going. The clock in the hallway tolled the hour. She was going to be late to her first meeting with Lord Bradbury. That did not bode well for her continued employment, did it?

In exasperation, she grasped the last latch on the right and rushed headlong into the room. An older man with a handsome and serious face rose in surprise from a massively carved desk. “Miss Handley, I presume?”

Sophie bobbed a quick curtsy, spilling her stack of fashion plates and foolscap on the floor. “Yes. Oh, bother.”

He came around the side of the desk and helped her scoop the papers into a pile. “There you are, Miss Handley. Pray be seated.” He motioned her to a coffee-colored leather chair poised in front of the desk.

His manners were so smooth, so urbane. Droplets of perspiration began to bead Sophie’s brow. She furtively wiped them away as he took his place behind the desk. Then he smiled at her and clasped his hands over his ink blotter.

“You are younger than I expected, Miss Handley.” His hazel eyes raked over her figure as if trying to determine the exact day and hour of her birth. “My daughters already seem to adore you.”

“Um, yes.” Sophie cast about for something intelligent to say. Anything that wouldn’t get her sacked. “Well, you see, I am young but I have been sewing for most of my life. I feel I am very talented despite my youth, Lord Bradbury. And I do think I can make some wondrous creations for your daughters.”

“Please don’t feel you need to defend yourself, Miss Handley.” He gave her an easy smile that sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Why was she reacting so? He was much older than most of the men she knew—too old for her by half. “I was merely commenting on the obvious.”

She nodded uncertainly. He would have to take the lead from now on. She was in uncharted waters.

“My daughters lost their mother a few years ago, and I am being very frank when I say that I am making up for their loss with material pleasures.” He ran a hand through his thick black hair, ruffling it a bit. “No girls should have to grow up without a mother. It preys upon my mind.”

Sophie tilted her head to one side. Had she come to Bath merely to solve every man’s marital woes? “Perhaps you should remarry, your lordship.”

He leveled a piercing gaze at her that made her catch her breath. “I may do so someday. However, my first wife was nothing short of remarkable. I don’t think I could find the likes of her again....” His voice trailed off.

Sophie nodded and fell silent. Nothing she said seemed to be the right thing to say, so ’twas better to be quiet.

He turned toward the window, looking out on the sleet as it ran in rivulets down the pane. “You are Sir Hugh Handley’s daughter, are you not?”

“Yes, your lordship.” Any mention of her family connections made Sophie uneasy.

“What makes you take a position in service?” He flicked a glance her way.

She hated having to defend her choices. If her family approved, why should Lord Bradbury care? “I desire to make my own way in the world, doing what I love best,” she replied, raising her chin with defiance.

He turned to face her again, an inscrutable look crossing his face. “I see,” he replied. “Well, Miss Handley, I give you free rein with my daughters. All of my funds are at your command. Doll them up in any way you see fit.”

She leaned forward, grabbing the pile of papers from his desk. “Do you wish to see my ideas, my lord?”

He waved his hand in a listless fashion. “No, I trust your judgment. Nothing too immodest, I assume?”

Heat flooded Sophie’s cheeks. “Certainly not.”

He stood, signaling the end of the interview. “Very well, then. I hope you enjoy your work. Do not hesitate to come to me if you need bigger lines of credit at the shops.”

She grasped her papers in one hand and rose, bobbing a shaky curtsy. “Thank you, Lord Bradbury. I shall endeavor not to disappoint.”

* * *

Charlie Cantrill opened the door to his club with a sigh. As the son of a wealthy merchant, there were certain things you could give up, though the other fellows might sneer about it. Liquor and light skirts, for example. He had been living as simply as could be following Waterloo and Beth’s rejection. And yet, one thing remained eternal and unchanged. Devotion to one’s club remained constant, no matter how one might cut corners in other aspects of life.

He nodded as a valet scurried forward to take his coat and hat. Then, scanning the open hallway, he spied one group of gentlemen playing a game of whist in the next room. He made his way to the lounge, where Lord Bradbury lay before the fire, deep into a glass of Scotch.

“Cantrill! What ho, man. It’s good to see you.” Rising, Bradbury extended his hand toward Cantrill.

“Bradbury, good to see you back in town.” Cantrill shook hands and then sank into the opposite chair. “Tea, if you please.” He smiled briefly at the hovering butler.

Bradbury took up his Scotch with a laugh. “Never could understand how you make do without spirits, Cantrill. They’ve kept me sane these years since Emma died.”

“I find myself saner without them.” Time for a change of subject. He never enjoyed talking about his abstinence with anyone who wasn’t a close friend. Just as he kept his faith close to the vest, he kept other parts of his life from public scrutiny. It was a private matter, after all. “I understand that a friend of mine is recently in your employ.”

“Really?” Bradbury leaned forward, cradling the glass in both hands. “Whom are you speaking of?”

“Miss Handley.” He found it difficult to speak the words. Why was it so hard to say her name?

“Ah, yes.” Bradbury sat back, a satisfied smile crossing his face. “I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Handley today. What a lovely creature. I was quite surprised to find she was seeking employment—because she is a Handley, and because she’s so beautiful.”

“I believe she wants to establish some measure of independence,” Cantrill remarked. He didn’t like the light that was kindled in Bradbury’s eyes. The man looked too satisfied and pleased with himself.

“Oh, I am sure she would be happy to give up that much-vaunted independence when the right offer comes along,” Bradbury said with a laugh. “Pretty young ladies like that needn’t stay employed for very long.”

The tea arrived, giving Cantrill the distraction he needed to calm down from Bradbury’s comment. After all, wouldn’t marriage be an excellent thing for Sophie Handley? She was a lovely girl, and would likely get an offer of marriage from someone soon. He flicked a glance over Bradbury. The man was older than him by a decade, and yet retained a distinguished and sportive air. His name had been linked to at least one high-born widow in the past year. Might he be in the market for a match? And if so, why did Charlie’s stomach revolt at the thought? It was none of his affair, surely.

Bradbury glanced over at Cantrill. “How is she connected to your family?”

Cantrill busied himself with pouring tea into his cup. “Her elder sister married a good friend of mine—Captain John Brookes. Really, he’s almost a brother to me.”

Bradbury sipped his Scotch with a meditative air. “I see. And she is Sir Hugh Handley’s daughter, is she not? Why on earth would she be working to earn her daily bread?”

“Well, as I am sure you heard, Bradbury, her father died bankrupt. The family estate was sold at auction and the two girls and their mother went to live in a small cottage in Tansley. After her sister’s marriage, Miss Sophie came to Bath. And that’s really all I know of their story.” He hadn’t meant to sound rude, but the look on Bradbury’s face was raising his hackles. ’Twas none of his affair, and yet...well, he had an obligation to Brookes and to Harriet to make sure that Sophie was protected during her stay in Bath.

“Well, my daughters adore her, but I must make sure she is the proper kind of young lady for the job, you know. I have acquaintances in Liverpool—I will ask around to find out more about the Handleys and what happened when her father died.” He polished off his Scotch and rose. “Funny. I expected a spinster. Imagine my surprise when Aphrodite burst into my office this morning.”

Cantrill peered up at the older man, trying to read his thoughts. On the one hand, he seemed to regard Sophie in more than just the usual master-servant manner. And yet, he also seemed unwilling to believe that she was a genuinely good girl, one who was seeking her way in the world in a manner that was admirable. He rose, setting the teacup to one side, as Bradbury began to stroll out of the room.

“Miss Handley is a fine young woman, and you have nothing to fear from your daughters associating with her,” he responded, willing the flush that was rising up his neck to stay hidden under his cravat.

Bradbury turned back, a gleam in his eye. “Oh, I am not worried about my daughters associating with her. I am more worried about myself.” With that, Bradbury quit the room.

Chapter Four

Thursday morning dawned crisp and cool, but at least the rain had stopped. There was even a bit of watery sunshine peeping through the clouds. And since today was her day off Sophie could do exactly as she pleased in Bath. Not that she minded her work, of course. But there were some days when a girl just wanted to lounge in bed, even if she had the most wonderful job imaginable. Of course, her eagerness to enjoy the day had nothing whatsoever to do with meeting Charlie Cantrill. No. It was just a remarkably fine day. That was all.