The shoe incident, as Sofia liked to think of it, was the beginning of their affair. Her father had been occupied with his usual scheme of finding a husband for his daughters. His wife who was determined to see them married to “good” men rather then rich or influential ones however; constantly hampered him.

She smiled to herself thinking of her mother. She was different somehow. Sofia couldn’t put her finger on it but she supposed she liked the way she was now. She wasn’t as intimidated by their father anymore. In a way she seemed to not care anymore. Sofia frowned not sure if that was a good thing or not.

Standing she went to her mirror and smoothed her hair. Ever since the Cromey sisters had left, she’d been hard pressed to find a maid to do her hair properly. Her mother had been doing it lately and though she knew her mother thought it a wonderful bonding experience, Sofia still wished she could find some one with at least half the talent of Millie.

She stood admiring herself in the mirror for a long while. She knew she was attractive. She favored her father who, despite his many flaws and less then pleasing demeanor, was quite an attractive man. She grinned at her reflection. Her teeth were white with no stains or chips and her breath smelled sweet due to the mint leaf she chewed regularly.

Nodding at herself she thought it would not be terribly hard to find a husband.

‘Perhaps I’ll marry Lewen.’ She looked at her reflection, startled by the wayward thought. She knew Lewen was a confirmed bachelor. Sure, they had a bit of fun every once in a while but she was careful. She didn’t want to be forced to wed a penniless noble, Lord or not.

Giving herself one more look over she turned to remove a stray thread from the waist of her gown before leaving the room. She headed down to the library it had the best view. She could see the stables, the road, and more importantly the lake and small grove beyond. She was waiting for Lewen. He said he’d come by to see her today but didn’t want to run into her family. She didn’t mind. She didn’t want to be around her family either. Ever since Maryanne had married and moved out, she had been feeling ever more lonely. Her sister had always been good for a chat. Generally Maryanne spoke about art and science though around the time she left, she’d seemed to speak a lot about a boy. Sofia frowned trying to recall his name. He was a merchant boy who lived near town of that she was certain.

 

Shrugging she glanced out the window again. He was late. She started to pace muttering softly to herself. She felt agitated and needed to burn off some excess energy.

“Who are you waiting for..?” Lady Montague’s voice froze Sofia in her tracks.

“Waiting…?” she asked glancing at her mother.

Madeleine nodded and crossed her arms, her eyes taking in her daughters seemingly polished appearance. “Yes, I heard you say you were getting tired of waiting.”

Sofia opened her mouth but no words came out.

She was caught…