John was asleep before she’d finished, and Ian was not long behind.
Sophie finished the story though, and then gently closed the pages and stood. She kissed first Ian, and then John, before settling their sheets over their little shoulders.
He intentionally waited in the doorway for her, so that she’d have to brush past him. He didn’t know if she was involved with his brother in law, though he suspected it was highly likely.
The only thing he knew for certain was that he wanted Sophie all to himself. For a while at least.
Chapter 2
“She was crying again, Eric.” Sophie kept her voice low, and her head bent towards her employer.
“Where?” He was tired. So tired of worrying about his wife, and trying to make her happy and well.
“In the laundry. Early this morning. Before I went for my walk.”
“She didn’t come to bed last night.”
Sophie bit down on her lower lip. The propriety of speaking to Eric about his wife had bothered her at first. But within only a few days of joining the household, Sophie had come to realise that Helena was struggling with the pressures of motherhood and her high profile as Eric’s wife. She had been hesitant, at first, to jump to any conclusions, but another few days into her tenure had convinced her that something was badly wrong.
Helena was depressed. She needed to meet with a professional and get proper support.
Only Eric didn’t seem to share Sophie’s worries. Or, if he did, he was determined to ignore them.
“How was she at dinner?” Sophie blushed at the question, which could have been seen as prying. But not by Eric. He understood. Sophie was worried about Helena, and especially about the boys. He’d come to count on her counsel in the last few months.
“Quiet.” He shrugged. “But she is always quiet lately.”
“Maybe you should go away for a while, like she suggested,” Sophie pushed, lifting a hand comfortingly to his shoulder.
“You’re the one who told me how important my place in the boys’ life is. I don’t want to leave them.”
“They could go with you. I could come.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It doesn’t solve anything. That’s a temporary fix. Whatever is going on with Helena, she needs to right it.”
Sophie compressed her lips. “I don’t know if it’s that easy.”
“She has two children. Two children we spent five years trying to bring into being, and who love her and need her. I don’t give a shit if it isn’t easy. She must do it. There is an imperative on her to meet their needs.”
Across the room, Alex couldn’t hear what they were saying. Their pose was unmistakably intimate, with their faces close and her arm on his shoulder. They weren’t even trying to hide it!
Alex’s temper, under a tight reign for two days, began to fray as he realised with a grim frown, that his sister had been right. This beautiful ingénue had come into his sister’s life and was now attempting to usurp her place in it.
He was sure of it.
“Be patient. She will find her way.” A feint noise caught Sophie’s attention and she looked in its direction, straight into the hard, sardonic eyes of Alessandros Petrides. A shiver flexed down her spine. She looked away again quickly. “You have Alessandros here now. Have you spoken to him? Maybe he’d have an idea …”
“No.” Eric’s scowl formed a perfect line between his brows. He followed her gaze and shifted into a polite smile. “Listen, Soph. Alex is a … top chap. But when it comes to Helena, he’s controlling as hell. If he thinks she’s not happy, he’s just likely to put her on a Petrides jet to Greece.”
“Surely not,” Sophie countered, her eyes drifting back to Alex’s face. He was fuming about something; that much was obvious even to Sophie, who knew very little of the Greek billionaire beyond what the press had publicised over the years. “She’s your wife …”
“But she’s also his sister, and Alex will always trump me in Helena’s mind.” He let out a peevish sigh. “He’s the quintessential control freak. It’s better not to involve him or I’ll lose my wife for good.”
She laughed despite herself. “And here I thought you were far too staid for melodrama.”