Oliver grinned. He adored how resilient young people were. They could be in the depths of despair with tears one minute and then soaring through the clouds on joyful wings the next. Would that we can all rebound from grief and trials like that. He continued his stroll through the gardens, and when he reached the entrance to the maze, he pulled the scrap of paper from his waistcoat pocket that contained the directions.
Thanks to Sophia’s written prompts, he made it through the hedge maze without incident, but he vowed to return at some point and explore the mysteries found therein if one didn’t have navigational clues, for there were statues around every turn and in every nook. When he reached the heart of the maze, the scene was so perfect he stopped merely to feast his eyes upon it in the attempt to memorize it.
Three stone benches were gathered about a statue. A collection of rose bushes grew from a circular patch of earth in the middle. White, pink, and red blooms were highlighted by the dark green leaves, while most of the area was shrouded in shade. Sophia tended to the bushes with the same loving care that she had in the garden, but this time she’d laid a folded blanket down to protect her gown as she kneeled.
As he took a few silent steps forward, he swept his gaze over her person, for truly, she was breathtaking. Did she know that? Her blonde hair held back in a loose knot at the back of her head gleamed in the sunlight that broke through the clouds and the hedges. A few tendrils had escaped to caress her nape and temples, but the apricot dress she wore made her look like the roses she lovingly tended.
“Did you wish to stand there and gawk at me, Oliver, or will you enter into a conversation?” The teasing in her voice prompted him into movement once more.
“Can not a man simply appreciate the view or admire a woman?” She was a vision, even more so when she rose to her feet as elegant as royalty and peeled off her gloves, letting them drop to the ground. “I’m glad you decided to meet me here this afternoon. Though I’m certain there might be rain soon that will spoil the outing.”
“Your note was intriguing, to be sure.” Sophia glanced upward, and the breeze played with those escaped tendrils, beckoning him to touch his lips to her nape, her temple, her lips. “Out of all the things in life I’m facing, rain doesn’t bother me. Soon enough, I’ll not be able to feel that on my face, so I wish to experience that whenever I can.”
“Indeed.” Once again, he was reminded of the fragile state of affairs and the reason he’d wished for this meeting. But first, he wanted for a bit more background about her. “Tell me about your husbands. Were you in love with both of them?”
“Oh, I was.” Her eyes sparkled. “Wonderfully in love.”
That was encouraging.
She smiled as she moved through the heart of the maze and toward a patch of sunlight. Was it for the warmth or because she feared the darkness and shadows? “I adored being wed, knowing there was someone out there who was my equal, my partner, my lover, and my support. Someone I could talk to when the nights were long and the darkness complete.” With a sigh, she landed her gaze upon him. “Michael was my first husband. I married him after my second Season in London. Actually, I met him at a society event. He was such a handsome man, especially when he donned his military uniform.”
“I can understand that connection. Did you enjoy many happy years together?” Hearing about her life and history would help him gain the courage to ask his question.
“We had three.” Sophia rubbed her hands up and down her arms, whether for comfort or warmth in the breeze he couldn’t say. “But they were marvelous and full of happy memories. And so much physical affection.” When she looked at him, a certain wistfulness had settled over her. “Though a child never resulted from the union, I didn’t care, for I had him.” A tiny sigh escaped her. “During his stint in the war, he was stationed close enough that I saw him regularly when he took leave, but unfortunately he perished due to a freak accident.”
“How so?” Oliver approached her location with trepidation, for he didn’t wish to break the spell she wove with her words.
“A wagon filled with cannon balls overturned, trapping him and his horse beneath it. You see, Michael was part of a contingent of mounted men tapped to guard the shipment on its way to one of the fronts.” The delicate tendons of her throat worked with a hard swallow. “The weight of it crushed his ribs, which then punctured his lungs. I was told in a letter that his death didn’t occur immediately and that it was probably painful.”
“How terrible.” He couldn’t imagine the heartbreak she must have experienced.
“Indeed. I was devastated for months after I lost Michael. Long past that year of mourning, I kept close to home, neither entertaining nor going out into society. I couldn’t. How could I exist without him?” She paused near one of the statues. This one depicted the goddess Diana with a bow in hand. “I didn’t know how to go on without him.”
To love someone that fiercely! Was that what would happen to him if he won her hand knowing she wasn’t long for the world? “But eventually you did.” The emotions that flitted over her face and the shadows in her eyes made him remember the deaths of his parents and the quagmire associated with that.
Yet now he contemplated willingly throwing himself into that murky place again.
For the hope of loving her.
“Yes, for life moves on despite what we’re feeling.” Once more, she strolled about the area and this time passed into the shaded portion of the garden. “For years I vowed to remain faithful to Michael’s memory, but boredom and loneliness got the better of me. As well as a tiny kernel of hope.” Her chuckle didn’t relieve the pall of the subject matter. “And I wished to have children.”
“Ah, a feat that cannot be accomplished alone.” He sought to tease her into a better mood, and when she offered him a smile, his chest swelled with pride.
“No.” Sophia laid a palm on another statue. This one was of Eros, the god of love. “So, at the age of six and twenty, I once again entered the Marriage Mart, but I wasn’t interested in a man who held a title, which is what my family thought was best for me.”
The knowledge brought him comfort, for perhaps that would tempt her to accept his suit. “What happened?”
“I was at a ball where the hostess needed to make up numbers. She’d invited a handful of military officers, and since I happen to be quite weak at the knees by a man in uniform, when I met James, things were pretty much left to fate.”
“Love at first sight?” For the first time, Oliver bemoaned the fact that he hadn’t gone into the military himself, but he wasn’t a fighter, and the thought of killing his fellow man made him nearly sick to his stomach. His goal in life was to bring peace and a better world.
“It was, for both of us, and we’d known each other a mere handful of days before I snuck off with him to enjoy him carnally.” A pretty blush colored her cheeks. “It’s one of my favorite things and another reason I’m partial to marriage.”
“There is no crime in that, Sophia.” It was adorable, though, that she still felt embarrassment over it. “Love oftentimes has no logical reason. It’s unexplainable and wild, will swing toward the highs and plunge through the lows.” At least his feelings for her certainly didn’t make sense. They were all that included. What he did know was that he’d tumbled tip over tail, and he didn’t wish to stop that slide.
“Oh, I know, but the rules of the ton being what they are, it was all so scandalous.” Her giggle said she hadn’t cared. “My poor father when he found out. It didn’t help that I told him I showed no regret for lying with James.” She shrugged. “Needless to say, James and I were married rather quickly after that, for I discovered I was increasing.”
“With Hannah?” There was something intimate in sharing this conversation with her.