Betraying the Duke (2 page)

Chapter Three

No one had disturbed her, or knocked at her door or even asked how she was after the incident in the kitchen at dinner, thereafter and through the remaining day.  Sophia hadn’t expected it either; she had done the unimaginable; walked out without being excused from the dinner table after a heated argument with her father.
He has probably banned everyone from coming to see me, or check on me. Very well, I am better off alone rather than being with parents who cannot understand me and appreciate my dreams.

The next morning was also unusually quiet, Sophia had predicted at least her mother to barge into her room angrily, but she hadn’t. Things were rather calm and the serene environment was making her very uncomfortable. She opened her door and looked straight into Mary’s room across the hallway.

“Mary. Mary!” Sophia whispered just loud enough for Mary to hear.

Mary looked around the room at first, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from until she saw Sophia peeking through the little open doorway, beckoning her to come in. Mary got up from her bed and went tiptoeing to Sophia’s room, careful so that the floorboards would not creak and her parents would not hear it.

“What is happening, Mary? Why is everyone so quiet?” asked Sophia as soon as Mary stepped in.

“I cannot tell you right now, Father told me not to,” Mary said, knowing her sister would find a way for her to reveal what was going on, one way or another.

“Mary! You have to tell me! I am your sister! You saw how unfair they were with me yesterday; I need to be prepared for whatever is coming up!” Sophia said frustrated.

Mary thought for a few seconds.

“There is a proposal for you…” Mary began saying.

“A proposal? That is nothing special or important! I’ve dealt with many. I thought it was something much more serious,” Sophia said laughing slightly, relieved upon hearing so.

“No you do not understand Sophia, this is the one. Father came back home with that news, that some friend’s son has asked for your hand in marriage and he’s perfect for you. Father already approves of him and the only thing left to do was tell you after dinner. That is why things got a little quieter than usual, it is because Father had come with news,” Mary explained, feeling nervous herself.

“What? So what you are saying is he’s chosen a husband for me without even telling me?” Sophia asked, shocked.

“He just needs you to say yes, and he knows you will after he tells you to,” Mary said.

“Never! They cannot do this to me! They’re doing so more because I want to go to medical school and they want to get that idea out of my head from its very roots!” Sophia said as tears welled up in her eyes.

As they both stood there, in the middle of Sophia’s room, Sophia crying and Mary trying to comfort her, they both heard footsteps coming up the staircase. None of them budged knowing that before Mary could try going back to her room, they would have seen her, and so she stood her ground and stayed alongside her heartbroken sister.

As predicted within a few seconds, her father knocked on the door and asked to come in. Neither of them answered the door and so he came in anyway. He spotted Mary and a look of disapproval came across his face.

“Mary! I asked you not to,” he said, even though he knew this would happen; they were inseparable when one of them was going through tragic times.

“I am sorry Father but I am not really sorry, she had the right to know!” Mary said facing her father.

“That is enough from you Mary, you may leave to your room now, thank you!” her father said as her mother followed in behind him. Mary stomped her way to her room, leaving them to talk but making sure they knew how much she was against this.

Sophia sat on her bed knowing this could be a while and also because she was not the least bit interested in what either of them were about to say.

“Sophia, I am sure you already know thanks to Mary…” he began saying.

“That you have found a husband for me so that I will not want to study anymore?” Sophia cut in saying.

“Sophia, you need to understand, we are doing this because it is better for you. You are too young to understand the consequences, we love you and we want you to be happy, but you may not necessarily know what happiness is at this moment, and so we have to decide for you,” her father responded to her in a much calmer manner, trying to make her see things from his point of view.

“That makes absolutely no sense, I have a noble passion, one that you are honored for every day, footsteps I wanted to follow but no, instead you are just like Mother and we’re no different are we? There is nothing unique about us, nothing that should be admired,” Sophia said with a sinking feeling in her chest as she realized all these powerful words would be in vain as the look on her father’s face didn’t show change.

“Sophia…please…,” her father began saying.

“No, that is alright. I know you cannot do anything; this is definitely where my happiness will lie. These tears streaming down my face are mere tears of joy. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go for a walk, thank you,” she said, without allowing her father to speak.

He gently nodded his head as her mother stood idly behind him not having to do anything herself as her father was doing an excellent job.

She walked out of her room, knowing that this was going to be the way it was; her world crashing down on her. Everything she had dreamt or hoped, she would now have to burn before her very eyes.
Could being a woman really be such a curse?

Chapter Four

Life was unfair and Sophia knew no one would have known it better than she right now. She grabbed a shawl and left the house from the front door without any direction as to where it was she was going, she just needed to breathe.

Her eyes were blurry and hazy and she could barely see the ground she was walking on but she continued with her head facing towards the ground.  Not too far from where her house was she came across a desolate ground that she had seen many times taking a nearby route from her house to the local marketplace. Wanting to be entirely alone, she went into the ground. A few scattered trees stood tall here and there on parched ground that had not been tended to in a very long time; it had not rained heavily this year.

Sophia found a small quiet spot near a thin running creek and wrapped her arms around herself, the cold hitting her harsher than before. The tears had stopped now, only sadness had come.

So, this is it. This is my grand future, the one I dreamt of building as a child, it comes down to nothing. I thought it would make him proud, having a daughter like me, but instead all he sees is shame and an impossible daughter.

As she thought of these things, almost back to tears, a man nearby had noticed her standing there. He could not see her clearly from where he was standing as the distance between them was great. He could see a silhouette of someone he knew and without a second thought he rushed towards her.

“What are you doing here?!” the man said with a hint of anger in his voice.

Sophia turned around shocked and confused to see a man questioning her presence.

“Excuse me?” she managed to ask, still baffled by who he was.

As she turned around, the man saw her face clearly and immediately the anger was gone and he stared at her wide-eyed, quickly snapping himself out of the trance he felt he was in and apologized.

“I am sorry. I… I thought you were someone else… someone I knew,” he said, still admiring her beautiful face.

“You startled me! I thought you were going to kidnap me or something!” Sophia said, still having not noticed his handsome face.

“Kidnap you? Before I announce it out loud? I am sure that is the first thing not to do when kidnapping somebody!” he said laughing, amused by her.

“I guess so,” Sophia said as she realized the hilariousness and laughed too.

He stopped laughing to admire hers, smiling at the way she laughed wholeheartedly and pure. There was something about her that would not make her easy to forget and he was aware of that.

Sophia realized he was looking at her and stopped laughing and straightened up, feeling nervous and trying to hide her shyness after having noticed how incredibly good-looking he was.

“Well, I have to go, my family will be wondering where I went off to,” she said, clearing her throat and not actually wanting to go home.

“Right, right. I am sorry again, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he replied, remembering how they had met.

“That is alright,” she answered him, wanting to stay a little bit longer.

“Have a pleasant day,” he said, tipping his hat and awkwardly walking in the opposite direction.

She hesitantly walked back home, her mind now distracted by the strange man’s face.

Something about his eyes… I do not know if he saw something in mine too… Sophia! Snap out of it! You are never going to meet him again; you do not even know his name!

She climbed the porch steps back to the house ready to face her parents again, her father would be waiting to talk more on the matter and for preparations to start as soon as possible, this had to be done before anymore interferences could present themselves.

Indeed, her father was sitting in the drawing room waiting for her to come back. Her mother sat next to him, her legs crossed quite content with her husband handling everything and not her.

“How was your walk, Sophia?” asked her father as she stepped into the drawing room.

Sophia remained quiet, she couldn’t mention the strange man she had met and she felt that she didn’t quite need to either.

“Now, if you sit, we can talk about this a little more,” he instructed her, gesturing with his hand to the seat in front of him.

Sophia sat quietly, not wanting to argue as she was tired and felt light-headed.

“The man’s name is Elliot Clerk, and he is a wonderful man, whose father I’ve known for many, many years. He works as an article clerk and he’s a good man who would keep you happy,” her father said.

Sophia didn’t say a word.

“I’ve invited him to come over tomorrow, so that you two may meet and get to know each other a little better. You never know how many things you may have in common. You have the right to know each other and so he’ll stay for dinner,” he said, in more of an order than a choice.

Sophia looked at him blankly.

“Is that all, then?” she asked, as she got up to leave.

“Yes. For now,” her father replied, not expecting her to behave in this manner. He had thought a tantrum or outburst would follow, some sort of reaction for opposing it, but nothing occurred.

She got up and left without a word and cried herself to sleep, knowing there was nothing she could do, not any more.

Chapter Five

The next day, Sophia, feeling glum, stayed in her room, opting out of having breakfast and beginning a hunger strike that didn’t really last very long as Mary, out of sympathy, sneaked food in for her shortly after breakfast.

At afternoon, despite her long and sincere prayers, there was a knock on the door, and soon after Mary came into Sophia’s room to inform her of who had just arrived.

“Sophia! He’s here!” Mary said as she rushed into the room.

“I know, I heard the door open and Father with his enthusiastic and overjoyed voice greeting him,” Sophia said, still dressed in her sleepwear.

“You know you are going to have to come downstairs, right?” Mary asked her curiously after realizing she was still not dressed.

“I know, but….” Sophia began saying when she drifted off into silence, lost in thought.

“What is it?” Mary asked curiously, seeing her sister’s facial expression change.

“I’ve got it! Mary? You know how women have to be oh-so polite and graceful when these men show up wanting to marry them? Usually completely fake and putting on this great façade? Well I am not going to do that! I am going to tell him how it is, there is no near hypocrisy coming from me! Not if I can help it!” Sophia said with a sudden burst of energy.

“What?” Mary asked, still confused.

“Oh you’ll see! Now go, go! I need to get dressed. Out, Mary!” Sophia said pushing her out of her room hurriedly.

Sophia rushed to her cupboard and picked out a dress neither too fancy nor too casual and slipped it on and pinned her hair.
I need to be subtle, otherwise Father will be angered thinking that I was set out to do this. I need to make it look natural.

She waited in her room, for her father or mother to call and in a little while, she heard her father coming upstairs.

“Sophia?” he knocked politely on her door.

“Yes, come in,” she answered him, neutrally.

“We need you downstairs, oh … you are dressed,” her father said, surprised that she was ready.

“Yes, isn’t that what you do when people arrive to your house?” Sophia responded with a hint of bitterness.

“Rightly so, now come on down and please, be on your best behavior,” her father said, leaving the door open and leaving, expecting her to follow behind him.

She went downstairs, lifting her dress slightly above the floor so she would not trip. As she entered the living room, she saw a young man sitting uneasy on one of the settees. He straightened up when he saw her and gave her a polite smile before he darted his eyes off her, hoping not to be too rude or eager.

“Ah, glad you have joined us Sophia!” her father said as though they hadn’t met in ages.

“This is Elliot. He’s here to meet you. Why do not you have a seat right here?” her father suggested; sitting across from him.

Sophia sat where she was asked to and analyzed the man who sat before her. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes, he was younger than she liked but she couldn’t say he was bad-looking. He fit a gentleman’s look well and he clearly knew how to dress.

“Hello, it is nice to meet you Sophia. I am Elliot,” Elliot started the conversation as Sophia sat idle and was quiet.

“Yes I know, my father just told me,” Sophia said, pointing out the absurdity of him having told her again.

“Oh right! I am sorry. It is just, you are very beautiful and I am not one to get so nervous usually,” he said awkwardly.

This is why I do not like little boys,
Sophia thought to herself, unimpressed by the absence of masculinity and confidence that she very much admired.

“Well, I will leave you two alone to get to know each other. I am glad you are staying for dinner Elliot. You are going to love the roasts my wife makes!” Sophia’s father joked, getting up to leave. Elliot laughed out of politeness, it was very obvious to Sophia.

They were left alone and there was silence in the room.

“So tell me about your interests and hobbies,” Elliot asked, trying to initiate conversation once again.

“I have many…,” Sophia answered him “…some of which you may even oppose or dislike,” she added with an ulterior motive.

“Some I’d dislike? Please do explain? I do not think I’d mind anything civilized and in the limitations of a decent, noble minded woman,” Elliot asked, highly amused by her statement and not taking her very seriously.

“Define what you mean by the limitations of a noble minded woman? Are you trying to imply that I may not be? If I believe in something that women have not done so much before?” Sophia asked with an eyebrow raised.

“In that case, it really does depend what you are on about. I cannot say anything more without you telling me what it is you are talking about,” Elliot said in a firmer tone now.

“I want be a physician, like my father. I want a partner, a husband that would support me in this dream of mine,” Sophia said out loud, boldly.

“A physician? Why so? Why would you want to leave the comfort of your house to be a physician?” asked Elliot unable to comprehend what she was saying.

“Why does my father do it? I want to help people, to do something productive in life rather than just tending to house chores. I want to aid sick people and nurse them to health with all my ability,” Sophia explained without going into details, judging by his face that he already disapproved.

“I would not like that; I would not want to come home to no wife or dinner. I like things the old-fashioned way, men go to work and earn money to support their family and women stay happy in their houses, raising kids and taking care of things at home,” he said, stating strictly what he did approve of.

Sophia studied his face, it had gone from a soft kind-natured man to a rough stern man, although she knew this was probably most likely, for people to be so different from the inside, it was still astonishing to see it happening right before her very eyes.

“I am sorry, but that is what I want and what I need, you have the right to your own opinion but this is mine,” Sophia told him bluntly.

“Very well then, there is no need for me to waste my time with a woman who does not value our traditional culture. I will be leaving, thank you,” Elliot said getting up and dismissing himself, without a moment to lose.

“Very well, then,” Sophia replied, expressionless.

“Goodbye, Sophia,” he said at last, before he walked out the door and grabbed his coat from the coat rack and left.

Now the actual storm will come.