Page 27 of Always a Princess

Sophia’s eyes lit up. “You talked to him!”

“He wants me to meet him.” Thea couldn’t stop herself from confiding in them, despite the risk. She also knew she couldn’t arrange it without their help.

“Are his intentions truly honorable?” Louisa asked.

“Yes. He asked me to marry him tonight.”

“Thea!” they both squealed.

“Shh.”

“And you’re just now mentioning it? Seriously?” Sophia asked.

“For good reason,” she replied.

“You have to go to him,” Louisa said.

“He bought an estate,” she said, deciding they might as well know it all.

“Here? So, he will stay in England?” Louisa asked.

“Presumably.”

“Did you say yes? Please tell me you said yes,” Sophia said.

“And leave the two of you? With how things stand now with your father? I couldn’t possibly.”

Louisa reached out to touch her arm. “In all seriousness, Thea, if you get a chance at happiness, you must take it. We will figure ourselves out. You deserve to be happy.”

Tears burned in Thea’s eyes. She knew she had not failed these girls. They were kind, loving, sweet, intelligent, and thoughtful. Any man would be blessed to have either of them as a wife.

“I will meet him, but you must apply yourselves to finding someone worthy of you. Promise me. I can’t be happy if you both end up married to old trolls.”

“Never,” Sophia said.

“I’ll marry Mr. Beaumont if it comes down to it—provided he lets me paint him naked as much as I want.”

“I can’t wait for you to ask him that,” Sophia said with a giggle.

Thea was also rather curious as to how that conversation would go. After seeing the way the man had looked at Louisa, Thea wouldn’t be surprised if he chose elopement after that question.

“Well, this night turned out much better than I’d expected,” Sophia said. “Give me a hug, both of you. Who knows how many more nights we will have like this?”

The bittersweet reality that this beautiful chapter of her life was swiftly ending struck Thea hard. As she hugged them both, she thanked God it had lasted as long as it had.

Now, to find Sophia a suitable match so I can consider marrying the prince with a clear conscience.

CHAPTER 15

She sent the note. Sophia’s lady’s maid was discreet, and her brother was a footman.

Now, she waited. At nine o’clock, Sophia would plead a headache, and in the commotion, Louisa would declare she wouldn’t go without her and was staying in this evening. Thea would tell their father before he left for his club. As soon as he departed, she would go out for a breath of fresh air in the garden, sneak through the shrubbery, and hopefully find a carriage waiting for her on the street behind their home.

Thea felt transported back in time to memories of sneaking out of her parents’ home in India to meet a raja’s son waiting on horseback just beyond the wall.

Never in her life did she expect to be sneaking out of her uncle’s home to meet yet another prince.

It made her feel young and free again—feelings she had missed while assuming a matronly existence for the last decade. Thea would not trade her time with the twins for anything, but the excitement of the prospect of meeting a man to whom she was compellingly drawn was welcome.