THE MASKED BRIDE

Chapter 9

Amelia planned to sacrifice one of her gloves to do the job as she would not let her bare hands touch the soil, she also had her way of getting back at Sophia for making her do this lowly job

Clare watched in horror as Amelia walked away to dig a hole with her hands, her daughter must have lost her mind at the same time her husband did…..Amelia she called chasing after her daughter to stop her from embarrassing herself

" Henry the final gift please " Theodore said as the drama was partially over with, he had the final piece to confirm his engagement to Sophia

" yes , young master" Henry said as he showed a small box he had with him

" you are too kind Theodore, the gifts you brought for me are more than enough " philp said as he stretched out his hand to see what next he would receive

" This is not for you, this is for my wife to be " Theodore said as he glared at the greedy man

Theodore got down on one knee beside where Sophia sat and opened the box to reveal a diamond ring

Sophia had completely forgot about an engagement ring, she was taken aback by the size as all the jewelry she had were smaller compared to this , won't it be uncomfortable because of the size... she wondered

" don't you like the ring?,it is a family heirloom " Theodore said as he snapped the box short after seeing her reaction .... I will find you a suitable ring to your taste by the end of the day.

" w... wait" Philip said as he shuttered confused as to why Sophia didn't like the ring, she would probably be wearing their house on her finger if she accepted the ring. "Give her a moment to think, she must be in shock by how splendid the ring is"

Theodore waited to hear from Sophia but it was clear from her body language that she didn't like the ring.

Though she thought it would be rude if her to not accept the ring the duke brought but she couldn't imagine herself wearing such a large object on her finger, she preferred to be honest with the Duke and considering that he wasn't offended she knew he wouldn't mind

" the ring is too large " Sophia softly replied

" there's nothing as too large Philip argue, already annoyed by Sophia's response …. This was why he rather have Amelia marry tje Duke as Amelia knew the value of material thing and how much they mattered…. Sophia was nothing more than a fool

" I will find something more suitable for you" Theodore repeated again as he dismissed the Baron's comments…. He made a mistake of not finding something that Sophia would like but rather brought a ring that has been passed down from generations

" Baron send Sophia and all her things to start living with me in two days time , I shall have a separate bedroom for her until we are wed and you have my word I shall not touch her" The Duke said to the Baron

Sophia was surprised to hear that he wanted her to come live with him in two days time because she asked to come live with him while they were in her bedroom but he declined and now he was saying yes…. She honestly could not figure out what Theodore was thinking

" what!?" Philip asked in disbelief as it was in his plans for Sophia to go live with the duke... if she did that, there will be no way for Amelia to interact with him as he won't casually visit their home .

" I really don't think that is a good idea, what will the people say?" Philip questioned

" this is not the first time a woman is staying with her husband to be and it will not be the last there a lot to be planned and many dinners for her to attend, I'll rather have her next to me than this back and forth…. This is not a topic for discussion, Amelia coming to live with me is final " Theodore answered

" Henry prepare the carriage for us to leave , this house is starting to irritate me " Theodore said as he started to feel uncomfortable ….. his hate for the Baron's house has not yet decreased

" come see me out". Theodore said to Sophia

" excuse me father" Sophia said as she stood up from her seat to walk with the duke

She held on to Theodore's hand as they walk side by side while the butler walked behind them

" you can finally breathe now" Theodore said as they got outside, away from prying eyes

Sophia stumbled as they stepped outside her home and would have fallen to the ground if not for Theodore that held unto her

" I can not believe I did that " she said__felt her getting weaker as what she did finally dawned on her.

"I enjoyed every bit of the show Sophia, finally some good entertainment in the Baron's home …. I would bet it felt really good to speak up to them like that " said Theodore

Sophia's fire has only started to burn and he would shield her from anyone wanting to put it out….. he saw something in her today that no one else saw_____ the town had no idea what was coming their way, with his help Sophia would become a woman not to be messed with.

" it did feel good, I am used to making up this kinds of scenarios in my head and now it has finally happened….. for a moment I did forget how to breathe back there and I was so nervous that I could have tripped over my words" Sophia said as she clutched her dress finding the moment to be surreal

" you did good" Theodore said as he patted her head... the show he witnessed at the Baron's home was ten times better for those watching Sophia and it would be even better if she becomes more confident in herself.

Sophia looked down at the floor, feeling strange as she received a compliment from Theodore and a Pat on her head