Tananguard 02 - To Love a Lord Read Online Free PDF Page B

turned his attention to Sophia. “Yet again, I apologize. I—”
    “I did not need you to defend me,” she said simply. Then she s hoved past him and headed for the exit.
    “Oh bloody hell,” he grumb led. Could he do nothing right? He turned and followed right behind her. “It needed to be done,” he argued. “I could not stand by and allow her to demoralize—”
    Sophia rounded on him. “Rebecca Sterling believes everything she said—that I am beneath her. That all commoners are beneath her! Whether you defend my honor or not doesn’t matter because she will find a way to demoralize me and everyone here who has not left. She was raised that way, Mr. Tananguard. It is in her blood to undermine everyone around her in order to lift herself higher.”
    Sterling? It took him a moment to realize she was still speaking of Rebecca Cunningham. Sterling was her maiden name. He shook his head. “Nonetheless, the more people who stand up to her, the harder it is for her to alienate them from society. You are what matters. Your skill, your talent must be shared with others. I cannot stand by and allow one woman to throw that away, and I am certain everyone here feels the same way. You must perform again.”
    Sarah was beaming at him and many others were nodding in agreement.
    “I,” Sophia hesitated. “Thank you. All of you, but I cannot. I will not allow any of you to lose your good reputations because of me. I shall leave, and Sarah will claim she dismissed me after the havoc my presence caused. And that will be the end of it. Good day, Mr. Tananguard. It was a pleasure to have made your acquaintance.” She curtsied and practically sprinted from the room before anyone could stop her.
    Connor sighed in frustration. He knew there were many lords and ladies who held themselves above other citizens, and he struggled to understand it. He wasn’t one of those people, and he was certain Cunningham wasn’t either. Why had he married a woman who was one of the worst? No one would have realized Sophia wasn’t upper class had Rebecca kept her mouth shut, but she hadn’t. Now Sarah’s reputation with the other noblewomen was at stake, and Sophia Murrieta had been humiliated and alienated from playing the pianoforte for them again.
     
    Connor wore a scowl as he left the Markham estates. He was the cause of Sophia’s demise, and he could not make amends because he knew not where to find her. Sarah was no help either. He had begged her to tell him where Sophia lived so that he might again apologize for the debacle he had caused. She refused. She insisted Sophia would come to them when she was ready. Thus, Connor found himself walking aimlessly through the streets of London.
    It was early in the evening, and he had no desire to truly do anything except walk. He felt…strange. His mind kept returning to Sophia. She haunted his thoughts. Yet that was not what plagued him. It was simply her…the way she moved, her smile, her delicate hands flowing over the pianoforte keys, and her voice. Her sweet, soft voice. He’d been playing The Game so long, he’d forgotten what it was like to really desire a woman, to see her past a competition. He wanted that with Sophia. He wanted to know her. He wanted to discover what her passions were, to discover who she truly was. She had enthralled his soul with music, and he felt her still pulling him. How could he feel this way toward a woman he barely knew? Perhaps it was simply remorse for his actions which had caused her such pain and embarrassment. He didn’t know. He simply knew he wanted to see her again.
    He shook his head in frustration, glancing around to see where he had wandered. He had stumbled upon a quiet neighborhood of quaint cottage-like homes. It was peaceful here, not crowded like so much of the city, and it was cleaner than most areas as well.
    A woman’s sweet voice hummed softly . He closed his eyes and listened. Peace filled him. For the first time since Sophia had