Lord Farnsworth.
Jonas came up and wrapped one arm around her shoulders in a light hug. “This is a fancy dinner we’re about to eat. You may want to go change first.”
He had washed and donned his Sunday suit. A glance down at her riding ensemble had her wincing. Was she going to have to change every night? They were going to get awfully tired of seeing her one good dress. It was the best she had, though, even if it couldn’t begin to measure up to the other ladies’ gowns.
As she went up to her room, she fought to hold on to the joy she’d felt being on Rhiannon again. These women were the type she hoped to teach one day. It shouldn’t bother her that she would never be one of them.
Twenty-Eight
The following days went much the same. There were always guests at dinner, though the number varied from night to night. The other two jockeys made it back to Newmarket, and though they didn’t seem delighted in the new developments, they never protested her presence at morning training. Having someone nearer her stature to watch was helpful, even if they never deigned to speak with her.
She rode Rhiannon every afternoon, though she didn’t give more demonstrations. The first October Meeting was closing in, and if the increase of riders on the Heath was anything to go by, the surrounding area was filling up.
Sunday morning was the first break in her happy little haze. Walking with Jonas to church, she couldn’t help jumping at every bird call, every snapped twig. It was the first time she’d gone out in public since the challenge race.
St. Mary’s was full as she and Jonas slipped in at the last minute. Relief that they might have to leave because of the lack of space was cut short when Aaron called their names. He’d saved them seats in the back corner.
They didn’t talk during or even after the service, but she found herself mooning over the encounter all the same. Though Aaron had been at dinner every night, they hadn’t been alone since that first evening in her new home.
She probably shouldn’t think of it as home. Her temporary quarters?
After church, she and Jonas went to Hawksworth to help with the animals. “At least church is on this side of town and we didn’t have to venture too far into Newmarket,” Sophia mused as she brushed down one side of a horse while Jonas worked on the other side.
He shot her an unreadable glance. “Enjoying the isolation, are you?”
“I suppose.” The hairs aligning with the brush mesmerized her for several strokes. “We’ve had a lot of people in our lives the past few years who always wanted something from us.”
“And you don’t feel that way now?”
“Well, no.”
Jonas propped his arm on the back of the horse and pinned her with a serious look. “You do realize we work for them, right? We haven’t even been here two full weeks yet.”
“I know.” But it felt so much longer. It felt right. “It’s just . . . nice.” She moved the brush more vigorously over the horse. “My enjoying the moment isn’t harming anything.”
He sighed.
She stopped working and forced herself to look Jonas in the eye. “What?”
“I love your dreams and your optimism and, quite frankly, I can’t imagine life without them. No matter what life has thrown at us, the fact that you’ve always seen a brighter place on the horizon has given me more hope than I’ve ever admitted.”
A warm glow spread through Sophia at the compliment, but a spear of dread cut through the middle, because Jonas’s statement sounded too much like it was leading to something bigger. Something painful.
“Just this once, though, I need you to recognize the distance between you and that light.” He watched her silently, holding her gaze until she was near to trembling. “Promise you’ll stay with me in reality this time, Soph. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Pain was usually inevitable, but she didn’t want him worrying. She wanted him to be as happy and relaxed as she felt, and if that could only happen when he thought she wasn’t headed for trouble, she would find a way to lie.
Rolling her eyes and grinning, she resumed working the comb along the horse. “I’m not going to get hurt, Jonas. I’m simply happy. Life is finally making a turn for us. You watch. This time next year, we’ll have our own little school. When we go to