Free My Dear Sophy by Kimberly Truesdale Page A

him. Connie had smiled at the sight. And the young man had clearly felt her command. Connie had noticed Frederick’s reaction only briefly, however. His attention had been riveted by the woman just introduced to him as Miss Sophia Wentworth.
    It was more than her manner of command that had made Connie’s heart begin to beat fast and his feet to speed toward her. As this woman had berated her wayward brother, Miss Wentworth's bright, dark eyes had flashed, her whole face and body had been animated. Arms used to emphasize her point also shifted her simple but well-cut dress to highlight the soft curves of her body. The combination of her animation, easy command, and curves had utterly enthralled him. He could not take his eyes off of her. And he couldn’t stop smiling.
    And so Connie had moved closer to the scene. And he’d been terribly amused when she’d wheeled on her brother and found him instead. In the short pause before Frederick had introduced her, the woman had quite frankly looked him over from top to toe. There was nothing shy about her assessment. Connie was used to bold women; it was an inevitable fact of naval life. For any woman to fit into the man’s world, she had to have some boldness about her. But here was boldness tempered with a knowledge of manners. He could see this from the soft blush that crept up her neck and cheeks when she realized she’d been so clearly staring at him. The blush intrigued him even more than the boldness and he continued to smile at her.
    “ This is my older sister Miss Sophia Wentworth,” Frederick had said. Connie would never forget that name. He bowed his head in greeting, not taking his eyes off her face. She wasn’t an overwhelming beauty – though Connie wasn’t actually sure he knew what a woman like that would look like. But her features were pleasingly regular. And those eyes. They were lit by something within that made her irresistible to a man like him. It was strength and softness together. It was depth. Like his first love, the ocean, he had seen something beneath her calm surface. And he bemusedly wondered what lengths he would go to see it again. His sea voyages were all quests like that – days, weeks in pursuit of something he had seen only in the distance. And the promise of a worthy prize at the end.
    “ Hello, Miss Wentworth,” Connie said.
    “ Pleased to meet you, captain.” Sophy gave a small, informal curtsey. She moved with an easy grace, as if she was comfortably in command of all around her. She smiled at him and he had another glimpse of that prize.
    “ Sophia. That means ‘wisdom,’ does it not?”
    “ Yes, it does,” Miss Wentworth nodded, amused and puzzled at the direction of his conversation.
    Connie turned to Frederick. “I would call it wisdom then, young man, after seeing the dressing-down your sister delivered, even with you loftily perched on my horse, to refrain from emphasizing the word ‘older’ when referencing your lovely – and quite young – sister. I have a feeling the small jibe might be more trouble than it is worth.” Connie looked toward Sophy with mischief in his eyes. He was pleased – though, he had to admit, not entirely surprised – to see answering mischief in hers and a smile playing around the corners of her lips.
    Somehow he had known – or had hoped – that she would be quick to humor. It was one more glimpse of a quarry he was finding to be a more and more irresistible each moment. Perhaps this trip home would hold more than the warmth of his own family. If she was the doctor’s daughter, he would surely be spending time in her company. He found this prospect delightful and wondered what other things he would discover about her during his stay.
    “ So this would be your horse that my brother has absconded with, captain?” Sophy asked. Connie nodded. “I hope my brother has thanked you.”
    “ No need! When I came across him, I had dismounted anyway. He took the beast on a gallop she badly