SHE was proven correct about Bella Mcklerin's feelings about her staying to care for the children, and the older woman readily agreed. But the last thing Sophia wanted was to irritate her mother and son. And, judging by the stormy light in Raphael's eyes as he glowered across the table at his mother before abruptly leaving for his study that evening, she had done just that.
'Perhaps I should go after all,' she grumbled, absently stirring her spoon in her cup of coffee, despite the fact that she didn't take sugar.
'Don't be silly,' Bella said dismissively. 'It's Raphael's pmarklem if he chooses to act in this ridiculously sulky manner. You've been a huge help to me with the kids; I couldn't have done it without you.'
'But now that Raphael is back, he might be able to get them a nurse—'
'Neither Hugh nor Sarah want a nurse here,' Bella stated emphatically. 'It took bribery and corruption to persuade Hugh to let you leave his bedroom long enough to join us for dinner tonight.'
She'd been deeply moved — and surprised — by how possessive Hugh had become over her in such a short period of time. 'He's a lot like his father,' she said with a smile.
'Sometimes they appear to be the same age,' Bella admitted dryly. 'And I'm not talking about those times when Hugh seems too old for his ten years,' she clarified.
Sophia couldn't help but laugh. 'I'm afraid Raphael is a little angry with me.'
'So I noticed,' his mother mocked. 'He's a little pissed off at me, too,' she added unconcernedly. 'Most men would be pleased that the woman in their lives is interested in their children.'
'I'm no longer the "woman in Raphael's life," she said softly to Bella.
The older lady frowned. 'He ended your relationship because you refused to leave Hugh and Sarah?'
She exhaled a sigh. 'I'm afraid I'm the one who brought things to a close between us,' she admitted ruefully. 'I'm sure I'll come to regret it later.' She was already kicking herself! 'But it seemed like the only thing to do at the time.'
'Raphael can be such a jerk at times,' his mother grumbled.
'But I warned you—'
'If Raphael had been acting like a normal man in love, you wouldn't have felt it was the only decision you could make,' Bella yelled at her son.
'Raphael isn't in love with me,' she sighed, shaking her head.
'Nonsense, he's always been in love with you,' Bella shot back. 'I'm ashamed that my son, through his own stubbornness, has made such a complete mess of his life.'
'Raphael is a successful businessman—'
'In everything except the important things, like having a wife, caring for his children, and making them happy.' Bella smirked. 'The only time I've ever seen him truly happy was when you and he were together five years ago.' Three months of happiness in thirty-eight years isn't a bad track record!'
'He adores his kids—'
'But he never shows it to them,' she sighed. 'I can't burden you with these things; I've already taken advantage of your generosity.'
'Bella, is there anything I can do for you...?'
The faded blue eyes met hers with a piercing stare. 'Do you adore my son, Sophia?'
Her cheeks were darkened by a delicate color. 'I've always done it,' she admitted truthfully.
'Then don't give up on him,' he says. Sophia's pleading was covered by her small hand. 'I know he can be a difficult and hurtful man, but he cares about you.'
'No,' she said sadly, shaking her head. 'No man who cared about me could treat me like Raphael has since I met him again.' I thought I could handle it because I loved him so much that it didn't matter that he despised me even though he still desired me. But I'm not able to do it any longer.'
Bella looked sad. 'My son is a stupid, stupid man.'
'Thank you, Mother,' an icy voice interrupted them, Raphael turning icy eyes on the beleaguered woman.
'Sophia 'What exactly have you been telling my mother about us?' he snarled.
She swallowed hard, unsure how much of their conversation he had overheard. But it didn't seem to matter if he had heard her declaration of love!
'Our discussion was private, Raphael.' His mother was the one who responded. 'I just wish you had gotten a few more smacks as a kid; maybe you wouldn't be so arrogant.'
His lips twisted. 'Remember, Mother, you didn't believe in physical punishment?'
She rose to her feet. 'After seeing how disastrously selfish you've become, I'm beginning to think that maybe I was wrong.' With a haughty tilt of her regal head, she swept out of the room.
For long, timeless seconds, Raphael stared at the unflinching Sophia. 'Do you agree with my mother?' he asked coldly at the end. 'Are you talking about how selfish I am?'
'Your children require—'
'We're not talking about Hugh and Sarah,' he clarified.
Her lips clenched. 'Doesn't the fact that you've just dismissed two young people who love you speak for itself?' she snarled as she stood up to leave.
As she walked past him, Raphael painfully grabbed her arm. 'You're not leaving me,' he said vehemently. 'I swore five years ago that if we ever met again, you would never leave me!' 'Do you understand where we're going with this?'
She looked up at him in disbelief. 'You can't possibly mean that.'
'I never back out of a deal, and neither will you!' His eyes sparkled dangerously.
'My mother has given you the room across the hall from mine; I'll join you as soon as I finish cleaning up in the study.'
'No,' she exclaimed.
'Yes,' he said contentedly. 'You are mine, just like my car and apartment.'
She yanked herself free of his grip, disgustedly staring at him. 'I'm not sure why I agreed to that arrangement—'
'Money, my dear,' he said angrily.
'When you put a price on yourself, these things happen.'
Sophia felt sick and turned to run up the stairs, not stopping until she reached the bedroom Bella had assigned to her, trembling violently as she leant back against the door and turned to check the lock. There wasn't a key! It wasn't common in English households to keep keys in bedroom doors, though Sophia wished she knew where they were kept right now!
Well, she wasn't going to be here waiting for Raphael like a whore he'd hired for the night, leaving the bedroom to go to Hugh, having promised the boy a game of chess after dinner. When Sophia sensed a presence behind them, she was deeply engrossed in the game, Hugh genuinely, Sophia fiercely pretending to be.
'Daddy!' As he smiled at his father over her shoulder, Hugh confirmed her feelings. 'Come see how I beat Sophia at chess.'
She didn't even have to look up to see Raphael standing by her bedside; she could feel him!
'Strange,' he murmured slowly. 'Sophia is usually very good at strategy games,'
Her head jerked back in response to the mockery in his voice. 'Perhaps I'm saving all my evasion knowledge for a different game,' she replied as cryptically as he.
'That's a good idea,' Hugh exclaimed. 'Daddy can be the victor.'
Sophia raised her eyebrows at Raphael. 'How about it, Raphael?' she mocked. 'Would you like to play the winner?'
His lips twisted. 'I don't think so,' he said steadily, meeting her gaze. 'I'll give you this round.'
'However, Sophia is losing.' Hugh frowned, perplexed by their conversation.
'I don't think so,' Raphael said softly, turning to face his son. 'Once you and Sophia have finished, I'll give you a game.'
Hugh appeared more perplexed than ever. 'However, you just said—'
'I'll concede this game to you, Hugh,' Sophia said softly, standing up and avoiding eye contact with Raphael, who was standing so close.
'I'll be staying with Hugh,' Raphael said softly as he slid into her spot on the bed.
She gave a nod. 'All right, I'll just go check on Sarah.' Hugh, good night.'
"Night," he said absently, setting up the chessboard for his father to play.
She paused at the door, watching father and son look at the board in front of them with equal attention, so similar it was heartbreaking.
Raphael turned as he noticed she was still standing there. 'I'll see you both at breakfast,' he said softly.
He couldn't have told her any clearer that he didn't intend to follow through on his threat to come to her room. She had no idea why he had changed his mind; all she knew was that she was grateful that he had.
Sarah was sleeping soundly, her spots less noticeable now, her gold curls spread out on the pillow behind her.
She was a very affectionate child, seemingly unaffected by the fact that her father wasn't always easy to love.
Raphael owed it to his mother, who lavished affection on both of her grandchildren.
Sophia was having trouble falling asleep and was worried about her future. She would not resume their relationship, no matter what Raphael said, and she didn't care if she never sang another note, feeling like an unmoored ship floating with the tide, unsure of where she would eventually end up.
After the first few days of discomfort, the children's progress was rapid, and it became increasingly difficult to keep them entertained, both of them tiring easily and becoming cross and irritable at those times.
Raphael was still living at home, traveling to and from his office every day, and Bella seemed pleased with the amount of time he was now spending with the children, though he appeared tired and strained from the amount of traveling he had to do.
There was a cool politeness between Sophia and him, the threat to visit her bedroom never materializing, even once the children were safely sleeping through the night.
As Hugh neared complete recovery, he became rude and defiant once more, resulting in a clash of temperaments on the seventh day of Sophia's visit. And it was over something as insignificant as the rice pudding he was served for dessert on his luncheon tray in the nursery!
'Take it away,' he told the maid.
'Please,' Sophia reprimanded sharply.
Hugh's expression was mutinous. 'I'm not going to say please.' That's what servants are for!
Sophia fought back an angry rebuke as she took the tray from the uneasy-looking maid. 'Thank you, Laura,' she said with a warm smile. 'I'm afraid he's still feeling irritable,' she apologized for the boy's rudeness before the young maid left the room gratefully.
'I don't feel irritable—'
'I'm well aware of that,' Sophia said coldly as she placed the tray on the table in front of him. 'And as soon as you've finished your lunch,' she added emphatically, 'you can go downstairs and apologize to Laura.'
'I will not,' he declared defiantly.
'Oh, yes,' Sophia countered softly. 'I'm sure you will.'
'No—'
'Your grandmother and father may be against physical punishment, Hugh,' she admitted calmly, 'but I am not!'
He was flushed. 'You would never hit me!'
'Shouldn't.I?' She had been expecting this outburst of rudeness for several days now, knowing that Hugh had been too ill to question her presence here at first, but that now that he was nearly well again, his resentment towards her was back in full force.
'I'd tell my grandmother,' he said firmly.
'So would I,' she sighed, relieved that the wide-eyed Sarah had gone on a drive with her grandmother and thus wasn't present at this scene. 'And when I tell her why I'm punishing you, she might think I've been too easy on you.'
'Daddy would never allow you to punish me!'
'No, I don't think he would,' she admitted. 'But he isn't here to stop me, is he?' she inquired mildly.
'I'll tell him when he gets home,' Hugh snapped.
'But by then, it will be too late to do anything about it,' she reasoned flatly. 'Now eat your lunch and then go down and tell Laura you're—Hugh, no!' She cried just as his lunch tray made contact with the nursery wall and he burst into tears. 'Hugh!' she gathered him into her arms, holding him close as he sobbed. 'Hugh, tell me what's wrong?' She realized she'd misjudged the situation, that Hugh's resentment wasn't directed at her at all. If it had been, the tray would have moved in her direction! 'Hugh,' she prodded more firmly as he couldn't stop crying.