"That is majestic!" Her friend Lady Adeline gasped, surprise exaggerated as Sophie showed off her most recent creation.
"I am quite proud of it. Periwinkles have always been his favorite."
Resting delicately inside a basket was a cloak with blue periwinkles embroidered as detail. Sophie caught her husband looking at a similar piece back when he was still courting her, and Sophie promised him then and there that she would recreate it but better.
Luke only laughed, touched by the sentiment but unable to believe the simple lady was capable of such.
Since then, Sophie was determined to surpass the expectations he set for her.
Maude examined the present next to their blonde friend, soft and untainted hands caressing the soft fabric.
"That must have taken a while." And it certainly did. Months of learning from different embroiderers working around town.
Not that she needed to work so hard for the provision of the Duke, but as her mother taught her, a good wife was one who always found new ways to please her husband.
"No need to praise me out of pity. I know you two are capable of greater things." Sophie joked, trying to make light of the differences in their upbringing. Deep inside, she knew it was nothing but the objective truth.
Lady Adeline and Lady Maude were born with golden spoons in their mouths—taught music, arts, and etiquette by expensive private tutors.
Sophie was born a noble lady, but she also was the fourth daughter of a lowly lord with no outstanding beauty or talent of her own. She was more likely to become a spinster, stuck working in their family home, than the wife of anyone noteworthy.
No one expected the Duke Sambridge to be smitten with her. As a matter of fact, she had only agreed to entertain his advances out of politeness, not a single expectation hanging off her bones.
Despite now being a duchess, there was an impossibly tall ladder that she had to climb to reach the heights her two friends were comfortable with. They never made her feel lower than them, but society never failed to remind her that she needed to catch up or else she would be left behind.
"It's so romantic though!" Adeline chirped, unable to control the starstruck expression on her face.
It was. Sophie was no stranger to making romantic gestures, but she clung onto this one as if it was her only hope of rekindling her marriage's dimming fire.
"The effort is admirable." Maude said, gesturing to the bookseller's store as if to tell them that she was ready to stop bickering and start getting a move on.
Sophie could only grin, endeared by her friend's fondness of books. The two must've noticed how distressed Sophie was after the disaster that was her anniversary night because they agreed to walk around the marketplace a few hours longer than they usually did.
Once inside, Lady Adeline's ceaseless complaining began firing. Unlike Maude, Adeline preferred to trouble herself with real life matters or, in other words, mindless gossip. She could not sit still long enough to appreciate a book.
Sophie understood where both were coming from.
Lady Adeline was spoiled by her husband, the third son of wealthy earl, both in material objects and in affection. On top of that, her cousins were always up to the craziest things. It made for good stories during parties and social gatherings.
Maude, on the other hand, had a knack for turning down marriage prospects. She had no interest in the wealthy lords her family were so set on marrying her off to. She believed in independence (and secretly, true love) and always had a feisty personality, especially when it came to men.
Sadly, her parents' patience had run out and Lady Maude was forcibly engaged to a marquess four times her age, one who'd recently lost his ex-wife. He was kind, but his stories about his past ventures always lulled Maude to sleep, she once shared.
Sophie was content watching Maude find joy through pages and pages of excerpts about lives more romantic and colorful than theirs.
Amidst the silence, Adeline gasped, trying to mask the way her eyelids were already heavy from boredom. "Wait, is that not Duke Sambridge right now? Call him over!"
Sophie's face flushed at the mention of her husband, still unrecovered from the tragedy of the previous night.
There was no way she could talk to him! They needed to circle the marketplace one more time before she could look him in the eye.
Instead, what came out was, "No, shush, I want to give it to him when it's just the two of us."
It was too late, however. And Sophie made the mistake of turning to where Lady Adeline was pointing. Her eyes met forest green through the window of the store before her husband's gaze was pried away, almost from shame at seeing his wife.
That made her frown.
"Wait, who is that girl he's with?"
"Ady!" Sophie scolded.
Her friend's mouth was too shameless at times. No one had really taught these wealthy ladies that words had consequences. It was the bane of Sophie's existence.
But oh, there was a girl. Petite with porcelain skin. Her wavy, brown hair cascaded down her shoulders much like a princess' would after hours of grooming.
She was gorgeous, but Sophie shut down her festering insecurity before it could grow.
"He's probably on official business right now. We shouldn't disturb them, Ady."
"Oh, you're right. My apologies, Sophie. I was excited because of your gift."
Sophie offered a sympathetic smile. Her friend was painfully oblivious most of the time, but she never held any ill will. "It's alright."
They would've continued on as normal, but the mysterious lady conversing with Luke kept staring holes at Sophie's back. Maude noticed moments later, perceptive as usual, and stepped out of the bookstore, urging the two to do the same.
An all-too-familiar voice stopped Sophie in her tracks.
"Love. Is that you?" Love? She hadn't been called that in a while now.
The Duke, he was smiling in a way she hadn't seen him smile in a while. "There is someone I want you to meet."