(A/N: Luiz4200, no. Cordelia had nothing to do with Sir Idiot and his interference. Good question though. In the show, Cedric and Cordelia don't initially get along. But here, they do get along without help from anyone.

I own nothing!)

Sofia breathed a sigh of relief as she slipped out of the hall and into the gardens. Activity was picking up inside as preparations were made for the party the next night.

My birthday party…

Sofia had thought the week before that she was finally used to the idea that it was happening but then she found herself back at Madame Collette's trying on a gown. Sofia did agree the gown was beautiful but it hadn't stopped her from being overwhelmed by it. She wasn't even certain Amber had a gown that intricate.

"I really got in over my head coming here," Sofia muttered to herself.

As Sofia continued to walk through the garden, she noticed a pathway that she was certain hadn't been there before. Curiosity piqued, she went down the path. The further down she got, the more certain that this area must have been blocked off. The path seemed old but held a charm that Sofia couldn't put a finger on.

After walking a while, the path led to an enclosure which took Sofia's breath away. The area was circular, surrounded by towering rose bushes. An ancient looking tree stood near the edge and hanging from one of its branches was a wide swing.

Sofia stepped closer to the swing, looking at the paint that had faded from the wood. Remarkably, the swing still seemed to be in fairly decent condition. Sofia decided to sit down on the swing.

"What is this place?" Sofia mused to herself.

"One that holds a lot of history."

Sofia jerked at the sound of Cedric's voice, nearly falling off the swing.

When did he come down here?

Sofia smiled at her friend.

"I didn't expect company," Sofia said. "But I won't complain."

Cedric looked around the area.

"I see Father and Mummy finally decided they wanted to reopen this area of the grounds," Cedric said.

"They don't allow this to be open often?" Sofia asked.

"This is a special place in Hexley's history," Cedric explained. "It's very old, nearly as old as the title itself. Except for routine care, this place usually stays closed off."

"Why?" Sofia asked.

"There's a lot of history here and it's not unusual for the marquess and marchioness to want it to stay special," Cedric answered. "This isn't for just anyone to come visit."

"Then should I leave?"

Cedric shook his head. "If my parents wanted you to stay away from this area, they never would have opened the path. No, if it's open, you are welcome here."

Sofia nodded. "You said there's a lot of history here and that this area is special. Care to explain?"

"The pathway is often referred to as 'The Lovers' Path'," Cedric started. "This area was created by the first marquess for his marchioness whom he loved dearly. She wasn't what society thought a lord like him should marry but society's opinion didn't matter to him. So what if she was born out of wedlock to a tavern maid? All the marquess cared was that she was special and important to him. That was all that mattered to him."

Sofia raised an eyebrow. This tidbit of history was rather interesting.

The first marchioness was an outcast?

"This was meant to be a gift celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary," Cedric continued. "She knew he was up to something but wasn't entirely certain what."

"Oh how sweet," Sofia said. "She must have loved it."

Cedric shook his head. "She never got to see it. She died in childbirth with their third child before it was ready. She had been very ill leading up to that day and the childbirth was too much for her in her weakened state."

Sofia frowned. "Oh. That's unfortunate."

Cedric nodded. "He still finished this area and since then, it's remained special. That third and final child of the marquess eventually grew up and became the next marquess and proposed to his bride here. And since then, this place has been significant to many of my ancestors who married for love."

"I think I have an idea where the path got its name from," Sofia mused.

Cedric smiled. "Indeed. Over three hundred years and this place has been part of several romances. I do not know all of them. But every generation is told the story of the first marquess and marchioness."

Sofia silently took in the history she had learned.

"Are you ready for tomorrow night?"

Cedric's question broke Sofia out of her thoughts.

"Ready or not, it's happening," Sofia replied. "This morning, I had a final fitting on the gown and then brought it back here with me. And then before coming out here, I got a small glimpse of the ballroom. I'm not sure what normal looks like for your mother but it looked like she was pulling out all the stops. It's just a bit overwhelming."

Cedric nodded in understanding. "Mummy does go all out for the spring ball."

"I'm not ready for it," Sofia admitted. "The last time I was at a party, it didn't go very well."

Cedric sat down by Sofia on the swing.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Sofia thought back to the harvest party and shuddered.

"It was Dad's harvest party last fall. I was finally old enough to attend but I wasn't anxious to go. There was a time when I looked forward to joining the festivities but this time, I didn't really care. In any case, I went. I can count on one hand how many men asked me to dance and still have some fingers to spare."

"Ouch." Cedric said.

"Well, the eldest son of a local baron asked me to dance. So we did. And the whole time, he's gone on some tangent about my dress and what colors would look good on me. Then he suggests white as a good color and mentions marriage."

"I think I can already see where this is going," Cedric grimaced.

"He mocked me and my childhood, saying that when we were married, all traces of my impoverished beginning would disappear. And then he tried to force a kiss from me in front of everyone."

"That little leech," Cedric seethed.

"Notice I said 'tried'. I slapped him before he could."

"Good." Cedric's triumphant expression held a degree of smugness.

"He was not happy about that in the least bit. And we yelled at each other a bit and I demanded his departure from Cantata Hall. He didn't listen to me but when James showed up, he hightailed it out of there. And he is forever banished from Cantata Hall."

Cedric nodded. "That does sound rotten."

Sofia smiled. "There is one good thing that came out of that night."

Cedric looked intrigued. "What was that?"

"I left the party early to go riding on Minimus. That night, an unexpected winter storm came in very early. I should think you know which storm I'm talking about."

Sofia smiled coyly. Cedric seemed to understand quickly.

"Oh. That storm."

Sofia nodded. "Yep. The same one that introduced us."

"You're right, there was one good thing out of that rotten night."

The two sat together silently for a few moments. Cedric glanced at Sofia and smiled.

"This party will go much better for you," Cedric said. "I'll see to it."

Sofia smiled. "That's so sweet of you to say. It does help a bit. Maybe…I am ready. Well, I'm definitely excited to see my family again. What about you?"

Cedric chuckled nervously. "I may be more out of shape when it comes to parties than you. It's been five years since I last attended one, afterall."

Sofia nodded. "I guess that makes two of us who have questionable readiness for this."

"We can do something about it though."

Sofia looked at Cedric intrigued. Grinning, he stood up and held his hand out to her.

"Miss Sofia, may I have this dance?"

Sofia's eyes widened and a small chuckle burst from her mouth.

"A dance? Here?"

Cedric nodded. "It's also been five years since I've danced with anyone. I'm out of practice. I don't want to step on anyone's toes tomorrow. Some ladies won't be very forgiving if that happened to them."

Sofia nodded in understanding. "That does make sense."

Smiling sweetly, the young lady stood and accepted Cedric's hand.

"I would be honored to have this dance, My Lord," Sofia said.

Cedric smiled and pulled Sofia into a dance. As the two practiced, sure enough, Sofia's toes got stepped on several times. Each time that happened, Cedric got flustered but with some gentle encouragement, kept dancing. After a few dances and several minutes, Sofia no longer got stepped on and the two moved gracefully back and forth.

"You'll save a set for me tomorrow night, right?" Sofia asked.

"If I thought we wouldn't get in trouble for it, I'd dance every set with you tomorrow," Cedric replied.

Sofia blushed. "Scoundrel!"

Cedric chuckled. "It's been a while since you've used that charming moniker, Little Girl."

Sofia's flush deepened. "It has been quite some time. All the way back in Dunwittie."

Cedric nodded. Slowly, the dance they were doing came to a gentle end. Cedric took Sofia's hands in his.

"Tomorrow," Cedric began. "May I have the first set and the final set?"

Sofia smiled. "Yes, of course."

Cedric smiled and raised Sofia's hands up to kiss them. Sofia was certain she was not going to stop blushing anytime soon.

"You're going to do just fine tomorrow night."

Sofia wasn't certain she would be able to stand much longer. Her legs trembled underneath her and her heart was racing.

Glancing up at the night sky, Sofia gave a small, half smile.

"It's getting late and tomorrow is going to be a long day," Sofia said. "We should go in."

Cedric nodded, smoothly tucking Sofia's hand into the crook of his elbow. As they walked in, Sofia felt a pang of longing in her heart. Tonight, she found herself wishing, more than she ever had, for more.