Sofia gazed at the newly blooming flowers as she walked the gardens at Hexley. It was evident that the groundskeeper took his work seriously. Now that the rain had appeared to eased considerably, the young lady was enjoying her time outside.

After enjoying her walk a few more minutes, Sofia decided to make her way back inside. As she navigated her way through the hallways towards the parlor, some noises caught her attention. It sounded a lot like voices. As Sofia got closer, she realized it was an argument. She was about to turn away and not get involved when one of the two voices caught her attention.

"You're a fool, Goodwyn. In your determination to avoid your son, you've also avoided some critical duties here at the estate. They needed to be taken care of one way or another. The housekeeper knew it. The steward knew it. But you wouldn't give them the time of day. You might be mad at them for asking Cedric for help and at him for going over the books in your study, but it needed to be done."

Sofia's eyes widened. She remembered full well when the steward had come to Cedric a few days earlier. Cedric had been surprised when the faithful, old servant had asked him for help to get some important business taken care of. Both had realized they could get in trouble for it, but they had gone ahead with it anyways.

"What is more infuriating to you, Old Fool: the fact that servants are now going to Cedric for help, or the fact that when he's helping them, he's doing a better job than you would have?"

Sofia quickly stifled the urge to laugh. She wasn't supposed to be laughing when it sounded like her dear friend was going to be in a huge amount of trouble. But hearing Winnifred call her husband a fool straight to his face and insult his abilities as the master of the estate was rather impressive to the eavesdropper.

Bravo Winnifred.

Sofia slowly edged closer to the parlor so she could listen in better.

"Winnifred, you know full well that-"

"That you're hurting your son more than necessary by ignoring him? That you didn't want him back here unless he could...oh how did you phrase it? 'Do things right'? Does that sound familiar? If him impeccably handling duties of yours that you are ignoring isn't doing things right, I don't know what is."

"Winnifred, this conversation is over."

I don't think so! "Lord Hexley!"

Both Winnifred and Lord Hexley turned in surprise when Sofia stormed into the parlor. Winnifred got over her surprise quickly and smiled proudly when she saw the expression on their eavesdropping visitor. Sofia looked downright furious.

"Are you really going to throw away the gift that is having a wonderful son like Cedric?" Sofia asked.

"That is none of your business, Miss Balthazar!"

"It is my business that one of my friends is hurting and you're the one who's hurting him."

"Listen here-"

"No you listen!" Sofia interrupted. "I don't understand how you can so stubbornly refuse to see the man Cedric has become. Someone he had to become with very little help from the person who once took a lot of pride in having a son. Someone who needed his father a lot during a time when he was learning and growing. You failed your only son. How does that feel?"

Sofia watched Lord Hexley closely. Although he was still holding his head high and proud, she thought she saw a crack in the mask.

"I've heard something about what would happen if Cedric were not here, if he weren't the one who would inherit the title. The Hexley title would go to...let's see, what was that colorful moniker you've given him? Oh right. Sir Idiot would take everything here over and destroy it all. I've been told what he's like and quite frankly, Lord Hexley, the thought that you would consider letting him have everything-"

"I would never let him have the estate and title if I could help it!" Lord Hexley interrupted Sofia. "My cousin is a fool of the worst sort."

"Who's a fool of the worst sort? I think it's the so-called gentleman who may have pushed his son and heir so far away from him that some would think he's disowned him. If that is the case that he is disowned, Sir Idiot will inherit. You better think long and hard about that."

"I never disowned Cedric."

"Really? I couldn't tell." Sofia's voice was very sarcastic. "You kicked him out of the only home he's ever known over an accident he wasn't responsible for but helped clean up anyways, you call him an insult to the family and the title, and refused to acknowledge him when he returned. If that's not disowning someone, I'm not sure I know what is. You don't deserve your son. He's too good for a sour old man like you."

Lord Hexley's face turned all shades of red and purple. Sofia had clearly hit his nerves.

"What do you know of how good he is?" Lord Hexley said through gritted teeth.

"I know quite a bit," Sofia responded. "He saved my life more than once and has treated me more respectfully than a lot of people around me have over the past two years. I've watched how he treats those who live and work here. I saw his interactions with his sister and niece. If you paid any attention to how he treated the people he has interacted with, you would be proud. Any good father would have been. But you won't pay him any mind. What does that say of you as a father?"

Sofia's expression turned distant for a moment. All of her ranting had brought a face back to the front of her mind. One that had been gone from her eyes for several years.

"You've met my step father," Sofia continued slowly. "If I'm not mistaken, it was around the time that he became the mayor and he had a heavy load to bear, turning Dunwittie around. But that heavy burden didn't stop him from meeting and falling for a poor widow. It didn't stop him from loving that widow's daughter as his own. I love Roland and I couldn't be happier to have him as a father but that doesn't stop me from missing my birth father. I don't remember him much, I was still very young when he died. But I will always remember that he was proud of his little girl. Someday, I might not be able to remember his face, but I will always know that Papa loved me. If Cedric were to be irrevocably separated from you, what assurances will you be leaving him? The way I see it, he would only believe that his father absolutely hated him."

Sofia took a slow, deep breath. As she did, she watched Lord Hexley carefully. Something about his expression had changed significantly. Sofia couldn't put a finger on it but deep down, she knew she had given him something to chew on.

Slowly, Sofia started to back away.

"Cedric never mentioned anything about saving your life." Lord Hexley's tone was curious.

Sofia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Would you have listened if he tried to tell you? You've hardly listened to him about anything he's tried talking to you about. Why don't you go ask him about how we met? I think you would be proud."

Sofia turned to leave.

"You've fallen in love with him, haven't you?"

Sofia took a sharp breath in. That was a question she would have expected from Winnifred, not Lord Hexley. She glanced slightly at him, her hot cheeks no doubt answering the question. Quickly, before she did anything rash, Sofia left the parlor. Even so, the question echoed in her mind.

What does it matter? I can't have him.

Sofia quickly walked back out to the gardens. Hopefully, the fresh air would help her settle down.

oOo

Cedric sat on the edge of his bed, hands covering his face. His father knew about how the steward had sought out his help to get some crucial items of business taken care of and he hadn't been happy about it.

This is it. If he hasn't disowned me yet, he's about to.

Cedric sighed. Nothing had gone the way he had hoped.

"It isn't going to go well…"

"You don't know that. Maybe he needed time too, just like you did."

Cedric scoffed. As much as he disliked disagreeing with Sofia about that, it hadn't seemed like time had done anything to help his crumbling relationship with his father. In fact, it only seemed to make it worse.

"Until you can learn to do things right, you will gain nothing more than necessary from the estate."

"Hmph. What was doing things the right way? You never said. You wanted me to fail, didn't you?"

Cedric leaned back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Like it or not, he was beginning to realize that his time at Hexley Hall was most likely over.

For good.

Sighing, Cedric stood up and grabbed his travel bag. Haphazardly, he stuffed some of his plainest clothes into it. As he did, he began feeling extremely glum. No longer would he be the son and heir to a marquess. He would be...nothing.

"You're my friend."

Cedric startled as he recalled one of the many times when Sofia referred to him as her friend. Maybe he wouldn't be completely nothing. But would it be enough? He wasn't sure.

Resigned to his fate, Cedric closed his bag and heaved it over his shoulder. If he was careful, he could slip out relatively unnoticed. He opened his bedroom door and stopped quickly. Someone had been waiting for him right outside his door.

"What do you want?" Cedric asked sourly.

Lord Hexley gave the slightest wince at his son's tone.