Sofia looked out the window and sighed. Only that morning, she and her family had left Hexley Hall and were now making their way towards Cantare Valley. With each passing moment in the carriage earlier, her anxiety had grown. She had barely kept it contained. But she wasn't sure how much she had fooled Amber. The blonde had been giving her strange looks the entire time they were in the carriage.

I don't want to go back to Cantata Hall.

Sofia sighed again and then sat down on the bed she would share with her sister that night. As much as the thought of returning to Cantare Valley was giving her anxiety, she didn't know what there was that she could do about it. Her father had made it clear the day before in the nursery that she was coming with them. Sofia couldn't fault Roland for it though. His reasoning was fairly sound. She wasn't sure how much she would want guests around if she were caring for a critically injured family member.

"Yep, I thought so."

Sofia jumped off the bed, very much startled. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't heard Amber enter the room.

"What do you mean?" Sofia asked.

"You're completely miserable."

"What makes you say that?" Sofia looked back out the window.

"Sofia, I'm not blind. I don't know how the rest of the family can be so ignorant of your true feelings, but I'm not."

Amber sat down by Sofia.

"So," Amber continued. "What's bothering you? You've been depressed since yesterday morning. And the night before, you were so happy. What happened?"

Sofia sighed. "It doesn't really matter. There's not much I can do about it."

Amber scowled. "So you're telling me that you want to stay miserable? You're telling me that your happiness does not mean anything to you? Sofia, for once in your life, would you please let me in?"

Sofia sighed and glanced back at the window. "I wonder how everyone is doing back at Hexley Hall."

"Don't change the subject," Amber said, mildly frustrated. "We're talking about you and your depressing mood. Unless… Ah… I get it. I thought you might not want to leave Hexley Hall. Sofia, do you want to be there with your sweetheart?"

Sofia sputtered, her cheeks heating up. Amber smirked.

"Amber, you're crazy. Cedric and I are not sweethearts."

"Do you want to be though?"

"It doesn't matter what I want, now does it? You know just as well as I do that I can't get married."

Amber looked very confused. "Of course you can get married. You're not dead, therefore, you are marriage material. Why would you even think that?"

"I can't believe you have to ask that." Sofia stood up and started pacing. "You heard what Aunt Tilly had to say two years ago, just as I did. Society spurns women like me. What man is going to be interested in a woman who isn't pure? A woman who can't give him her virtue?"

Amber stared blankly at her sister for a moment.

"You see?" Sofia said. "You can't deny-"

"Are you absolutely nuts?" Amber demanded. "Aunt Tilly never said any of that. I don't think you heard and understood what she said like you said you did. She said any man would be fortunate to earn your trust and love. She did caution you to be careful about who you told about the attack because some people would spurn you for it. Some. Not everyone. Have I demeaned you for this? Has the rest of the family belittled you for this? If everyone who knew were to shun you, you would have been kicked out of Cantata Hall long before you healed physically from the attack."

Sofia was silent for a moment as she absorbed Amber's words. For a moment, she wondered if she was as misguided as Amber seemed to imply she had been.

"Sofia?" Amber spoke gently. "You know I love you, right?"

Sofia was still for a moment but then nodded.

"And you know I would never lie to you, right?"

Again, Sofia paused but nodded after a moment.

"Then listen very closely to me now. What happened that morning was not your fault. The fault will always belong to Alexander Graham. I love you. Our family loves you. And none of us blame you. We all want the best for you. So quit punishing yourself for Graham's actions. It's not fair to you."

"Sofia, quit punishing yourself for something that wasn't your fault."

Sofia gasped as Cedric's words came back to her. As the words entered her mind, she thought about how long he said he knew.

He said those words, even knowing the true nature of the attack.

"What is it, Sofia?"

"I just thought of something Cedric said a few weeks ago."

"Did you ever get to talk with Lord Sebara before we left Hexley Hall?"

Sofia nodded. "The conversation didn't go very far. James interrupted us because Dad wanted me to come to breakfast."

"What did you talk about?"

"Of all the things he could possibly worry about, taking over Lord Hexley's duties wasn't what he worried about. He was concerned about me and how I was doing."

Amber grinned fit to kill. "Sofia, are you absolutely dense? How can you not see how much he adores you? I'm almost willing to bet that you could confide in him about the first attack. The full extent."

Sofia thought back to the fly cake debacle. "He already knows."

Amber's jaw dropped wide open. "He what?"

There weren't enough words to describe how shocked the blonde sister looked.

"You told him?" Amber couldn't get her words out fast enough.

"No, I did not tell him. He figured it out on his own. A long time ago too, if his words are to be believed. He said he figured it out before returning to Hexley Hall."

"And that knowledge didn't send you running away from Hexley the moment he returned? I'm impressed."

"I didn't know he knew. I can't believe I thought he wouldn't figure it out. Of course he would figure it out. He's smart and he met the bastard himself."

"So how and when did you find out he knew?"

"Right after the party. He took me out to the gardens for a picnic of fly cakes…"

Sofia hesitated. Amber leaned forward in anticipation.

"What happened next?"

"He kissed me," Sofia blurted out, her cheeks heating up. "I enjoyed it at first but then I panicked. Emotions ran high for both of us and he blurted it out. He admitted he shouldn't have revealed it the way he did."

Amber nodded slowly. "How did he treat you during your time there?"

Sofia looked at her sister confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question."

Sofia sighed. "He was always very courteous and respectful. He went looking for me one morning when I went wandering."

"I imagine you two may have talked a bit about Graham at some point?"

Sofia nodded. "He called Graham the monster and said that what he did didn't define who I am. Cedric once told me to quit punishing myself for what he did."

Amber smiled slyly. "And he complimented you a lot?"

Sofia nodded. "Called me the most beautiful lady he knew. Multiple times."

"Sofia, are you dense?" Amber demanded. "If he figured out what really happened by the time he returned to Hexley Hall and had done everything you just said, then he does truly care about you. What happened hasn't appeared to change a single thing about how he sees you. It's clear to me that he truly loves you. And despite what you might be saying about being confused, I think you know exactly how you feel about him. You trust him and feel safe around him, which is huge. You love him."

Sofia didn't say anything. But everything Amber said was making some sense. Cedric had plenty of opportunities to shun her or sneer at her because of the attack. But he never did. Instead, he was right by his mother's side, wanting to help her heal and move forward in life.

Have I really been this misguided?

Sofia was beginning to question everything she had believed for two years. It was overwhelming, to say the least.

"Sofia, why are you allowing yourself to return with us to Cantata Hall? I don't get the feeling that you want to go back."

"Dad said I had to."

"Dad didn't tell you what Lady Hexley told him, did he?"

Sofia looked at her sister, confused. "No, he didn't."

"Shortly after you laid down to sleep, I asked Lady Hexley if it was true Dad had told her that you would be leaving with us. She confirmed Dad did say that. But she also said that if you did not want to return to Cantare Valley, you would be welcome at Hexley Hall. You would continue to be her guest. She told Dad that. But you're not wrong. He did seem adamant that you return to Cantare Valley, so it's not surprising to me that he didn't tell you that you had that option to stay at Hexley Hall."

Sofia's eyes widened slightly. "I never did get a chance to talk with her after Lord Hexley fell. I thought she wouldn't want a guest with everything that was going on."

"My impression of Lady Hexley is that she's figured out how you and Lord Sebara feel about each other. I'd say that she thinks of you as more than just a guest."

Sofia heaved a heavy sigh. "So what now?"

"I think you should make a very bold statement to Dad. No offense to the man but I don't think he's done right by you since the attack. He didn't help you get the escape you needed once you healed. Very rarely was he the one who went looking for you when you wandered the forests after a nightmare, that was mostly me. He wasn't very willing to let you come to Hexley Hall in the first place and didn't tell you that you had the option to stay there. And he clearly can't see that the thought of returning to Cantata Hall has made you very anxious. So it's time you made a bold statement that drives your point home."

And what point would that be?" Sofia asked wearily.

"That you're in love with Lord Sebara and that being with him… Wait. How does being with him make you feel? Describe it to me."

Sofia gave the slightest smile. "Being with him… I feel safe. More safe than I've ever felt with Dad or James. Cedric has held me in his arms many times. Each time, I feel like I could have everything I could possibly want. I feel...loved."

Amber grinned. "You are such a romantic. Well then, the point to drive home to Dad is that Cantata Hall is not home for you. You are at your best at Hexley Hall and that is where you should be."

Sofia sighed. "I need a bit of time to think about this. All of this...it's getting overwhelming."

Amber nodded. "While you think, I'm going downstairs for some dinner. I'm getting hungry. Travelers' Inn food may not be all that great but it's something."

Sofia nodded and watched as her sister left the room they were lodging in that night.

Can I really do this?