Upon further inspection, the name Sophia Marie Montgomery was in a faded etching on the front. The name automatically rang a bell. Sophia had been my great-great-great-grandmother. I was certain of it with how much Aunt Leelyn and I had talked about our family history. This was a part of the family history we didn’t have much information on.
Is this her journal? Had my aunt found Sophia’s journal?
This had to be what Aunt Leelyn had been waiting to show me. How had I forgotten this?
My insides shook with excitement knowing this was a piece of Sophia—a missing piece of our family history. I felt connected to my Aunt Leelyn in this moment and anticipation flowed through me. Delicately, I moved the journal in front of me and ran my hands over her name.
Gently, I opened the cover and read the first journal entry.
I SAT ON the bench in Oglethorpe Square and sighed as I listened to mother and Mrs. Warner going on about something. I had learned to clear my mother’s words from my head long ago. If I smiled and nodded my head when prompted, that is all she needed. That, and money.
The Civil War had hit Daddy pretty hard and my mother still wasn’t over our plantation house being burnt to the ground. We now spent all of our time in our Savannah house until Daddy could rebuild a new country home. We normally didn’t come here unless it was during the social season, which was upon us now.
I had made my debut a year ago at the Christmas Cotillion, aged sixteen. What a grand evening it had been, although, it seemed Mother couldn’t marry me off fast enough.
My ears perked up when I heard my mother mentioning me. “If I could ever get Sophia betrothed, we might be able to move on from the horridness of the war.”
I rolled my eyes and began fussing with my black-and-white cotton stripped shirt. The matching jacket and hat were one of my favorite walking outfits, and my younger sister, Annie, said it made me look fancy. Her words, not mine.
“Was it not said that Devlin Covington fancied Sophia?” Mrs. Warner asked as I peeked over at her.
Mother’s smile made me feel ill. “Yes. He fancies Sophia, and the combination of families would be immensely popular.”
I let out a disgusted sigh. Why my family’s fortune and future rested on my shoulders—I had no knowledge. It wasn’t that I didn’t fancy Devlin Covington, I did. He was handsome, rich, and made me laugh. I had a massive infatuation with him a few years back, but I had grown out of it. Especially after sneaking up and seeing him kissing Betsy Manor in the back of the library, where they thought no one would see them. I had to admit though, watching Devlin place his hands on Betsy’s breasts had my lower abdomen pulling with desire and longing for that to be me.
Mrs. Warner let out a titter. “Yes, Emma, it would indeed make a fine match. Your Sophia and Mr. Covington.”
I wanted to run. Run away from all of this.
Mother and Mrs. Warner began talking about a Mr. and Mrs. Stowe. We had been invited to dinner at their house and it was not lost on me how my mother’s face flushed at the mention of Mr. Stowe’s name. Mother was going on about Mr. Stowe returning from England recently with his two sons.
Inhaling a deep breath, I was about to speak when a deep, throaty voice filled the air.
“Mrs. Montgomery, why, what a lovely surprise to see you on this fine afternoon.”
My mother quickly stood, as did Mrs. Warner and I. The older gentleman standing in front of me was nothing like my father. His features were strong, confident. The way his frock coat fit his shoulders, you could tell he was a man of labor. His eyes spoke of something I’d never seen before. My mother began to stumble upon her words. I looked quickly at her and noticed her cheeks flushed.
The moment I felt the energy change, I looked back to the younger gentleman standing in front of me. It was as if all the air had been taken from my lungs. His blue eyes danced with fire as he looked at me. My lips parted slightly while my eyes roamed freely over his body. I felt my face flush as my eyes landed on his soft lips. Placing my hand on my stomach, I attempted to control the feeling of butterflies dancing. My eyes moved up and I was caught in his stare.
His eyes matched the older gentleman’s eyes. Swallowing hard, I inhaled a deep, slow breath. The younger gentleman’s left corner of his mouth rose slightly and I let out a small gasp. I looked away, quickly, only to notice my mother behaving in the same manner. Pulling back slightly, I watched mother continue to stumble upon her words.
Turning back ever so slowly, I peeked up from under the wide brim of my hat to see he was still staring at me. His smile had widened. I stood taller and tilted my head as I gazed at him, pushing one of my long light-brown curls from my face. I wasn’t about to let him see how his smile had turned my very being into something young girls fantasize about as they read their fairytale love stories. Although, I was confident he knew what his stare did to me.
“Why, Mr. Stowe, we were honored to have received your invite for dinner tomorrow evening,” my mother said in a smooth, velvet voice. I turned to her with a look of shock. She had begged my father not to respond with a yes.
Mother held her hand out and Mr. Stowe brushed his lips against the back of her glove. Turning back to the younger gentleman, I bit down on my lower lip, causing his smile to fade briefly and his eyes to light up.
Mr. Stowe cleared his throat and said, “My apologies, I didn’t even see the beautiful young woman sitting by your side, Mrs. Montgomery. Is this your daughter?”
With a nervous chuckle, my mother looked at me. “Yes, this is my eldest daughter, Sophia.”
Smiling, I bowed to Mr. Stowe and said, “I am happy to make your acquaintance, Mr. Stowe.”
Grinning, he responded, “Sophia, it is my pleasure. May I introduce you ladies to my youngest son, Daniel.”
My mother and Mrs. Warner both gave a small bow to Daniel. Daniel turned to me and I did the one thing I knew better of, I held out my hand to him. He looked at my extended hand and gave me a crooked grin. When he finally took my hand in his, we both drew in a breath. My mother cleared her throat and Daniel released my hand, but not before he bestowed upon me the most breathtaking smile I had ever seen. My heartbeat increased tenfold and the wicked thoughts that invaded my mind caused me to drop my eyes to the ground.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sophia,” Daniel said. My eyes snapped up and I was once again taken by him. His voice was deep, strong, and commanding. I smiled slightly and nodded my head. My mother and Mrs. Warner were speaking, but all I could focus on was Daniel. His dark-brown hair was messy and his cornflower-blue eyes stared into my simple brown ones. Mother took hold of my elbow and gave me a slight pull, as if she knew where my thoughts were taking me.