(A/N: Allyrwhitney, what a grand idea about Sir Idiot. I don't actually have any plans to actually show him in the story or to ID him. At one point I had thought of ID'ing him as someone else but I like your guess 1000x better.

I own nothing!)

"Well, I've decided, you're going to stay here indefinitely. We have to do something about that attitude and confidence of yours…"

"My Lady, I…"

"And you, my dear girl, may call me Winnifred."

What did I just get myself into?

oOo

Sofia looked at her reflection in the guest room mirror. True to the words of her hostess the morning before, she no longer had access to any of the clothes she had brought with her and had to use the garments purchased for her. Not only were the clothes colorful, they were complex enough that she needed to have Violet help her dress. After staring at the new wardrobe for several minutes, Sofia finally had chosen a sky blue dress that had dark blue accents.

A short time after Violet had finished helping her dress and had left, a knock sounded on the door. Once Sofia gave permission, it opened and Winnifred stepped in.

"You look lovely Sofia."

Sofia scowled at her reflection. "I look like a pretender. Light colors don't agree with me."

"I disagree. You look better with light colors. The only thing that doesn't agree with you is that sour attitude. Now chin up and wipe that frown off your face."

Sofia sighed and did as told. Winnifred smiled and stepped over to her visitor and rested her hands on Sofia's shoulders.

"Now for your little exercise."

"Do I have to?" Sofia griped. "Isn't being forced to wear a new wardrobe enough?"

"I never said I was going to let you get off easily. You're a strong, confident young lady. I've seen it in your eyes. But something happened that caused you to forget it. And now, you keep your guard up. You're defensive and you have trouble letting people in. You try to help others but won't allow yourself to be helped."

Sofia's eyes widened a bit. All of that actually felt very accurate. She began to wonder just how much the older woman knew.

"I'm not going to make you tell me what happened," Winnifred continued. "But some things need to change in your life. You need to learn to love yourself again. You need to learn to allow people who care about you back into your life. That certainly isn't going to happen if you keep your guard up and fight against healing. Now, shoulders back, smile, and say something nice about yourself."

Sofia looked at herself in the mirror, slowly standing tall and smiling. It was forced but the sooner she did it, the sooner her hostess would let her off for the day.

"I like my ability to play with the children of the orphanage and brighten their day."

Winnifred smiled. "That's a very good thing about yourself. I'm sure the children love having you there and miss you while you're away."

Sofia nodded, repressing the urge to sigh in relief at being done with her daily exercise. She did that once a few days prior and ended up having to do it again. She didn't care to repeat the exercise.

Sofia stepped out of the room before her hostess got any more ideas. There was still some time before breakfast would be served so she decided to go outside and walk the grounds. She wasn't outside for very long when she noticed someone else had also gone outside.

Cedric was pacing incessantly. Sofia watched him pace back and forth for a moment, noting how agitated he seemed. Finally, she stepped up to him and took his hand.

"You're going to leave a permanent mark there, pacing like that."

Cedric stopped, surprised to see his young friend there. He started to say something but stopped when he noticed the dress Sofia wore. His eyes widened a bit. The dress was lovely on Sofia and a great change from the drab frocks she'd been wearing. But nothing could hide how uncomfortable she felt with the new wardrobe.

"Sofia…" Cedric trailed off, not sure what to say.

"I know," Sofia muttered. "I wish your mother hadn't done this. It's too much, too beautiful for me."

In her continued muttering, Sofia missed Cedric's expression shifting. Gone was the nervous expression of someone who was about to see their father for the first time in years. No longer did his face hold great awe of someone admiring their friend. In the place of the nervousness and awe was pure frustration.

"Sofia, stop!"

Cedric grabbed Sofia's shoulders, unintentionally shaking her just a bit. Sofia's self-deprecating mutterings came to an abrupt halt and she looked at Cedric in shock and the slightest bit in fear.

"I do not ever want to hear you degrade yourself like that or hear of you doing that ever again!" Cedric said very sternly.

Sofia could only wordlessly stare at the young lord. Cedric opened his mouth to continue his rant but stopped when he saw Sofia's pale face and felt her trembling in his grip. His expression softened and instead of ranting further, he gently pulled her into a comforting embrace.

"Merlin's mushrooms," Cedric muttered. "I've scared you."

Sofia said nothing as she continued to tremble.

"Sofia," Cedric whispered softly. "I'm sorry. I just hated listening to you put yourself down. It's not fair to you. The world has enough critics, I should know. You are a beautiful young lady, nothing is going to change that."

Sofia sighed dejectedly. "I don't feel beautiful," she murmured softly. "I haven't felt beautiful in a long time."

Cedric took a deep breath and held Sofia tighter. "You are," he spoke softly but firmly. "If nothing else, I see it."

"Really?" Sofia asked curiously.

"Yes," Cedric reaffirmed. "The most beautiful young lady I've ever known. But don't tell my sister I said that. I'd never hear the end of that."

Sofia snorted in laughter. "Your secret is safe with me."

The two were silent for a few long moments. Slowly, Sofia began to relax. With his young friend seemingly feeling better, Cedric's own personal anxiety started to resurface. He tensed just a bit. Sofia twitched, as if sensing the anxiety from her companion. She pulled away from the embrace and looked at his face.

"You're nervous about him returning." Sofia spoke compassionately.

"Did you expect anything different?"

Sofia shook her head. "No. Not really. From everything I've heard, I'd be very surprised if you weren't nervous at all."

Cedric sighed. "It isn't going to go well. He'll be furious to see me here again."

Sofia grabbed Cedric's hand. "You don't know that. Maybe he needed time too, just like you did. Besides, if he does get stubborn and obstinate, you'll have something you haven't had in the past."

Cedric looked at Sofia in curiosity. Sofia squeezed his hand tightly.

"You'll have a friend rooting for your success. I'm not resting until your father accepts you."

"You're going to get very tired," Cedric quipped.

"It's what friends do for each other. They are there for each other."

Sofia embraced Cedric. Slowly, he relaxed, relishing the feeling of her heart beating so closely to his. He could feel how much she wanted to see his success. It caused him to wish he had had her, or someone like her, for a friend as a child. He couldn't begin to imagine how different things might have been if he'd had a real friend growing up.

Slowly, Sofia pulled away.

"I think it's about time for breakfast. We should go in now."

Cedric nodded. He held his hand out to Sofia, a silent offer to escort her back in. Sofia took the outstretched hand, eyes widening in shock when Cedric kissed her hand before placing it in the crook of his elbow. As they walked back inside, Sofia felt several emotions rolling around inside her.

I wish I was worthy of this.

The rest of the morning passed rather slowly and uneventfully. Winnifred and Sofia did their best to distract Cedric but even they were anxious about what was coming.

"Excuse me, My Lady."

Sofia recognized the same maid that had tried turning her away when she first arrived at Hexley Hall.

"Yes Sasha?" Winnifred asked.

"Lord Hexley's carriage is arriving."