Clarissa, Emily, and Rosemary flitted from stall to stall, taking in the wares on display. Annie followed behind them, and Clarissa was determined to get her something before they left. Annie never spent much of her wages, sending it all home to her ailing mother, and Clarissa was certain she would like a gift for Christmas.
“Would you care to try some spiced cider, miss?” asked a man from behind one of the stalls. Clarissa laughed as Rosemary eagerly came forward to do so. She was so enraptured by the taste that even Emily wanted to try some.
Clarissa sipped the cider offered to her, feeling the spice run down her throat. It was warm and refreshing, and she smiled at the stall owner as she paid him.
They moved on, Annie mentioning how pretty some embroidered bookmarks were at one of the stalls. Clarissa would take no protests from her and bought five for her and her four sisters. Annie was most touched and smiled happily as she stowed them away in the bag that hung from her wrist.
As they approached a fortune teller's stall, Clarissa’s eye was caught by Lord Bolton at the other side of the tent. He was laughing with a group of children who had been enjoying a street performer’s magic act. He produced a coin from behind one boy's ear and then made it vanish. They were delighted by him.
He is such a contradiction, thought Clarissa as she continued to watch him. On the one hand, I know him as a philanderer, but on the other, he is a perfect gentleman. She shook her head, catching Rosemary's eye as she turned away and cleared her throat awkwardly at her knowing expression.
Clarissa was still attempting to keep her distance, but every time she was in his company, her heart yearned to be close to him. Fighting her inner affection for him was becoming increasingly difficult, and that frightened her more than anything could.
As the morning drew on, Clarissa found herself alone with Annie at one stall. It was selling beautifully crafted fans, and Annie was most excited by them. They were in every colour imaginable, and Clarissa was enchanted. She had far too many fans at home, however, and knew that she could not justify a further purchase.
As she stood there, a peculiar awareness came over her, and she turned to find Lord Bolton standing behind her. She had not expected to see him so close to her and she was so surprised she quite forgot to blush. It was a relief that she was able to retain her composure on a single occasion in his presence.
Her stomach rolled strangely as she took him in. There was something different about his expression. It was utterly unguarded and intimate, as though she was the only person at the fair. She felt the same dulling of her senses as they gazed into each other’s eyes, and she swiftly turned away.
“These are most beautiful,” he said of the fans, looking down at them appreciatively.
“They are.”
“Have you tried any of the roasted chestnuts?” he asked, and when she said that she had not, he produced a bag. He did not forget Annie, and both women took some of the sticky treats in their hands to taste them.
“You have my thanks, My Lord,” said Annie shyly, “they are very good.”
“I have not tried better, I believe. They are excellent. Are you enjoying the fair, Miss Crompton?”
Clarissa nodded. “Very much. I do so love this time of year.”
“As do I. There is even a lightness to the air, I believe, that is a contagion we all must suffer from. It infuses the mind. One cannot be unhappy at Christmas.”
Clarissa found herself smiling as she looked at the many people in their vicinity. He was right. The decorations on thetrees and the merriness in the air were palpable.
“I have not attended a Christmas fair for many years,” Clarissa confessed. “I am sorry to have missed it. It is the best thing to do when it is cold outside. Have you tried the cider, my lord?”
“I have,” he said with a slight smugness to his expression. “I was also prevailed upon to order some for Lady Eleanor’s house. I believe I have been quite badly used by the owner, for he is a wicked fellow and would have me drunk from dawn until dusk.”
Both Annie and Clarissa could not help but laugh at that, and Clarissa imagined that cider would be very strong.
“Did you often come to the village when you were here as a child?” she asked.
“Not too often, I confess, but I am all the sorrier for it now. I did not recall it being so beautiful. Perhaps it is the time of year.” But once again, his eyes lingered upon her, and she could feel Annie glancing between them in excitement.
Clarissa looked out at the green, where some children had begun a snowball fight, and smiled at their shrieks of excitement.
She was far more comfortable conversing in the open, away from the heat and bustle of the manor. Although she had enjoyed her time with Lady Eleanor exceedingly, there was nothing quite like being out in the open. She felt far more relaxed with Lord Bolton here and was surprised to find how contended she felt at his presence. She wondered if such easy companionship between them might one day be commonplace.
She pictured them together in a different setting, walking through his local villages in Hertfordshire as man and wife. The thought was unspeakably foolish, but nevertheless, it persisted.
“There he is!”
Clarissa looked across from them to see Lady Eleanor and Lady Wilde approaching. Eleanor's brisk walking madeeverything seem urgent, so Clarissa watched her approach with trepidation.
“You have been hiding from me, nephew,” she said irritably as she reached them. “Are you enjoying the fair, Miss Crompton?”
“I am, Lady Eleanor, very much. Thank you for arranging this little outing.”
