She paused for a moment, her eyes clouding with tears. And then, she picked up her quill once more.
“How I wish I had shown you my drawings before you died, Father. You had always believed in me then but I know that you see everything I do now. And I hope…I hope that you are proud of me.”
When she closed her journal, she felt herself smiling again in spite of the tears. She was still sad that she would never see her Father again but being able to talk to him like this, justbelievingthat he heard her—it was enough to soothe the ache in her heart that she had been unable to name the past few days.
It was the ache of the words left unsaid, she realized.All the things I wish I had told Father when he was alive…They were what weighed heavily on me the most!
“His Grace was right. It did take off some of the pain,” she murmured, feeling the lightest she had been.
As she drifted off to sleep, she found herself dreaming of Oliver and his kindness towards her and Trixie.
How he pulled her out of her misery and took her out on a long overdue tour of the city.
How he sat with her while she grieved silently by the window.
How he offered her a way to relieve her heart of the immense burden she felt when her dear Father died.
It was funny how she never thought of Lord Draydon and how she did not even miss him these past few days.
Chapter 12
Oliver smiled to himself as he alighted from the carriage with the Minsbury crest emblazoned on the side. A parcel was tucked under his arm, wrapped in nondescript brown paper and tied with a string.
He had been searching all over London for this particular gift and it was by some stroke of luck that he finally came upon it.
He shook his head and laughed to himself, certain that Claire would love what he had purchased for her.
This is what I get for falling in love with a lady who is anything but typical,he mused to himself.Naturally, her tastes would run towards the unconventional.
It did not matter, though, as he found it quite endearing that she was nothing like the other debutantes.
“My, somebody seems to be in high spirits today,” his sister remarked with a smile on her face. “I take it that your carriage ride has yielded favorable results.”
He smiled at his beautiful sister and winked. “Far better than I expected. She loved it and was smiling more towards the end.”
“So, do you mean to take her out more?”
He shook his head. “Claire is in mourning and although I would like nothing more than to have her smiling happily again, I feel that it would be a disservice to her if we do not allow her to properly mourn the Viscount.”
Suzanna smiled. “Now, you are learning.” She raised an eyebrow delicately when she noted the parcel tucked under his arm. “And it seems that today, you come bearing gifts?”
“How is it that you can be so wise?” he laughed.
“I know you full well, brother mine. I have also heard it from Smithson that you have sent him scurrying all over London in search of a particular book on architecture.” She cast him a soft knowing smile. “I do not suppose you have taken up the same passions but I know that you would give her whatever her pretty heart desires.”
How does she know everything before I even think of it?Oliver wondered.Women are eerily smart creatures. One wonders if their submissive attitude towards men is but a façade and we have been led to believe of our own superiority while they pull the strings from the shadows!
“It is for Claire,” he finally admitted. “The Viscount mentioned this particular book prior to his passing. It was something he pondered on adding for his library and was never able to find it.”
“I am certain that Claire would love it,” Suzanna smiled warmly.
“Speaking of Claire, how have you both been?”
His sister’s smile dimmed a little. “We have…had better days. She still rarely talks to me, although she does not seem so angry at me anymore.”
“I am glad,” Oliver murmured. “It is my greatest hope that you will both be able to mend your friendship.” He shook his head as guilt flashed plainly in his eyes. “I should never have sent you to talk to her about the Marquess.”
“Oh, you know our Claire,” his sister waved her hand in a careless motion, although he could see the pain in her green eyes. “She is quite stubborn, that silly young girl. But you fret not, for when she realizes that the Marquess is not for her, she will come around. She always does.”
