“Oh, all right,” she muttered. “But I intend to be able to poke my head out of the window, at the very least!”
Oliver glanced at Claire and she blushed again when she caught him looking at her. He decided that it was a very pretty blush and he enjoyed being able to affect her in such a manner.
She was dressed in black bombazine today—another creation that Madame Woolworth had managed to churn out within limited time constraints.
For him, it did not matter what she wore—she was always devastatingly beautiful in his eyes.
If I could find her heartbreakingly beautiful in her grief, then most certainly I will find her breathtaking when she smiles.
When they reached the shipbuilder’s office, Oliver excused himself from the ladies and alighted from the carriage, leaving all three of them inside.
Hopefully, Trixie would be able to contain her excitement until he was able to complete his business.
* * *
“I know what you are thinking,” Claire said warningly to her sister. “I would advise against it, though. You and I are not familiar with this place and it would not be prudent.”
Lady Suzanna smiled. “Your sister is right, Trixie dear.”
“But I just wanted to see what it looked like outside!” the young girl reasoned, her neck craning out of the carriage as far as she was able. “It looks so busy outside and I wanted to see the ships!”
“His Grace told us it is best to stay inside,” Claire said firmly.
“And so we must stay inside. I want to see the ships, too, but without a suitable companion, it is foolhardy to venture out when there are so many unfamiliar men about.”
“You would not want to ruin your reputation before your own Season, dear Trixie,” Lady Suzanna seconded. She laughed when Trixie gave another petulant pout. “Do not fret, dear one. One of these days, we can go sailing on the yacht. You would like that, would you not?”
“Sailing?” Trixie echoed in jubilation. “Why, does His Grace own a yacht, too?”
Lady Suzanna laughed. “Why, yes, of course, although we have not had much use for it for quite some time. In all honesty, I have not the faintest idea why he bought it.”
In her heart, Claire could only imagine how wonderful it would be to sail down the Thames in a luxurious yacht.
His Grace must have bought it for his future wife. Whoever marries His Grace will be an extremely lucky lady!
Somehow, the thought of Oliver with another woman left a sour taste in her mouth. It was as if there was something wrong with the picture in her head but who was she to dictate to him who he wished to marry or not?
In her time attending balls and the like, she had come to know that Oliver was considered a “catch” amongst the other debutantes and they were constantly looking out for him.
It was a pity that he rarely attended such functions, which disappointed his admirers to no end.
“If only His Grace was not so mired in business!” she had heard one of them say.
“Well, why would you want to marry a man who is married to his business?” another young miss tittered.
“Why, so I can spend his money, of course!”
It annoyed Claire to hear them discuss Oliver in such a manner—as if he was a walking money bag and their ticket to a luxurious existence swimming in fancy ball gowns and jewels.
“Claire, are you all right?” Lady Suzanna asked her. “You looked absolutely murderous there for a moment.”
She flushed at Lady Suzanna’s remark, embarrassed that she had been caught with her wild thoughts displayed on her face for all the world to see.
In the past days, their relationship had improved greatly. Although they were not as close as they had once been, Claire had accepted the young lady’s kindness and she honestly did miss the companionship between them.
A man should never come between the friendship of women.
She had also come to see that Lady Suzanna was not particularly interested in Lord Draydon and she decided that, perhaps, the older lady was simply just looking out for her best interests.
