Claire looked up to see that the sun had thrown out its last rays and was sinking slowly in the horizon. In a few more moments, it would be dark.
When she sneaked out of the townhouse, she had not anticipated going very far. She had meant to go to that quaint little park she had seen earlier while out on their carriage ride but she must have missed a turn and now, she was quite horribly lost.
To add to her misery, it would be dark soon and she was an unaccompanied female.
I should not have gone out in the first place!Claire berated herself.How silly I have been. Hopefully, I can make it back to the townhouse before I give everyone a cause for worry.
She tried her best to retrace her steps and found herself in more familiar surroundings. She sighed in relief when she recognized the particular street she found herself in.
It was one of the streets she and Lady Suzanna usually passed by on their way to Rotten Row. If she rushed back home, she would make it in time for dinner…
She had been so intent on getting back to the townhouse quickly and with the streets getting darker, she did not notice the man until she bumped into him.
“Ow!” she exclaimed, stumbling a few steps back before she felt a pair of hands steady her. She immediately stepped back, away from them, when she heard a familiar voice.
“Lady Claire?”
She looked up and to her relief, it was the Marquess of Draydon looking at her with some confusion in his piercing eyes.
“What are you doing out here alone? And it is almost dark!” he exclaimed.
She flushed, feeling like an errant young girl who had just been reprimanded by an older, more authoritative male.
“I just went out for a walk to clear my thoughts,” she explained. “I lost track of the time and I was just rushing back home when I bumped into you. Forgive me, My Lord.”
He frowned. “It is getting dark. Let me accompany you home, at the very least, to make sure that no harm befalls you.”
“You are too kind, My Lord,” she murmured. “I would very much appreciate that.”
He fell into step beside her, maintaining an appropriate distance as she was a young, unmarried female and he was an older male.
Claire could not believe that she was walking home with the Marquess. A few weeks ago, she would have been giddy with excitement at the mere prospect but now, her feelings were far too conflicted to feel much joy at his presence.
“I was never able to express my sincerest condolences for your loss,” he spoke quietly. “I meant to call on you earlier but you were not at home.”
She nodded. “We went out for a breath of fresh air. It was getting too much staying cooped up with nowhere to go.”
“I understand,” the Marquess said simply.
She caught him glancing at her and she looked away, unsure of what to make of it.
“Forgive me if I may seem so bold but now that your father is gone, do you and your sister have any other male relatives?” he asked her.
It was, indeed, a rather bold question but Claire merely shook her head in response. “We have no other family. My father had a sister but she died shortly before we came to London.”
“So that means that your father’s wealth will be passed on to you and your sister and the men you will marry,” she heard him say.
Claire merely shrugged. “I suppose so.”
“What about your dowry, Lady Claire? Had your father arranged it before his demise?”
She felt that his questions were a little too intrusive but he had always been rather bold and she had the feeling that he did not strictly adhere to the rules of the Society.
“My father’s sister was a very wealthy woman,” she answered simply. “When she died, my father inherited all her wealth, including that of her late husband. My father and His Grace had arranged a dowry for my sister and I.” She smiled sadly at the memory of her father. “He wanted us to be able to choose the men we will marry and not have to feel pressured at all in doing so.”
“Ah.” He paused and then smiled strangely at her. “Then, those men will be quite lucky.”
Claire glanced at him but found that she could not read the expression in his eyes. He had always been rather mysterious, which was why she found him appealing in the first place.
