“Say, I have not seen His Grace as of late,” Lord Bertram remarked. “How has he been?”
“Oh, you know how my dear brother is when something comes up.” Lady Suzanna smiled at the young lord, directing the full force of her charm on him, causing him to blush.
“Well, he should learn to relax a little, enjoy life a little more,” Lord Amos Forsythe chuckled. “There are more things to life than spending one’s efforts endlessly on such boring activities.”
Claire smiled a little at that but in her heart, she wished she saw more of His Grace.
While the eligible bachelors of London called on her daily, she had scarcely seen him the past few days. Since then, she had deduced that what he felt for her must be nothing more than the love and concern between siblings and that she was inappropriately reading more into their interactions the past few weeks.
If that is the case…then, I could not possibly hope for something more between us, she thought despondently.
She thought of the nearly completed drawing she had in her rooms. If she spoke honestly, she would admit that it was inspired earlier by her visits as a young girl to the sprawling magnificence of Minsbury Park, the seat of the Duke of Minsbury.
Later on, she had drawn inspiration from both the book and the tour he had given her.
Buoyed by the lighthearted happiness he brought her, she worked on her drawing until the uncertainty of the past few days stalled her progress once more.
Unlike before, she dared not show it to Lord Draydon again, afraid that he was not as interested in it as His Grace had been.
* * *
As had become their custom, both Oliver and his older sister were seated comfortably, facing each other in his study as they discussed the events that took place earlier that day.
He had seen the carriage with the crest of the Marquess of Draydon amongst the parked carriages that cramped the vicinity of the townhouse when he arrived. Seeing that his old schoolmate was most likely in the drawing room, calling on Claire, he had proceeded directly to shut himself in his study.
“This is getting out of hand,” he muttered after his sister recounted the afternoon to him. “I had hoped to find a better suitor for our Claire but it seems that there is a scarcity of good men in London.”
He caught the look of exasperation on the face of his sister and smiled grimly. “You still think I should confess; am I correct?”
She nodded. “Before you regret it.”
“But I might regret it even more if it destroys the friendship we have,” he told her sadly. “I promised the Viscount that I would take care of the girls until the day I die and I intend to uphold that promise, even if I must do it at a distance.”
“Well, I have some news that might just induce you to take action.”
His head whipped up. “What sort of news?”
She sighed and looked him deeply in the eyes. “I heard the most disconcerting thing from Marley earlier this morning, which explains the sudden deluge of visitors we have been having.” She pursed her lips and regarded him grimly. “It seems that the information of dear Claire’s dowry has finally reached the gossip mill and even the servants’ grapevine.”
Oliver fought the urge to swear as he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “Then that means that finding a suitable match for Claire has just become harder.”
“I could think of one man who might be up to the task but he refuses to do so,” Suzanna pointed out wryly.
“And you know very well why I cannot.”
She leaned in and laid her hand on top of his. “Then, what will it take to make you change your mind, brother mine?” she asked him softly. “Already, they have taken to beating down our door in the hopes of marrying her simply for her money but Claire is smarter than that.”
“I know,” he muttered despondently. “I had hoped she would be smart enough to choose someone...”
“Someone like you but not you?” she supplied. “Earlier this afternoon, she appeared bored to tears by her suitors—they had been posturing around, hoping to catch her attention. When the Marquess arrived…” she trailed off.
Oliver smiled sadly. “When he arrived, she became happier.”
“I would say that she lit up when he arrived. Like he was some sort of hero who would save her from the quagmire of arrogant, preening bachelors she found herself in.”
He laughed at that. “How can I possibly compete withthat?”
Suzanna sat back and regarded him with a soft smile and a raised eyebrow. “You do not know women very well if you do not know the answer to that.”
