Claire sat down delicately on the upholstered seat and suddenly wished she had not agreed to this excursion. Somehow, everything just feltwrong.
But she could not just leave without seeming like an ill-mannered brute.
Besides, what could go wrong in broad daylight?Claire thought to herself.The Marquess has always behaved impeccably. I must simply be overreacting. Or nervous. Or both.
She pressed her lips into a thin line as the carriage started to move. She could not understand the direction of her thoughts, only that it somehow felt wrong to be sitting with the Marquess in his carriage.
I should be happy that I finally have his attention.
“You seem overwrought, my lady,” the Marquess noted.
Claire smiled wanly at him. “It is nothing, my lord.”
“If you are not enjoying yourself, then I must be going about this all wrong,” he mused.
She shook her head. “It is not that. It is just that I…have not really been out since my father died.”
“I understand your pain,” Lord Draydon nodded sympathetically. “And it is my greatest hope that you will find some measure of joy while we are out today. A breath of fresh air might do you some good.”
Claire felt the pain acutely in her chest when she realized he had used the same words that His Grace did. If she were to be quite honest about it, she truly did miss him.
It was just quite unfortunate that His Grace did not seem to miss her in equal measure as he was able to go on for two weeks barely seeing her.
Perhaps he really does not think of me that way,she thought despondently.On the other hand, Lord Draydon has been most attentive the past few weeks.
“Would you like to go to Bond Street and buy something?” he asked her.
Claire shook her head. “I would just like to stay in the carriage and see London, if that is all right with you.”
He smiled and nodded. “That is perfectly fine with me.”
Lord Draydon ordered the coachman to take the more scenic routes as Claire tried her best to absorb the sights all around her.
Perhaps it was because she had seen them all before with Oliver, but it did not have the same impact on her as when she went on that carriage ride with His Grace several weeks back.
She did appreciate the grand buildings but for some strange reason, they did not quite inspire her as before.
Claire frowned to herself but continued to look out and see what she had been missing in her design. It seemed that she had seen everything, thought of everything, but there was still something she could not quite put a finger to.
Meanwhile, the Marquess tried to engage her in some small talk, and she did her best to reply as politely as she could, exuding as much enthusiasm as was appropriate.
However, even to herself, she seemed a bit more…sedate, for lack of a better term.
It was not just her grief, no. That had dulled into a faint ache in her chest.
There was a different kind of ache in her heart and one that she knew she had no business feelingat all.
“Is there someplace else you would like to visit, My Lady?” Lord Draydon asked her.
It was getting late and Claire knew that she needed to be back in the townhouse before tongues started wagging.
Or before His Grace started to worry…
She shook her head. “I believe that I have seen everything I needed to see and more.” She tried to inject as much enthusiasm into her voice as she was capable and offered the Marquess a polite smile. “Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity, Lord Draydon.”
“There is one last thing I wish for you to see, though,” he said mysteriously. “I hope you do not mind.”
Claire looked at the sun. In a little while, it would be dark.
