Page 12 of A Lady's Propitious Match
CHAPTER 5
Clara found it hard to concentrate on the beat of the music, to make sure all of her steps were in time, when Simon was insisting on telling her all about his latest investment. His droning words were distracting, especially as he was not really saying anything.
Clara was doing her best to respond when she needed to, to keep up the polite appearance that was expected of her, but internally, she was anywhere but with Simon. Her imagination was giving her a much needed escape from this nattering.
Where her mind kept taking her was dangerous, but Clara could not seem to stop her imagination from heading in one place in particular. The extremely handsome Mr. Christopher Fitzhugh. The artistic gentleman whom Elliot had already described enough to pique her interest. Now that she knew what he looked like, she was even more interested in him.
Not only did he share her inclination towards the arts, but he also possessed a lofty stature and a strong physique, accompanied by an exceedingly attractive chiseled jaw line. Those blue green eyes of his seemed to pierce right in to her soul, seeing the parts of her that she did not normally allow the world to see.
The conversation with him had been brief., but there was something so extremely charged about it. It was almost as if he buzzed with understanding, and that vibrated through her too. Two artistic souls at this party. That had drawn them together in ways she was not expecting.
Clara could not deny that she wished she could be dancing with him instead of Simon. At least then they would have something to talk about.
Her heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of him dancing with Miss Henrietta Devereux. Despite Henrietta’s beauty, Christopher did not seem all that enthralled with her. Perhaps it was Clara’s imagination, but she thought he seemed to be lookingher way as well. In between trying to master all of the steps of course.
It was clear that he had not danced at a London ball for a while, which made her smile a little to herself. She would still want to dance with him, even if he was not perfect.
His spontaneous invitation to view her artistic attempts flowered through Clara’s mind. She could hardly think of anything else. He was the first person to truly seem interested in what she had created, which truly enthralled her. Although it was hard to tell if the flutters in the pit of her stomach came from excitement or nerves.
Christopher was a real artist who had traveled to perfect his talents. What was he going to think of her work? It was not even all finished, which would be hard for her. But there was no way that she would turn down the chance to get to know the man better.
Finally, the orchestra concluded and the song was over. Simon dutifully stepped back from Clara, but offered his arm to escort her from the dance floor, all the way back to her mother.
It was hard for Clara not to get irritated by the beaming smile her mother wore. Clearly this was the start to the evening that she wanted.
“My, what a lovely couple,” Estelle exclaimed as she clasped her hands together eagerly. “You looked positively radiant out there. Dancing. Together.”
Clara glanced at Simon to see if he was reading between the unsubtle lines to see what her mother was saying. But he had a blank smile on his face, like he did not have a clue. At least he was completely unable to pick up hints. That was good to know.
“Did you enjoy the dance, Lord Caldwell?” Estelle continued, pushing further, embarrassing Clara even further. “Do you have many dances lined up for the night?”
It was a relief when Clara spotted Imogen out of the corner of her eye. She needed to escape her mother’s prattling as soon as she could, so with a slight murmur that neither Estelle nor Simon seemed to hear, she slipped away to the refreshments table easily.
“Oh my goodness,” Clara exclaimed the moment she was close enough for Imogen to hear her. “What a night. Did you see me dancing?”
Imogen nodded sympathetically. “You did not look like you were having fun.”
Clara rolled her eyes. “I was not. I fear that Lord Caldwell is becoming more insistent with his courtship, and of course my mother is not helping me. It is building my vexation, I must admit. No one seems to understand how unsuitable he is as a match.”
“Was it really that bad?” Imogen asked with a wince.
“Oh yes. We do not have a single thing to say to one another. Not at all. I do not believe we share anything when it comes to intellect and values. We are too different.”
“They say opposites can attract.”
Clara scoffed. “Not in this case. I do not believe that there will ever be an attraction there. If it has not happened yet, then I do not see it ever building. He might be fine for someone else. There may be a woman out there who likes listening to him talk about finances. Someone who finds him charming and exciting. But that will never be me.”
Imogen laughed, but there was a definite sympathy in her tone. “Yes, I can only imagine how you must feel. I wish I could have more advice for you. I do not know what you should do. I do not know how you can get your mother to understand that he is not the man for you.”
Imogen fanned herself in solidarity, pausing only when Elliot approached the women. Clara was grateful to see her cousin again, but even happier that he had Christopher with him. She much preferred to have him close to her, rather than dancing with someone else.
Clara’s heartbeat quickened and she could not stop herself from smiling.
“Clara, Lady Chambers,” Elliot declared with a sweeping smile. “How are you enjoying this evening?” All of a sudden, he recalled his manners and Elliot stepped back. “Oh. Lady Chambers, this is Mr. Christopher Fitzhugh. Mr. Fitzhugh, this is Clara’s friend, Lady Imogen Chambers.”
Clara was delighted to see that Christopher did not look quite so enamored with Imogen as he had when they were introduced. Was it all in her mind? Or did he really seem particularly interested in her? Her heartbeat quickened as she tried to picture what that might mean.
Christopher met her eyes, and for a moment it felt like he could see exactly what she was thinking. Even crazier, it felt like he was wondering the same thing…
