Page 23 of A Lady's Propitious Match
CHAPTER 10
Christopher was picking at his breakfast, distracted and thinking only about the previous day as his mother talked endlessly about an upcoming tea party she was holding.
“Miss Henrietta will of course be there,” she declared excitedly. “Which will be perfect for you. Another chance for you to impress her. Maybe you should use the time to start courting her this time. Really get things moving…”
Many people had seen him with Clara the day before at the gallery, but news had not yet reached his mother’s ears. Strange, since she was usually very keen to find out all the gossip that was swirling around in high society.
The time would come though, and Christopher needed to be ready for it. It was not going to be easy for him to convince his mother to look elsewhere when she had her heart so set on Henrietta, but that was why he had been forced to go to such lengths.
It was easy to worry about all of those things when he was away from Clara. But as he had noticed yesterday at the Royal Academy of Arts, all of that simply melted away when he was by her side. Clara was so easy to talk to, so easy to navigate things with. He had truly enjoyed looking at the art with her and talking about the work with Clara. She really was riveting.
But he had quickly found other things to talk about with her. It was not just a love of art that they shared, there were many things.
He was actually looking forward to spending more time with her, which was something he needed to figure out. He had promised that he would look for upcoming events where they could be seen with one another, and that was a promise he wanted to fulfill.
“Where are you going?” his mother asked the moment Christopher rose to his feet.
“I need some air,” he shot back. “I am going to take a ride on Moonlight.”
It had been a while since he’d had the chance to ride his horse, and now more than ever he needed it. He wanted the wind in his hair and the air to blow through his brain, hopefully clearing his head. He needed to think straight.
Christopher could hear his mother calling out to him as he walked out the house, but he did not turn back. He did not want to give her any more chance to talk about Henrietta. She was not on his mind, and he did not need her to be. He had to concentrate on Clara now.
“Hey, Moonlight.” His horse lit up as he entered the stables. This was why he came to unhook her himself, rather than wait for the stable boys. “How are you? Are you looking forward to a run around the fields? I certainly am.”
Christopher led Moonlight outside after saddling her up, and he climbed on her. As soon as Moonlight’s trot turned into a sprint, Christopher started to feel a whole lot better. There was something so refreshing about the cool air. The cob webs were already filtering away from his brain, leaving only Clara behind.
Her long chestnut colored hair, her sparkling green eyes, the way she lit up when she smiled. Even the softness of her voice and the musical trill to her laughter…
She truly was lovely. Perfect for this little ruse of theirs.
Eventually, a flower peddler caught Christopher’s eyes, which caused him to halt Midnight in her tracks. Her basket was brimming with charming, vibrant spring blooms.
“They are beautiful,” he called out to the young lady as he slid off his horse.
“Why, thank you. Would you like any for the lucky lady in your life?”
On impulse, he selected a bouquet of hydrangeas and sweet peas which reminded him so much of Clara’s graceful beauty. “I would love to purchase these from you.”
The girl handed the flowers to him in exchange for the money, leaving Christopher with a warm sense of happiness spreading through his chest. He had not planned on visiting withClara already, but why not keep things moving in the right direction?
News would likely get to his mother much faster if he continued to pursue her.
Without giving himself any more time to think about it, he took Midnight and rode towards Clara’s family’s distinguished town house. He had already been given the information of where she lived from Elliot, but he hoped that this visit would not come as a surprise.
The town house was just as impressive as Elliot had suggested, with an imposing facade with intricate brick work. Tall and narrow with a beautiful entrance, adorned with a beautifully carved wooden door, featuring decorative panels and a stained glass transom window above.
Christopher was impressed. Even more so when he drew closer to the front door, and he knocked to alert the people inside to his presence.
“Mr. Fitzhugh,” he declared as the butler came to the door. “I am here to visit with Lady Clara Belmont.”
The butler glanced at the flowers in his hand, before he took Christopher inside. Christopher was just as impressed with the opulent interior of the home, including the art pieces hanging on the wall. Perhaps Clara had support with her artistic talent, in a way that he did not.
“Mr. Fitzhugh has arrived,” the butler announced. “To see Lady Clara Belmont.”
The confidence that Christopher had been feeling seemed to subside a little when he caught sight of Clara’s mother, sitting beside her. While Clara’s eyes lit up and she seemed happy to have him visit, her mother’s lips pursed in thinly veiled disapproval.
Just like his mother seemed to be set on Miss Devereux, she had to have a strong preference for Lord Simon Caldwell and she did not know how to hide that.
