Page 28 of A Lady's Propitious Match
“So, you are still feeling the pressure then?”
Christopher sighed heavily and nodded. “I have no intentions toward Henrietta beyond politeness. I have told my mother this over and over again. Yet she will not hear me.”
Abigail gave him an understanding smile and patted his arm. “True connections can not be forced. As soon as you start to feel that, you will know.”
Those words struck Christopher hard because he was quite sure that he had already experienced that feeling, and it was centered around Clara. She truly was the only person who had made him feel that sort of excitement.
He parted his lips, about to explain to his aunt this, but before he could get any words out, Leonora’s voice announced that tea was ready to be served. It was time for the guests to make their way over to the large, beautifully set table for tea.
“Come and sit with me,” Elliot said as soon as he got close enough to Christopher to speak.
But before Christopher could agree to make sure that he was nearer to Clara, giving them plenty of time to talk, his mother grabbed his arm hard. She was not about to waste this time. She wanted him next to Henrietta since this was likely the point of the party.
He could not disagree with her wishes, not without making a fuss, and he knew that his mother would never forgive him if he made a scene.
Unwillingly, he took the seat that his mother had chosen for him, putting him right next to the very over-eager Henrietta, of course. But what he was not expecting was for Elliot to ensure that Clara was sitting directly across from him. He likely had Christopher’s best interests at heart, but it had made everything that much more awkward for him.
How was he supposed to manage this? All he wanted to do was talk to Clara, to see if she was looking forward to their theatre outing, but he was not sure he could.
“Hasn’t your mother thrown quite the party?” Henrietta asked with a giggle as she leaned in closer to Christopher. “I love the flowers that she has on display. She really does know how to arrange the gardens. I am impressed by her. I think she has wonderful taste.”
“Yes,” Christopher agreed, unsure as to why Henrietta always wanted to talk about flowers. “I am sure my mother will be very pleased to hear that compliment.”
“I have told her already. We were talking earlier on, so she knows how much I am in awe of her.” Henrietta sipped her tea and edged nearer to him again, forcing him to turn away from Clara, who he really wanted to be looking at. “I was also talking to your mother about my next musicale, and she has suggested that you should come and watch me. She thinks you will be very interested in my acting and singing, and that you would love to be in the audience. I have always been complimented on my voice and I would love to have you hear me.”
Christopher murmured a noncommittal response. He was not quite sure what he was supposed to say to that. It seemed like his mother had already signed him up for something that he was truly uninterested in.
Unable to keep his eyes off of her, Christopher subtly stole a glance at Clara, catching her amused smile. It was very difficult for him not to return the look, but he did not wish to make Henrietta suspicious. He was sure that she would make a scene if she thought that his eyes were drawn elsewhere, even if he had not given her any indication that he wanted to look at her.
Not that she was paying much attention to what everyone else was doing. She was far too busy trying to sell her musicale to him, so he could see her sing like an angel.
But it was Clara who had him struggling to breathe normally. The sight of the sun light catching her hair. His heart started to pound in his throat, and he honestly started to feel a little dizzy. No woman had ever made him feel like Clara did.
There was a part of him that wished this ruse was not just a façade. He wished it could all be real, because the idea of beingbetrothed to someone who made him feel this way was wonderful. If he was going to marry anyone, it would be her.
But he did not know what was happening in Clara’s mind. He had no idea how she was feeling, and he could not ask Elliot without threatening the plan that they both needed.
Once Clara met his eyes again and she gave him a clandestine little nod, his resolve was bolstered to ignore Henrietta and focus on getting to know this fascinating woman he felt undeniably drawn to.
Whatever the conclusion of their union, it was going to be positive. They were here to help one another out, and there was no denying that they always had a lot to talk about. Even if they only ended up having a friendship, Christopher would be happy about it.
Although he might not admit it out loud, but he could not deny it to himself, that there was a little piece of his heart wishing that friendship was the minimum that he could get from Clara. If their chemistry was anything to go by in the few moments they had spent together, then they deserved so much more.
