Page 30 of A Lady's Propitious Match
Clara smiled, trying to picture the scene of a young boy wishing here for his dreams to come true. She had never been lucky enough to have such a fountain for herself.
“That is lovely. I would have been here every single day making wishes.”
Christopher chuckled at her joke as he reached into his pocket to pull out a shilling. He took her gloved hand in his and placed the coin into her hands. Clara could not help but notice how his fingers lingered for a moment too long, sending little sparks up her arm.
“There. You can make a wish now. I hope the fountain is good to you.”
Clara slid her eyes closed, feeling the intense hammering of her own heart. She was being given the opportunity to wish for whatever she wanted, but in the heat of this moment there truly was only one thing that she wanted. One thing that she needed.
I wish for this fake courtship to become something more. Something real.
She was so grateful that Christopher could not read her mind. She did not want him to know what she was wishing for as she let the shilling fly into the air and tumble into the water with a plop, causing a giant smile to spread across her face.
“I would ask what you wished for,” Christopher said. “But of course wishes must be kept a secret or they will never come true.”
“Is that right?” Clara was so grateful for this. She was not sure what she would have come up with on the spot. She did not know how she would have explained her wish away. “Then I will make sure that I never tell a soul.”
Their eyes locked in, and for a moment Clara felt like she did not need to say a word. She was quite sure that Christopher knew exactly what she had wished for, and a part of her thought that he might have made the same wish.
If only… she thought desperately to herself. If only they were allowed to court normally, and to see if there was anything real that could truly bloom between them.
In this moment, with the rest of the world simply melting away into nothingness, leaving Clara feeling like they were the only two people in the world, it seemed like anything was possible. Like if they remained where they were for much longer then temptation might get the better of them, and they could kiss right here by this beautiful fountain…
All of a sudden, Christopher coughed awkwardly and stepped backwards, shattering the magic of the moment. He seemed to realize that they might be taking things too far just at the same time as her.
Much as it was disappointing because she had been truly loving holding his eyes, Clara acknowledged that it was probably for the best. She had a reputation to protect after all, and they were not alone, even if it felt like it for a moment. Ruth was chaperoning them, so they had to be careful.
“Maybe we should get back to the party,” Christopher announced, but he did not sound like he wanted to either. “I am sure that my mother shall be looking for me soon.”
“Yes,” Clara agreed as she swallowed hard. She was not sure how she would keep her composure in public now, but she was going to have to try. “You are right. We should.”
As they made their way back towards the other guests, Christopher thanked her. “I appreciate you allowing me to give you a tour of the gardens, Lady Belmont. It was a delightful stroll and an even better conversation.”
“Maybe you do not always need to be so formal. You can call me Clara if you wish.”
That might have been a little bold, but Christopher looked like he appreciated it. “Then I would also love for you to call me Christopher. I would prefer the less formal titles.”
Clara could hardly contain herself. This was truly very thrilling. Never had Simon once mentioned that she did not need to use his full title, and she had never asked. It was not something that she was concerned with at all. But with Christopher, everything was different.
But all that warmth and joy simply melted away the moment the crowds noticed them returning. Or two people in particular anyway. Miss Henrietta Devereux and Lady Leonora Fitzhugh did not miss a chance to shoot their cold glares.
Even as Christopher went back to mingling with the other guests at the party, and Elliot drew Clara in to a game of battledore, she could feel the iciness of their dislike of her.
She knew that there would be obstacles to overcome with this ruse, and of course that it was risky, but this was a stark reminder that she would have to tread very carefully so as not to raise suspicions before she was fully ready to manage the potential consequences among proper society. Keeping her reputation intact was very important.
But every time she started to allow the coldness of their reception to get to her, she caught Christopher’s eyes once more, and she was reminded of his warmth and sweetness. Getting to know him was wonderful, and she ached to know more.
The desires blooming within her were hard to manage, especially when she knew where it was headed, but it was still very thrilling to learn everything that she could about him. Hisperspectives on art and the struggles that he had faced as well while painting had truly inspired her.
She could not wait to get home and back to her art room. To get back to the portrait of Imogen that she was worried was not good enough. Now she felt like she could get back to it, and to really make the best of it.
She really did want it to be perfect, and not just for herself, but for her best friend. Also for the moment Christopher finally came to see her work, because she was more sure than ever he would at some point. He seemed just as interested in her work as she was in his.
Perhaps she would paint what she could remember of the fountain, showing how she felt as she tossed the shilling into the water to make her wish. That might have just been a small moment of her life, but she knew that she would remember it for the rest of her life.
