Chapter 5
Chapter Five
The chaise pulled up outside the townhouse.
Gerald cleared his throat and stepped off, approaching the doorway.
A servant answered and quickly announced his arrival.
Gerald strode into the house, summoning his courage.
Despite what Clara thought, lying did not come easily to him, but he needed to make this courtship seem genuine from the very beginning.
Then… all of the fawning women of the ton would finally leave him alone and Eleanor would be free to dazzle the crowd.
“Miss Sterling, these are for you,” Gerald said as he entered the sitting room.
Gerald then bowed to Alfred and Mary in turn.
Although he was a Duke and thus outranked them, for Alfred was the younger brother of a Duke and Mary had been the widow of a nobleman before marrying Alfred, this was their home, and he was intending to court their daughter.
A little respect went a long way. He handed Clara a small bouquet of white flowers. Clara looked genuinely surprised.
“I was not expecting these,” she said, flashing him a wary glance. They had agreed to exchange flowers every Monday, but that day had already passed.
“I hoped you would like the surprise. I saw them and thought of you. They are elegant and beautiful,” he said, hoping that he wasn’t being too overt. Clara thanked him and told a maid to fetch a vase.
“My, aren’t you thoughtful? It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace.
Clara has told us so much about you,” Mary said with a warm smile adorning her face.
Gerald could see the resemblance between Clara and Mary immediately, although Clara was taller and more slender, traits he assumed came from her late father.
Alfred’s gaze was so narrow he was almost squinting. He remained quiet for the time being.
“Clara told us that you met at St. Margaret’s,” Mary said.
“Yes, he came by on an unexpected visit,” Clara said, hinting at the fake story she had told her mother.
“Indeed, I have neglected it for too long. Unfortunately, there are many things that require my time and energy, and since I had not heard anything bad about St. Margaret’s, I assumed it was in good hands, and clearly it is.
Clara is doing a fine job there. The children all seem to be happy and hale. ”
“Oh, they are, they are indeed. She’s truly found her calling,” Mary said, beaming happily.
“I am glad,” Gerald said. “It was a special place to my great-grandmother.”
“As it is to Clara’s great-grandmother. It is so wonderful for you to have that in common. Please, let us have some tea and relax. There’s no need to remain standing all afternoon,” Mary chuckled and gestured for Gerald to follow them.
He took a seat on one side of the table, while Clara, Arthur, and Mary were sitting on the other. Tea was poured, and biscuits were served. Then, he heard a light patter of footsteps outside. A head poked in, grinning widely, and then the body followed.
“Beatrice. I thought you were meeting your friends,” Clara said thinly.
“I thought it would be best if the whole family were here,” Beatrice said, curtseying before Gerald. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace. I’m Beatrice.”
“My younger sister,” Clara said.
Beatrice flashed a smile and flicked her hair as Mary shuffled up, making room for Beatrice.
Clara lifted her gaze to the ceiling, while Mary leaned towards Beatrice and whispered into her ear.
Gerald was caught between all of this motion, which meant that he overlooked the stoic man sitting between the women.
It was Alfred who spoke next.
“I hope you understand that we are extremely protective of Clara. She deserves a gentleman who courts her with honorable intentions, and her reputation is precious.”
“Of course.” Gerald bowed his head deeply, hoping to show his respect.
“I will always treat her with the greatest respect. She struck me as quite an unusual young lady the first time we met, and the more I have learned about her, the more I can see that she is a person of integrity, selflessness, and compassion. That is a testament to both of you.”
“She certainly is different,” Beatrice said, sniggering.
“Beatrice!” Mary whispered.
“That is kind of you to say, and yes, we have tried our best. We are very proud of the woman that Clara has grown into, and we hope that only the best things in life find her.”
“In this case, mother, I’m certain it has.
His Grace is a most accomplished man, and I have been moved by his kindness.
He showed an affinity with the children that touched my heart, and that is when I knew things felt right.
I know that you have been frustrated with my lack of ambition in this area of life, but I only wanted to wait for the right person.
Thank you for your patience. You have always trusted my decisions, and I ask that you trust my judgment again now.
” Clara punctuated her words with a sweet smile.
When she directed it to Gerald, he could almost believe that she meant it.
She was a formidable woman indeed, and he vowed to never underestimate her.
The conversation continued, mostly about the children’s home, the children themselves, and Clara.
“She’s always done so much for other people. When Beatrice was born, Clara helped nurse her and rocked her to sleep. She’s always been there for us with whatever we’ve needed. I’m not surprised that she found her calling at St. Margaret’s because she has such a giving heart.”
As Mary waxed lyrical about her daughter, Beatrice rolled her eyes.
Gerald estimated her age to be around fifteen, and recalled what Eleanor had been like at that age.
Gerald noticed that Clara averted her gaze and shifted uncomfortably.
So far he had only known her to be composed and, frankly, belligerent, so this behavior stood out to him.
The conversation continued for a while until everyone was satisfied that progress had been made. Arthur cracked a smile, and his earlier iciness had thawed. At one point, Beatrice took the last cake on the plate and handed it to Clara.
“Consider it an early wedding present. Given how well-suited you seem to be, we might have one before the season is over,” she said.
Gerald hadn’t eaten his cake yet, so he sliced it in half and gave some to Beatrice, which softened her eyes, and she offered genuine thanks. Gerald stated his gratitude for their hospitality as he left, and was walked to the door by Clara. Everyone else was left beyond earshot.
“You made quite the convincing suitor today. Even Beatrice was impressed, and she finds it difficult to admire anything. You didn’t have to give her your cake. You are throwing yourself into the role,” she said.
Gerard grinned. “I wasn’t pretending today, although you did well yourself. I appreciated what you said. It seems that a lot of this comes naturally to me.”
“Lying?”
“Courting you.”
Clara did not have a rejoinder for that.
They stared at each other for a few moments, neither of them saying a word.
Clara’s eyes were liquid, and Gerald found it difficult to tear himself away.
He felt a strange stirring in his heart and wasn’t entirely sure what was coming over him.
The stronger the lie, the closer it came to the truth, and that could be a catastrophe.
He would have to learn to walk the line with discipline, and never teeter too far into the other side.
“I suppose the next time I see you shall be at the musicale. I hope you have been working on the position of your arm,” Clara said.
Gerald grinned. “I’ve been practicing it night and day,” he said.
“Let us fool the ton; I’m sure I will go back now, and my family will have nothing but effusive praise for you.”
“Thank you for the warning that my ears shall be burning,” Gerald said.
Clara’s eyes shone as she closed the door.
He lingered on the doorstep for a while, filled with a desire to keep talking to her.
Although they were lying about the courtship, he really had been mixing the truth in with the lies.
She was different from other people; there was no doubting that.
He had to remind himself constantly that none of this was real. None of this needed to be real.
It was all just make-believe, and before too long things would go back to normal.
Surprisingly, this didn’t bring him as much comfort as he thought it would.