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 with Clara 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.

Well, that was why they had been forced into this plan. It was what they both needed to overcome to escape the expectations weighing them down.

“Good morning, Lady Belmont.” He bowed properly before handing her the flowers. “I purchased these for you, because they remind me of your beauty.”

Clara blushed prettily, but her mother struggled to disguise her scowl. This was going to be more challenging than either of them were prepared for.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Fitzhugh. These are quite beautiful.”

“I should organise us some tea.” Clara’s mother was outwardly polite, even if she was not content with the visitor. “I will speak with the maid now.”

She barely left the room though. She must have found someone rather quickly because she was back to silently scrutinize Clara and Christopher as much as she could. He had not even been given a moment to ask if there were any activities she would like to do with this fa?ade.

Luckily, Clara seemed to be quicker at thinking than him.

“Mr. Fitzhugh, I have heard such wonderful stories of your travels abroad. You were working as an art teacher to noble families, is that correct?”

Christopher nodded and smiled, but it hit him that his visit was unlikely to bring up anything useful today. Not with Clara’s mother staring at him so intently.

They could exchange small talk and polite conversation, but that was it.

“Yes, I had quite the inspiring time traveling and I was lucky enough to work with some very talented artists while I was away.” This was not impressing the lady of the house at all. It was time to change things up a little. “But I am back in London now, and ready to take life much more seriously. I am looking forward to making a success of myself here.”

But still, he was not getting anything other than a glare. How on earth was he going to get this woman to like him and to approve of his ‘marriage’ to her daughter? He needed the attention to be all on him, and all other suitors to be forgotten about.

“I have gotten a lot of interest,” he continued, looking more at her mother than at Clara, which was not the way that he wanted today to go. He wanted to make progress with Clara and to see if they could push forwards with this fa?ade. “I am sure I will have plenty of work…”

His words trailed off when he realized that he was not getting the reaction that he wanted. This was hard, he needed some advice from Elliot to know how to handle this properly. His best friend would likely have some decent advice for how to win the family around.

Mustering up all the courage he had deep within him, Christopher seized the reins of the situation and carried out the necessary tasks at hand. “Lady Belmont, just before I leave, I would like to invite you to attend the theatre with me, in three night’s time.”

Clara’s eyes lit up and she let out a little giggle which drew her mother’s glare towards her. She quickly composed herself before she responded. “Oh my, thank you very much for the invitation. I would love that.”

“Perfect. I shall be here to pick you up on the day. Thank you very much for accepting me in to your home and speaking with me. I will see you soon.”

After they said their goodbyes, the butler escorted Christopher to the door. Christopher was already spiraling, worrying about the negative impact he’d had on Clara’s mother, when something happened which only made his stomach sink all over again.

As Christopher moved outside, he spotted Lord Simon Caldwell walking towards the front door, carrying an extravagant array of roses and lilies, unfortunately outshining Christopher’s humble bouquet. It brought up all the feelings of inadequacy that he did not want here.

“Good morning, Lord Caldwell,” Christopher said because he knew that he needed to. No matter how he was feeling, he had to be polite at all times.

“Hmm, yes.” It was an unpleasant, cutting response that could not be misconstrued. He was not welcome here, Simon did not want any competition. He ran his eyes up and down Christopher, letting him see that he did not approve of him either. “Good to see you leaving.”

It was a good job that no one could hear them or things would really get out of control. All Christopher could do was walk away, he could not react for fear that it would give Clara’s mother just another reason to dislike him.

Maybe I do not need her to like me, he reminded himself as he walked over to Moonlight. I suppose since we are not really getting married, it does not matter.

He still did not like it though. He wanted to win the approval of everyone, but this was just a pretense. It would end soon enough, so it would not matter.

Still, the image of the superior bouquet and Clara’s evident wealth made him question his ability to even keep up appearances in courting someone of her pedigree and means. He might not even be able to impress Clara, never mind her mother…

It was only when he climbed upon his horse and started the ride back home, that he remembered the spark in her eyes. She was excited to see him, just like always, and she seemed to love the idea of attending the theatre with him.

Clara was clearly committed to preserving the ruse. She did not like Simon, she had made that very clear. She had told Elliot that she found him dull and unpleasant. Maybe she would not welcome the giant bouquet of flowers.

He allowed himself to smile and to see the positives in this. He could have a good time with Clara while they were ‘courting’ then he could go on to do whatever it was he wanted. They both could, and that was the end goal of this after all…