Never before had Clara been disappointed to see her nieces. However, once the excitement of knowing that they were back in her home after all this time had subsided, she found she was sad that her day with Lane had been interrupted. She was beginning to realise that he would be leaving Bath soon and that she did not have an infinite amount of time with him.
A deep sense of melancholy washed over her. Her nieces were here—however, part of her wished they had not come. A twinge of guilt hit her as she entered her home and placed Humphrey down on the floor. He scampered off, probably to take a nap, and she notified Darby that she would be serving tea to her nieces.
Walking up the stairs, she recalled the times she had spent in this house with Charlotte, Lizzy, and Juliet. She had no children of her own, but she couldn’t have loved these girls any more than if they were her own daughters. She recalled Charlotte running to her here when she received word that her husband had been killed at Waterloo. She could see herself sitting on these stairs, comforting Juliet when she brought her here after the girl’s heart had been broken in London. And she remembered the times she’d spent shopping and sharing much-needed laughter with Lizzy when the Duchess would find refuge here from her loveless marriage. There were countless other moments as well. Getting ready for balls. Taking turns reading novels to each other. Chatting endlessly over pots of tea and needlework. Having them here knowing Lane might be leaving soon should be a blessing. Her heart should feel comforted. So why was it aching? She pinched her cheeks and pasted on a smile before taking a deep breath and walking into the room.
‘Tell us about Mr Lane,’ Juliet said without any preamble the moment Clara crossed the threshold.
The urge to turn and walk out of the room was overwhelming.
‘Juliet, allow her to sit first before you pepper her with your questions.’ Charlotte always had been the most level-headed one of the three.
‘I am simply asking the question we all want an answer to. Your dog seems very taken with him. Where did you meet?’
Clara took a seat between Charlotte and Juliet on the sofa where an hour before Lane had kissed her. She hadn’t realised how much she liked this pink sofa with gold-painted accents until now. ‘We met in the Pump Room.’ She busied herself pushing out the wrinkles from her gown. She didn’t want to talk about Lane. Their relationship was too complicated.
‘Did you bring the baby?’ she asked Charlotte.
‘Yes, he is asleep in my room. My maid is watching over him should he wake. I think the ride tired him out.’
‘And did you all ride here together in Lizzy’s carriage?’
Lizzy sat back in her chair across from them. ‘No, Charlotte and Juliet arrived in Charlotte’s. I followed them in mine.’
‘What Lizzy is not saying is that there wasn’t enough room for all of us to travel together in her carriage, so I took mine as well. She has too many trunks with her. I honestly don’t know how she travelled to Sicily without the ship sinking from the weight of her luggage.’
‘I managed to travel lighter than you would believe.’
‘And yet here you are at Aunt Clara’s for a week with enough luggage to stay for three months.’
‘I like to be prepared.’
Juliet was uncharacteristically quiet. Of all her nieces, Clara had spent the most time with Juliet. The girl had lived with her for years here before her recent marriage. Juliet knew her very well. If she needed to fool anyone that she was happy at this moment, it would be Juliet.
Turning to her, she made sure she was smiling. ‘And how is married life?’
There was a soft blush that filled Juliet’s cheek. ‘It is everything I could have wanted.’
Clara reached out and squeezed her hand. ‘I knew it would be.’ But when she went to remove her hand, the girl held on to it.
‘Now tell us about Mr Lane. Does he live in Bath?’
‘No. He is visiting.’ Once again she was reminded that he was leaving and it became hard to speak.
When the tea tray arrived, she was relieved that arranging the cups on the table and preparing the tea gave her something to do. Unfortunately, it also reminded her of making tea for Lane and how she thought she would be having another cup with him right now.
‘You are too quiet.’ This time it was Lizzy who spoke.
‘I am not one to always fill the room with the sound of my voice.’
She felt Charlotte’s hand at her back. ‘The three of us have shown up on her doorstep unannounced, claiming we are staying for a week. I think that would leave most people speechless.’ Charlotte gestured to the large bouquet of flowers that Clara had placed on the harpsichord after she had cut them from the garden when she returned home from the hotel. ‘Those roses are lovely.’
Clara handed her a cup of tea. ‘The roses in the garden are beginning to bloom. You must spend time out there while you are here.’
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
She kept her eyes on the cup of tea she was fixing for Juliet. ‘How did you all manage to get away like this?’
‘When I saw Juliet and Charlotte in London we all agreed that we have missed you terribly and thought to surprise you. Thankfully our husbands understood.’
‘I would love to hear more about your travels. I enjoyed receiving all your letters.’ She handed a teacup to Lizzy.
‘I would love hearing more about Mr Lane and why that puppy I gave you is now called Humphrey when we agreed he bears an odd resemblance to Uncle Ambrose.’ Juliet was proving to be just as stubborn as the puppy she had given her.
Clara didn’t want to talk about Lane. She didn’t want to think about him. Because now, each time she did, she was picturing him walking away for the last time and it made her want to cry. When had she fallen for him this deeply?
She thought she had her emotions under control, but then a small tear drop slipped out and landed on her lap. With her head bent down to fix Juliet a cup of tea, she hoped none of them had noticed.
They had.
At once, Juliet’s arm was around her and Lizzy gently reached across the table and took the teacup out of her hand. She refused to look up at them for fear that once she did her tears would begin to flow and she would have a hard time stopping them.
Charlotte took her hand and stroked it in a comforting gesture. ‘Talk to us. What has made you so sad?’
The words were stuck in her throat and would not come out.
‘Have you been so lonely without me here?’ Juliet asked gently. ‘I thought the dog might have helped. I’ve written to you several times a week, but I could write every day.’
‘It’s not that.’
‘Then what is it?’
‘Mr Lane will be leaving Bath soon. I know I am all wrong for him. I am too old. But once he leaves I will probably never see him again and I find it hurts my heart.’
‘Come now,’ Juliet said, ‘you are not that much older than he is.’
‘But I am old enough. A gentleman his age is thinking about starting a family. A gentleman his age wants to have children. I cannot give him that.’
‘Has he talked about wanting children?’
‘Well, no. We haven’t talked about any of that.’
‘Then how do you know that that is what he wants?’
‘What man doesn’t?’
‘I’m sure there are some.’
‘Has he given you any indication about what he feels for you?’ Lizzy asked with a sympathetic voice.
‘I think there is true affection on his part as well as attraction,’ Charlotte chimed in. ‘One can sense it. Don’t you think?’
‘I do,’ Juliet replied. ‘And by the way he was looking at you, it was very apparent to me that he is taken with you.’
‘But just now before you arrived I told him that when he was gone I would miss him.’
Juliet squeezed her hand. ‘That’s a lovely thing to tell someone.’
‘But he didn’t say it back. Why would he not say it back?’
Charlotte lowered her head to catch Clara’s eye and gave a small shrug. ‘We have never seen you like this. You have been strong for all of us in our times of need. Do not concern yourself with us. We will give you all the time you need with him while we are here. We can occupy ourselves very well when we are together. This is far from the last time that we will all be together again.’
‘And you will get to see him later this evening,’ Juliet said in an encouraging tone. ‘You never know what he will confess to you then.’