Claire was devastated. All three men were looking at her with confusion and expecting her to calm down. When Nicholas put his hands on hers she first wanted to jerk away, but honestly she felt so crushed that she just sat there, stunned. It shouldn’t have surprised her he wasn’t siding with her; afterall, he didn’t actually love her, Claire was sure of it. A great show to look good in front of the community, who would say no to that?

[i]“And I do not intend to marry you for your money, Ms. Abbott. I have enough to spend on whatever both you and I want.”[/i]

“I [i]know[/i] that,” she muttered, hand tightening into a fist beneath his, “I just thought it might be nice to not waste it. Or perhaps take a trip together instead, out of country.” Right, like that was her goal.

Then Nick went on about some nonsense of being terrified, and the idea that others would not only whisper harsh words behind their backs, but say it right to their faces. She only nodded, knowing the fight was over just as soon as it had started. Arguing further would only make things look suspicious and she would get nowhere with these men. At some point one had to keep what little dignity was left and accept the loss.

“Nicholas is right. It’s a bit frightening to be in the public eye like that, especially after my mistakes. But that is fine. If you insist on being wed at Westminster then I would like to hire someone to plan everything, I need no say in it.” she said in a monotone voice, slipping her hands into her lap so the two weren’t touching anymore. The duke’s expression softened, like for the first time he was feeling sorry for her instead of accusing. The young woman cleared her throat, looking down at her plate as she spoke a final request to her father. “May I be excused? I’d like to visit the stables. Besides, I don’t need dessert. Watching my figure for that wedding dress, you know,” she added with a smirk, finally making eye contact with him.

“No you may not. We have delightful company over and it would be a shame to miss that. We have a lot more to discuss,” he added with a grin, trying to lighten the mood…and praying Claire would let this go instead of throwing a tantrum.

He lucked out. Claire only nodded, looking at one of the servants and gesturing for dessert to be brought out. “Of course. So,” she said, looking at Nick with a defeated look in her eyes. “Where will we be living? I’m afraid I don’t know where your estate is located. Will we stay there, or find another place of our own?”