Not an hour later Claire was staring down at the note, a wide grin on her face. Not from the idea of meeting him, that was going to be dreadful. It was the last bit that caught her attention, about riding. The young woman patiently made her way to her father’s office, knocking as always to gain entry. She may be family but his Lord was still strict when it came to bothering him.

Once permitted inside Claire stood in front of her father’s desk, knowing he was paying attention despite the fact that he hadn’t looked up yet. “Father, I’m taking one of the horses out for a ride.”

Lucas chuckled, looking up with a smirk. “So you can pretend to run away by going to your aunt Silvia’s estate? I think not,” he laughed, looking down at his work once more, eyes scanning the newspaper.

“Father, I was twelve when I did that, really. Don’t you think I would have a plan and actually go somewhere you wouldn’t find me at this age?” That got her a look from her father, causing her to sigh. “But that’s not the point. I’m not running away, I’m going to meet- well, I’m going riding with a friend.” If he knew who she was meeting her father would want the entire thing taken place at their house, or worse want someone to go with her.

“Darling, you can’t blame me for not believing you. If you ride, it’ll be in our fields as usual. That’s final.”

Claire glared at the man intensely before turning right on the spot and storming out of the room. How dare he take away what should be a basic right! She could steal a horse of course, but the servants were constantly tending to the animals and fields, and while she may be able to sneak away, the odds of her getting out on a horse were slim. So, with little choice left, Claire arrived at the park by carriage.

She’d chosen to wear a gorgeous, filled out deep blue dress with white lace and a matching hat. Her hair was in curls, pulled back at the nape of her neck and laid over her shoulder. By now she had decided it was good she hadn’t brought a horse. What would have been the point, anyway? All she wanted to do was have a simple, direct conversation. Horses were not needed for that.

As soon as she caught sight of Nicholas, both frustration and admiration filled her. He looked so distinguished upon that beauty, but he was still the man she was supposed to marry. He’d caused so much trouble, why had he agreed to this? With a deep sigh she went to stand beneath one of the nearby trees, hands folded in front of her. There was no way she was going to flail her arms to get his attention.