His words were exactly what she needed, and fortunately whatever was a lie fooled her. Claire recognized nowhere in that did he say they would get to know one another at a later date, but she didn’t care. He had promises of being there for her, of trusting and providing, and with that she settled into his side and closed her eyes, a yawn escaping when she’d finally stopped shaking. The kisses had been…an entirely new experience, and she found herself wanting more despite the overwhelming sadness she’d been feeling.
By the end of it she may not trust him, and she knew he would let her down in some way in the future, but at that moment she didn’t care. He was hers alone until the injury healed and he was off to do business again, and he definitely knew how to seductively whisper in her ear. His lips tickled at her hair, and for once she didn’t mind the sound of his name with hers. “I love when you touch my hair. It’s the most wonderful feeling I’ve ever had,” she murmured, finally at peace. “Thank you, Nicholas. I promise I’ll be a better wife than you ever thought possible. We’ll be happy here together, just wait and see.”
With that she was out, breathing lightly, rhythmically, her chest rising and falling against his side as she slept. It was a peaceful sleep, and she stayed right at his side for quite some time. Eventually, when the day could no longer be put off and Claire had to prepare for company, she left Nick alone with his cold gruel and book. Once again she was content to be with him, but more important things than her marriage needed to be attended to.
******
“Lucy Hawthorne, I’ve been anxiously waiting for you to come all day.” Her voice was filled with excitement as she greeted the woman she honestly had only met a few times.. She was the wife of Matthew Hawthorne, the very spy locked away that she had every intention of killing before the day was over. The slightly older woman in front of her looked about as tired and heartbroken as one would expect, but Claire still wasn’t sure how much she knew and would thus pretend she knew nothing about it until she brought it up. Who was being detained wasn’t exactly public knowledge, but he’d been missing for days. Whether she knew why or not, Lucy would be confused, upset, and vulnerable.
“Claire, I thought you would be off on your honeymoon. I was surprised when I got your invitation. Is it just us?” The red-headed woman asked, handing her wrap to the doorman before following Claire to the sitting room. Her host requested the tea and cake be brought before sitting on the couch, gesturing to Lucy to do the same.
“Yes, it’s just us. Poor Nick isn’t feeling well, so we decided to postpone the trip.”
“Oh, that’s a shame.” Lucy still sounded distracted, but as a proper woman would didn’t reveal what was upsetting her. “Well, it was a beautiful ceremony. I cannot believe the venue, I didn’t think you could get any better than the church Mathew and I…” She trailed off, tears appearing in her eyes. The sight of a beautiful woman that was looked up to seeming so lost and upset was heart wrenching. If only Claire could actually help.
“Dear…” The snacks had just shown up, but she waved them away. The maid simply put them on the table as Claire scooted closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Lucy, I’ve never seen you look so sad, your smile is always there every time I see you! Does this have anything to do with your husband not being present at the wedding…?” As if she would have noticed such a thing in that huge crowd. “Is he not well either?”
“Oh Claire, I was going to try and wait to speak to you about it, but it’s the most awful thing and I cannot forget for even one meal. How am I supposed to? We’re not that close, and here I am…” Claire quickly gave Lucy a handkerchief, silently encouraging her to go on. “Claire, he was taken. They’re- they’re accusing him of being a spy against Britain. A spy, for goodness sake! Can you imagine my sweet Matthew doing anything to hurt-“ The woman started crying again, covering her face with her hands and the handkerchief.
Claire took a deep breath, ready to play her part. “Oh, Lucy…” She put a hand in her lap, trying to take her time, seem like the ideas were slowly coming to her as their conversation went on. “What gave them the idea he was involved in such a thing?”
“They found papers that he’d signed…something like that, I don’t know. I was barely listening by the time they tried to explain, I was just in awe. The documents had to be forged, that’s all I can think.”
“Of course they were! How often have you seen him, when did this happen, Lucy?”
“Just a few days ago. I was allowed one visit with my Matthew and ever since they give me grief when I try and see him again. Haven’t gone today, I just- I’m afraid of what I’ll find. Has he eaten? What if they don’t let me in, because you know one day they will stop letting me in. Then I really won’t know what to do. Lucy was distraught, and for good reason. Her husband probably wasn’t being well taken care of. “Oh Claire, you can’t tell anyone! If they found out I don’t know how I’ll handle this…”
“Shh, there, there. Lucy, you have a right to see your husband. How about this- I have sandwiches fixed for us, but instead we’ll bring them to poor Matthew. He deserves a good meal, no innocent man should go without one. I don’t want to hear any arguing. You cannot be frightened, and you cannot show fear in front of these men. Just remember they’re doing what they think is best, but if we’re confident and promise a short visit I’m sure they’ll let us in. And I’ll be sure to tell them all I’ll complain to my father if we’re denied a simple visit.”
Lucy looked up at Claire with those big brown eyes, her nose running from crying so much. “You’d- you’d do that for me? You’d come with me?”
“Of course, it’s the least I can do. Here I was about to go on talking about my silly wedding and you have a mountain of problems on your shoulders. Wait here and I’ll let Nicholas know I’m leaving, fix that meal, and we’ll be on our way.”
As soon as she left Lucy by herself Claire went back to the bedroom and pulled that little capsule from the envelope, letting it roll around in the palm of her hand. She had to be the worst friend that ever existed. With a shake of her head Claire went to the kitchen, slipped it into one of the sandwiches, one she could point out on sight because it had more meat. She then put them all in a small basket and covered it with a cloth- simple, no guard could say no to a woman wanting to feed a man. Satisfied, she then went to the master bedroom. “Nicholas?” Claire whispered, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “Darling, I need you to listen for just a moment. I know you’re tired, so I’ll leave you be after this. A wonderful friend of mine, Lucy, is in a bit of trouble and I’m going to spend some time with her, offer some support. Nothing for you to worry about, of course, but I don’t know when I’ll be back. I…” What was their sleeping arrangement again, or had they decided on anything yet? “If I get back early enough I’ll see you tonight, if not…till morning, Nicolas. Rest well, I’ll send the doctor in to change those bandages for you.” She was in a hurry and certainly didn’t have time to chat. The sooner this day was over and she’d accomplished her goal, the better.