Masquerade ✔

Chapter 16

Clara was dead on her feet and emotionally shot. After the long day of entertaining Harrison and then dealing with an impromptu fancy dinner, all she wanted to do was go home and go to sleep.

The Norringtons had left and Clara had finally finished with the clean-up. Now she dragged herself back to Araminta's chambers to ensure that she didn't need to do anything else before leaving for the night. But knowing Araminta, she would probably have something to do.

Clara knocked on Araminta's door and pushed it open as her mistress called for her to enter. Araminta was still dressed in her eveningwear.

"Help me into my nightclothes," Araminta ordered.

"Yes, my lady."

Clara began to unlace Araminta's corset when, to her surprise, her mistress started up a conversation. "Harrison tells me that you gave him a tour of the manor while he waited for me."

Clara's fingers froze for a fraction of a second on the laces. "Yes, I did," she said, resuming her action, but now on high alert.

"I don't know why he asked that of you. He's already seen everything you showed him."

There wasn't a question in her words, but Araminta paused as though she expected an answer. "Perhaps he didn't want to just sit and do nothing," Clara suggested. She lifted the corset over Araminta's head.

Araminta sat down, and Clara started taking out her hair. "Well, he seemed to have enjoyed himself."

Clara couldn't think of anything to say.

"I will say, though, his choice of opinions at dinner were rather shocking," Araminta carried on. "Not that I disagree with her, per se, but the fact that he said them in front of his parents? His father? Not exactly the dinner conversation I was expecting. You heard the whole thing, yes?"

"Yes, my lady."

"I wonder if this is a new interest of his," Araminta said. "His concerns about people who live on earth. You wouldn't have any idea about that, would you?"

Clara's anxiety grew with every word Araminta said. "How could I? I don't know him."

"But don't you?" Araminta asked. "Oh, please Clara. Harrison's too polite to say anything, and you know your job is on the line if you do, but I was late to every meeting with him while we were at the Norrington manor. And when I wasn't there, you were. You must have talked about something."

"He never spoke to me about that," Clara said quickly. "It wouldn't be appropriate."

"Appropriate," Araminta repeated. "No, no, it wouldn't."

Clara pulled the last of the pins out of Araminta's hair in silence and then went to go get her nightclothes.

"Speaking of what's appropriate and what isn't." Araminta slipped off her underclothes and allowed Clara to put her nightdress over her head. "Harrison had a strange request today when we spoke before dinner."

"Oh?"

"Yes. He asked that I order you to call him Harrison."

Once again, no question. But Araminta expected something from Clara, regardless. She went with the truth this time. "He did ask that of me, when we were at the Norrington manor," Clara admitted. "But I told him it wouldn't be appropriate. So I never did."