Masquerade ✔

Chapter 35

Clara barely spoke to anyone after her disastrous time with Harrison. She was only glad that Araminta was out for the rest of the day. She really didn't want to deal with her mistress at that moment. Even her family back home seemed to sense something was wrong. It was a quiet evening, but not a content one.

Araminta didn't come back until mid-morning the next day. Clara was angrily putting away laundry when she floated into the room.

"Oh good, you're here."

"Welcome home, my lady."

Clara heard Araminta's footsteps stop. "Is something wrong?"

"No, my lady." But even Clara could hear her words were stiff. And Araminta would find out what happened eventually, and probably sooner rather than later.

"Well, I hope you had a better day yesterday than I did."

Clara huffed and turned around, an empty basket balanced against her hip. "I doubt that." She made a beeline for the door, but Araminta stopped her before she could make an escape.

"Sit." Araminta pointed to a chair. "Explain."

Frowning, Clara did as she said, placing that basket on the floor beside her. "I'm sorry, my lady, but I don't think I'll be as much help with all of this as you hoped."

Araminta sat across from her. "What happened?"

Clara took a deep breath. She didn't really know how to explain what had happened, especially to someone like Araminta. But she was also dying to talk to someone about what had happened, so much that she felt like she was going to burst.

"I'm from a very different world than you and Harrison," Clara began. "You know that, I know that. Harrison knows that. And that's fine. But I can't, I won't, be with someone who thinks that just because they have money and look down at the world, they somehow automatically know my life and know what's best for people like me."

Clara stared down at the table, her arms crossed. She was angry, yes, but she was also in pain.

"Ah, I see," Araminta said. "He got presumptuous about earth? Funny, I thought given that one dinner conversation we had, he wouldn't be the type to do that."

"I thought so, too," Clara said. "But I was wrong." She stood up, pushing her chair back. "I really am sorry, my lady. I wanted to help. And if I still can, I will, for your sake. But you can't make me see him. I barely want to look at him."

"I had no intention of making you, Clara," Araminta said. "Like I told you before, I don't want to force you into anything with him. I know all too well what that feels like."
"Thank you, my lady."

Clara tried to leave again, but Araminta wasn't quite finished.

"Clara?"

She turned around.

"Why are you so adamant about helping with this? I mean, I can't imagine that this is the biggest problem you're facing at the moment."

Araminta's question seemed genuine. "No, I suppose it's not," Clara admitted. "But I do think that you deserve to be happy. And, well, now that I realize Harrison isn't as good of a person as I thought he was, all the more reason to help you get out of being married to him."

Araminta gave a light chuckle. "I suppose. But Clara, I'd be lying if I said that I never said anything insensitive about earth to Lucretia when we first started seeing each other."