Page 27 of Betting on a Duke
Her lungs refused to work, causing her to gasp for air—air that no longer seemed to exist.
Her eyes no longer focused; all she could see were grey streaks that turned to black and then vanished.
“Clarice, can you hear me?” She heard Letitia’s voice, clear and concise, yet sounding distant. And what an odd question to ask. Of course, she could hear her. But why was she lying on a hard floor, with a cold cloth over her eyes and many soft voices chatting around her? Taking her time to answer her friend, Clarice took several deep breaths, hoping to slow her pounding heart.
“I can hear you,” she said as she reached up and took the cloth off her face. She opened her eyes, blinking several times to clear the fuzziness. When she did, both Letitia and Lady Hornsby were kneelingbeside her with worried expressions. “What happened?”
“You fainted, my dear,” Mrs. Hornsby said as she took her hand. “How are you feeling?”
“Fainted? I’ve never fainted in my life.” She looked around at all the wide-eyed ladies whispering to each other, and dread settled deep in her stomach. Clarice could imagine what they were whispering. How Stanton spent the night in her bed, and she was already enceinte. There could be no other reason a lady would faint dead away. Except there were many reasons, but these ladies would not entertain any of them. Oh, dear. What would Samuel think when he heard about this? “Help me up, please.”
Before Letitia and Mrs. Hornsby could help her, they needed help getting off their knees. Two kind sisters, Lady Grace and Lady Faith, helped them to their feet. With Letitia’s and Lady Grace’s help, Clarice was pulled upright. She wobbled a bit, then steadied herself. Glancing around the shop at everyone present, Clarice’s face heated.
Looking at Lady Grace and Lady Faith, she murmured, “Thank you for your kindness.” Turning to Letitia and Mrs. Hornsby, she said, “I’d like to go home now.”
With Letitia’s arm through one of hers and Mrs. Hornsby’s through the other, they made their way out the shop door. It was amusing, really, how the ladies parted to let them pass. She didn’t have the pox, but you’d think she did.
“Lady Hornsby, will you wait here with Lady Clarice while I signal my driver?” Letitia asked.
“Yes, dear, go ahead. I won’t leave her side.”
“Thank you, Lady Hornsby,” Clarice murmured. She was surprised how much energy it took to speak.
“I believe it’s time we used first names, my dear Clarice. Please call me Ellie, short for Eleanor.”
“Ellie, I like that.”
“Here’s the carriage.”
A footman approached and helped Clarice into the carriage, where she sat beside Letitia. Then Ellie entered and sat across from them. The door closed, Letitia tapped the roof, and they slowly moved into the line of coaches along Bond Street. It would be a slow ride home.
“I hope you don’t mind my intruding, Lady Letitia. I just wanted to see Clarice home safe and sound.”
“Not at all,” Letitia said. “What happened to you in the shop, Clarice?”
She leaned against the squabs and sighed. Honestly, she had no idea why she’d fainted, except that it was probably related to what Ellie said about her father doing something to Samuel. How could all these years have gone by without her ever hearing about any incident between the two—something Samuel would have had to recover from? She wouldn’t ask Ellie to explain. This was a conversation she needed to have with Samuel.
“Maybe the lemon ice I had at Gunter’s didn’t agree with me. All I knew was that everything around me started closing in and turning black. Then I realized I was awake and lying on the floor. How humiliating.”
“Nonsense, my dear,” Ellie said. “Most ladies faint dead away at some point in their lives. Just last week, the young Mrs. Woodbine fainted during a stroll in Hyde Park.”
“Yes,” Letitia said, “isn’t she increasing?”
Ellie blushed and said, “Yes. Perhaps that was a poor comparison.”
Clarice closed her eyes and tried to relax, but failed. Increasing? She would pay close attention to her courses from now on if she was going to keep sleeping with Samuel.
The carriage finally came to a stop, and Ellie and Clarice stepped out with the help of a footman. “Thank you, Lady Letitia, for the ride.” She looked at Clarice. “Get some rest, my dear, and you will feel better.” Clarice watched as Ellie crossed the street and entered her townhouse.
“My thanks, Letitia, for your help,” Clarice said into the carriage. “Shall we have tea tomorrow?”
“Yes, please,” Letitia replied. “If you need me for anything, just send word.”
“Thank you.”
Clarice’s hands gripped the railing as she climbed the stairs slowly, her legs still a bit unsteady. Williamson opened the door and hurried down several steps to assist her. “My lady. Are you ill? Should I send for the physician?”
“I’m fine. Just tired from shopping.”
