how her gown had gotten wrinkled the last time. He might kiss her again, she realized, and she felt her toes curl up in her shoes at the very idea.
Joan walked her down to the main floor using the servants' stairwell, checked to be sure the hallway was empty, then hustled her out the French doors in the dining room to avoid guests or staff. Stopping at the door, die maid turned to her. "Can you make it from here?"
'Yes." Clarissa nodded. One of the advantages of the town house was that she knew her way around it and its grounds pretty well. She was certain she could make her way to the fountain without assistance.
"Good, then I shall wait here to sneak you back upstairs. It will give the two of you some privacy," Joan said. At the last moment she added, "Be careful."
"I will," Clarissa assured her, but could hear the frown in Joan's voice as the servant replied.
"Maybe I should come with you. You could—"
"No, no," Clarissa said quickly. "I shall be fine. And I will try to hurry."
"No, take your time. I do not want you rushing and hurting yourself," Joan insisted, then opened the door and urged her out.
Clarissa slid through the door and made her way quickly but carefully toward where she knew the path would be that led down to the clearing with the fountain. She found the path easily enough and hurried along, excited at the prospect of seeing Adrian. It seemed so long. Lydia had canceled all their outings this past week and had refused any and all visitors. No matter who approached, Ffoulkes had answered the door with the announcement that the ladies Crambray were not in to visitors. Clarissa wasn't sure if it was meant as a punishment, or intentionally to keep her from Adrian, but in the end the result was the same: she hadn't seen him in a week.
Clarissa had been surprised to find that Lydia refused even to see Lady Havard and Lady Achard . The three women had been inseparable before this. It was more suggestion that Lydia had been having an affair with Prudhomme as she'd suspected, and that she was now refusing to see any of them out of humiliation.
Clarissa saw the blurry shape of the fountain ahead, and picked up speed in her eagerness to reach it and see Adrian. And then ... crash. She didn't see the branch she ran into. Light exploded inside her head, along with pain, and Clarissa stumbled forward several feet and felt herself falling.
When next she opened her eyes, it was to an anxious voice calling her name over and over. It took a moment for her to realize it was Adrian. Blinking, Clarissa winced as pain made an appearance. It was no little headache type of pain either, but a serious hammering along the front of her forehead. Clarissa quickly closed her eyes again.
"Oh, thank God," Adrian murmured by her ear, and she thought she felt him press a kiss to her brow.
"Adrian?" She forced her eyes open again. His face was dark above her, but almost in focus for a change.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "When I found you in the fountain, I thought you were dead."
"In the fountain?" Clarissa asked with confusion, and frowned as she raised a hand to touch his face. Water dripped down her arm. "Why am I wet?"
'You were in the fountain," Adrian repeated— slowly, as if the reduced speed might make it easier for her to comprehend. He eased her to an almost upright position in his arms. "How are you? Are you seeing double or anything?"
"I do not think so." She forced herself to sit up fully and take her own weight, then peered around the darkness surrounding them. She could see enough to know they were right beside the fountain. Adrian was wet, too, and she supposed it had happened when he'd pulled her out.
She turned to peer at the fountain, knowing exactly how it looked despite her blindness. The edifice had stood as long as she could recall, it being her favorite spot as a child. It was huge around the base, but really quite shallow, with perhaps a foot and a half to two feet of water. Enough to
Joan walked her down to the main floor using the servants' stairwell, checked to be sure the hallway was empty, then hustled her out the French doors in the dining room to avoid guests or staff. Stopping at the door, die maid turned to her. "Can you make it from here?"
'Yes." Clarissa nodded. One of the advantages of the town house was that she knew her way around it and its grounds pretty well. She was certain she could make her way to the fountain without assistance.
"Good, then I shall wait here to sneak you back upstairs. It will give the two of you some privacy," Joan said. At the last moment she added, "Be careful."
"I will," Clarissa assured her, but could hear the frown in Joan's voice as the servant replied.
"Maybe I should come with you. You could—"
"No, no," Clarissa said quickly. "I shall be fine. And I will try to hurry."
"No, take your time. I do not want you rushing and hurting yourself," Joan insisted, then opened the door and urged her out.
Clarissa slid through the door and made her way quickly but carefully toward where she knew the path would be that led down to the clearing with the fountain. She found the path easily enough and hurried along, excited at the prospect of seeing Adrian. It seemed so long. Lydia had canceled all their outings this past week and had refused any and all visitors. No matter who approached, Ffoulkes had answered the door with the announcement that the ladies Crambray were not in to visitors. Clarissa wasn't sure if it was meant as a punishment, or intentionally to keep her from Adrian, but in the end the result was the same: she hadn't seen him in a week.
Clarissa had been surprised to find that Lydia refused even to see Lady Havard and Lady Achard . The three women had been inseparable before this. It was more suggestion that Lydia had been having an affair with Prudhomme as she'd suspected, and that she was now refusing to see any of them out of humiliation.
Clarissa saw the blurry shape of the fountain ahead, and picked up speed in her eagerness to reach it and see Adrian. And then ... crash. She didn't see the branch she ran into. Light exploded inside her head, along with pain, and Clarissa stumbled forward several feet and felt herself falling.
When next she opened her eyes, it was to an anxious voice calling her name over and over. It took a moment for her to realize it was Adrian. Blinking, Clarissa winced as pain made an appearance. It was no little headache type of pain either, but a serious hammering along the front of her forehead. Clarissa quickly closed her eyes again.
"Oh, thank God," Adrian murmured by her ear, and she thought she felt him press a kiss to her brow.
"Adrian?" She forced her eyes open again. His face was dark above her, but almost in focus for a change.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "When I found you in the fountain, I thought you were dead."
"In the fountain?" Clarissa asked with confusion, and frowned as she raised a hand to touch his face. Water dripped down her arm. "Why am I wet?"
'You were in the fountain," Adrian repeated— slowly, as if the reduced speed might make it easier for her to comprehend. He eased her to an almost upright position in his arms. "How are you? Are you seeing double or anything?"
"I do not think so." She forced herself to sit up fully and take her own weight, then peered around the darkness surrounding them. She could see enough to know they were right beside the fountain. Adrian was wet, too, and she supposed it had happened when he'd pulled her out.
She turned to peer at the fountain, knowing exactly how it looked despite her blindness. The edifice had stood as long as she could recall, it being her favorite spot as a child. It was huge around the base, but really quite shallow, with perhaps a foot and a half to two feet of water. Enough to
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