Jack just snorted and then pressed his fingers across his heart, closing his eyes.
Sam frowned at him. “What in the hell are you doing?
Jack opened his eyes back up and said, “Thanking Maggie for allowing me the honor of smacking some sense into you.”
Sam tilted his head back and laughed.
~
Clara sat with Diana, holding baby Robert. “He is the best baby,” she said beaming at her proud sister.
Diana smiled back at her and giggled. “I agree.”
Diana had bounced back from her labor and refused to stay in bed even though Hensley worried about every move she made. She finally had to bring the doctor in and have him tell Hensley it was good for Diana to be up and walking around. Her sister had always been beautiful, but motherhood had made her even more so. A tiny bit of envy bloomed in Clara’s heart over Diana’s happiness, and she quickly pushed it away. It wasn’t her sister’s fault her marriage was a mess.
Diana frowned at her, “We have loved having you here, but I worry we are keeping you away from your husband.”
Clara flushed. She knew Sam had spoken to Hensley and there wasn’t much Hensley didn’t share with Diana.
“Is everything okay?” Diana asked. “You seemed so happy when he came back. What’s happened since then?”
Clara took a moment to gather her thoughts by smiling down at Robert. He had fallen asleep in her arms, and she rose to place him in the cradle next to Diana. She sat down and said, “I don’t know. There are so many rumors about him with other ladies.”
Diana looked at her incredulously. “You can’t think he would ever betray you. Clara, he has eyes for only you.”
Had she overreacted? Clara sighed. “The papers and Mother have suggested a side of him that may indicate otherwise.”
“You can’t listen to anything Mother says. She takes the tiniest amount of truth and twists it in the worst way. Please tell me you have not let her comments get to you. You of all people know better, Clara.”
Clara flushed, knowing Diana’s words were true. Was she letting her mother get to her?
“Have you spoken to Sam about your concerns?”
“I have been my usual waspish self,” Clara said.
She had done what she always did when she didn’t know how to deal with a problem. She froze him out and didn’t give him a chance to explain.
Diana frowned at her. “Do not let Mother ruin your chances of happiness.”
Had she done that? But it wasn’t just her mother. The scandal sheets also had hinted at liaisons. “It isn’t just Mother. The papers have been insinuating—”
“The papers are the worst and sometimes it is people like Mother providing the tidbits of facts. Please tell me you are not on the verge of destroying your marriage over Mother and gossip.”
Embarrassment rushed through her. That is exactly what she had done. Instead of giving him the benefit of the doubt, she’d frozen him out, justifying it by calling him overly friendly. In truth, she worried she wasn’t enough for him, that someone as jovial as Sam would eventually tire of her.
“He purchased Father’s debt. It seems so unseemly.”
Diana sighed. “He made the right decision. Hensley also gave them money to pay off their debt, and it was all lost in a matter of weeks. He eventually confronted them about their spending, and they laughed it off. After that, Hensley refused to help them anymore, which I agreed with. I wish Hensley would have purchased their debt instead of paying it off. As unseemly as it is, Sam holding their debt was the only way they would have ever allowed you to see Henry.”
“You never mentioned their debt before,” Clara said.
Diana frowned. “I didn’t want you to worry.”
Clara twisted the folds of her skirt, feeling sick. Her mother had insinuated Sam’s actions were driven by a need to further himself among the ton. How had Clara been so foolish to believe her? She had been trying to drive them apart. Clara shook her head. “What have I done?”
Diana moved to sit next to her and clasped her hands. “Do not let Mother destroy your happiness. Promise me. She and father have done so much harm to us. Seize the life you have with Sam.”
Clara's eyes filled with tears. Did they still have a chance? “I have been awful.”
