And Gemma truly was the perfect wife for him. She, too, was a healer. She had studied herbs and their remedies. She had taken over The Garland from the Logical Men’s Society and made it into a tea garden that everyone in the village enjoyed.
She’d also been a good friend to Clarissa before she fell in love with Ned.
No one asked questions about the quickness of Clarissa’s marriage to Mars... but then he surprised her by sharing with his friends the story of Dora.
“You? With a child?” Brandon said.
“He runs from our Anne,” Kate confided to the others.
Mars discounted their grievances. Choosing instead to talk of Dora and how she was either happily babbling or gnawing on anything like a dog with a bone, including his fingers.
“Does this mean we should have Nurse bring Anne down for you to pay your respects?” Brandon teased.
“When I first met Anne, I didn’t know what to do with a baby,” Mars claimed. “I’ve changed. Here, fetch her and I shall hold her on my knee. I’ve had much experience, including wet clouts.”
“Is that true, Clarissa?” Brandon asked in disbelief.
“He is a remarkable father.” Her answer impressed everyone. Mars reached over andcovered her hand in her lap with his own as if he appreciated her support. It was a small gesture, the sort of thing a true husband would do when he was pleased with his wife. A wife he liked.
“Well, I wish we could test this new version of our friend the earl,” Kate answered. “Unfortunately, Anne is asleep. She is the perfect baby. She is in her bed early and sleeps soundly. Of course, she is up very early as well.”
“Fortunately, Nurse and I are early risers,” Brandon said. “I do my best work then. Nurse will bring her to me and we enjoy our breakfast together.”
“So you aren’t an early riser?” Clarissa surmised, looking to Kate, who shook her head vigorously, mouthing the wordNo.
The time had come for them to withdraw from the table and head to the theater. They crowded into the Marsden coach. Clarissa enjoyed being included in this group.
And she felt as if her place was at Mars’s side. She didn’t hesitate to slip her arm in his and let him escort her. A time or two, he had referred to her as “Rissa.” She liked the name because he was the only one who used it.
A huge crowd milled outside the theater. Clarissa clung to Mars’s arm as he worked his way through the press of people. If she had been alone, she would have been lost. Instead, she leaned on him and he was there to guide her. She didn’t let go of him when they reached the private box. He moved his chair closer to hers and she held his hand resting on his leg.
The play was all she could have wished. It was bigger and finer than one of Kate’s productions in Maidenshop. Clarissa lost herself in the story of ancient Egypt and was frustrated when they paused for intermission.
Mars suggested they fetch refreshments for the ladies. The men rose, promising to return.
“They are pleased to see each other,” Kate observed. “And we are all happy you and Mars have joined us in London, Clarissa. I don’t know how you convinced him to come here. Lately, he has been set against visiting the city.”
Before Kate could say more, a well-dressed woman wearing diamonds and ostrich feathers entered their box calling her name. Kate jumped to her feet to greet her warmly. She introduced her friend as Mrs. Bennington, “a wonderful patroness of the arts,” before the two of them escaped to a corner of the box where they might have more privacy.
That left Gemma and Clarissa alone.
They sat for a moment. It was awkward, and then Clarissa realized she didn’t want it to be.
She turned to speak just as Gemma leaned close. “Is that man in the box across from us staring? I think he is looking at you. I mean, I don’t want to alarm you but, his manner is, well, uncomfortable and quite rude.”
Clarissa glanced to look in the direction Gemma indicated. A man of some fifty years of age or more was literally gawking at her. He had iron gray, short-cropped hair and a lean, athletic build. He’d even put a glass up to his eye to ogle her better.
Something about the man disturbed her. Clarissa almost found it hard to breathe and not in a good way. She didn’t understand her reaction or why he displayed such outwardly poor manners.
“You’ve made a conquest,” Gemma said.
“Not by choice. Anyway, perhaps he is interested in you.”
“Oh, no, he is definitely eyeing you.”
“Let us go out into the hall,” Clarissa suggested, wanting to escape. “That way, Kate and Mrs. Bennington can have a bit of privacy.” The two signaled to Kate where they were going and made their way out of the box. Right before they left, Clarissa cast a look over her shoulder. The man was no longer across the theater from them.
Perhaps it had been their imaginations?
