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In any case, I was just making a social call on a woman. Members of society did the same every day. I could tell her I was employed at the school and that Mrs. Atkinson had sent me to ensure the girls were settling in.

Yes, that would be the perfect excuse. Mrs. Beauchamp wouldn’t question it at all.

Chapter 30

GREYSON

I wasn’t foolish enough to believe Claire was being completely honest about her courses. As far as I knew, she hadn’t been taking any additional precautions to avoid pregnancy. There’d been no sponges soaked in vinegar, and I certainly hadn’t been using a French letter.

It wasn’t like me to be so careless. But the fact that she’d prevented me from offering to marry her had me on edge. We’d spent so much time together, but her only concern had been for me. Just like that morning when she’d stormed into King’s to save me from a forced marriage, she’d insisted all would be well. She hadn’t wanted me to make the offer to marry her.

If my carelessness led to her ruin, would I be able to walk away from her? Did I even want to? That was the question I was wrestling with now.

Logic told me that I needed to stop seeing Claire before I risked losing my head again. The longer our liaison lasted, the greater the chance she’d find herself carrying my child. But the damnable thing was that I didn’t want to stop seeing her.

In fact, I’d hated leaving her this morning before she woke up. When I rose from her bed, I’d told myself it was time to stop spending so much time with her. To that end, I’d left word that I wouldn’t be joining her for dinner tonight. But now, the rest of the day stretched before me, bleak and empty.

It was only midday, and I didn’t know how I was going to fill the remaining hours. It hadn’t helped that before leaving my house, where I’d returned for a change of clothes, my valet had asked after Miss Sullivan. The question had surprised me since he’d never met her.

He’d told me that my housekeeper had been impressed by her when they’d met to discuss hiring staff for Claire’s home. The housekeeper had asked my valet if he knew whether I planned to marry her. Annoyed, I’d told him it was none of their business.

But now, as I entered King’s, I realized that the club no longer felt like home. Instead, that honor belonged to Claire. It didn’t matter where that happened to be—home was being with her.

Cursing myself for being a fool, I turned around and left King’s again, waving distractedly at Fairfax, who had just noticed my entrance.

I needed to see Claire. I didn’t know what I was going to say to her, but one thing was true. She meant more to me than I’d realized, more than I’d thought possible. And I would do whatever it took to keep her.

Chapter 31

CLAIRE

The address led me to a large townhouse just outside of Mayfair. I took heart from the fact it was a large home with four floors and appeared to be well kept. Mrs. Beauchamp and her husband must be well off, indeed.

I hesitated for a moment, but I couldn’t ignore the instinct that was urging me to check on the girls myself. They’d had so many changes in their short lives, and if Mrs. Beauchamp didn’t mind, perhaps she might agree to allow me to visit them on occasion. I couldn’t forget the way they’d clung to me when they’d first arrived at the school and the way their little faces would light up with twin expressions of delight whenever they saw me. I couldn’t help worrying that all the progress they’d made might be erased after being sent off to yet another home.

I took a deep breath, told myself that it was completely normal for someone associated with the school to be calling to check in on the girls, and proceeded up the small set of stairs to the front door. I knocked and waited, my heart sounding loud in my ears. Within moments, the door was opened by a surprisingly muscular man who I presumed to be the butler.

He looked me up and down before raising a brow. “You don’t seem the normal sort, but madam might be able to do something with you.”

I was struck by the odd greeting. Perhaps I had the wrong address. “Is this the home of Mrs. Beauchamp?”

He frowned, clearly taken aback by my question. “Why are you here?”

I gave the man my most serene smile and tried to ignore the way my stomach was clenching now. Something was terribly wrong with this situation.

“I’m from the charity school. This morning, Mrs. Beauchamp adopted two young girls. I am calling to ensure they are settling in.” When he stared at me blankly, I continued. “It is a customary call whenever one of our children is placed in a new home.”

His mouth firmed and he nodded. “Come into the drawing room. Madam will want to see you.”

I thanked him and followed him into a large room that took up at least half of the main floor. To my surprise, the walls were a rich burgundy, and velvet drapes covered the front windows and the back wall.

A large candelabra hung from the center of the room, but the candles weren’t lit since it was still afternoon. A rather large number of burgundy armchairs were placed around the room, and the fireplace and mantel were trimmed with ornate gold. A pianoforte sat in the far corner.

My gaze swept over the room, cataloguing the contents with confusion. My senses now on high alert, I turned to face the butler. “Are Mrs. Beauchamp and the girls at home?”

He nodded. “Have a seat. Madam will definitely want to speak with you.”

Chapter 32