She did understand. She always understood, didn’t she? But it didn’t make any of this easier to bear. “Seger, I want your trust and support. I did nothing wrong.”
“But you of all people should know how difficult it is to trust your spouse completely, when there are questions.”
Clara shifted uncomfortably. She supposed she deserved that. All she’d done was point her finger at her husband and assign blame, make him feel that he was never giving quite enough, without thinking about how it must have madehimfeel. No wonder he had not been able to hand over his heart to her. He felt she had no confidence in him. He didn’t believe that he had her trust.
“Take me with you,” she said.
He shook his head. “No.”
“Please, Seger. I’ll stay in the coach. I need to know who sent this, too, and I deserve a chance to defend myself if need be.”
He considered it a moment, then finally agreed. “All right, but I don’t want you to show your face. For all I know, this person might be dangerous.”
The Rawdon coach clattered over cobblestones at precisely ten a.m., causing a flock of sparrows to flutter noisily from the treetops over Marble Arch.
Clara sat across from Seger in the coach, feeling sick to her stomach, while her husband appeared completely in control. The vehicle came to a slow halt, and Seger reached for his hat.
“You’ll be careful?” Clara said, touching his arm.
“Of course.” He settled his hat on his head and leaned to open the curtain with one finger. His eyes searched the area, then fixed on something or someone.
“What is it?” Clara asked.
She pushed her own curtain aside as well and peered out.
A woman stood under the arch.
Clara glanced back at Seger. He was still staring at the woman, then he let the curtain fall closed and sat back. He gazed with a frown at Clara’s knees.
“What is it? Do you know who she is?”
All the color had drained from his face. He was as white as a sheet.
“Who is it, Seger? What’s the matter?”
Finally, his eyes lifted. They were deathlike. “It’s Daphne.”
Chapter 22
Dear Clara,
My lovely English governess gave her notice the other day and has now left us for another situation. I am extremely disappointed as I liked her very much. In many ways, she reminded me of you....
Adele
Clara stared numbly at herhusband, who sat unmoving across from her in the coach, his hands clasped together in front of him.
The whole world seemed to shift beneath her. All she could do was stare at him, waiting for a response.
A few seconds passed—seconds that seemed more like hours—then he peered out the window again, as if to ascertain that he had not imagined what he saw.
Clara slid across to the other side to sit next to him. “Are you sure it’s her?”
“Yes.” He covered his face with his hands.“My God.She’s alive.” He swept his hat off his head and raked his fingers through his hair.
Clara’s stomach pitched and rolled. What would this mean for them?
They sat stiffly in the coach until Seger finally met her gaze and stared at her with uncertainty. A vein pulsed at his temple. After a moment, he moved to exit the coach.
