Page 71 of The Viscount of Shadows

“I do as well. We are having a small dinner party tomorrow night. We would like for you to attend. Eleanora and Christian, Asher and Charity, Gideon’s Aunt Mirella, and Gideon’s good friend, Brandon Knight, who is in London temporarily on business. Brandon, his wife, Angeline, and his stepson, the young Earl of Oakby, plan to return to England sometime in the next fifteen months. Before you object, I have the perfect gown for you to wear. I wish to give it to you. The coloring never complimented my hair shade. It is gold, with lots of lace and silk.”

A dinner party. Hell’s bells.

Her first instinct was to say no, stay in her room, read a book, and shut herself off from any social situation. But Claudia was slowly realizing that interacting with people was not something she should or could avoid. Everyone had been so kind and giving, from those at The Velvet Vine to the ladies at the Galway Agency, to Olivia and Gideon and the rest of The Rakes.

But how does she take those baby steps toward Oliver? It was too big of a leap, the emotions much more intense, the risk too great.

Or was it?

Claudia rubbed her forehead to stem the annoying flash of pain behind her left eye.

Olivia sat next to her on the settee. “Oh, my dear. I understand your inward struggle. Our little dinner party is a first step out into the world—a chance to try and place your past behind you enough that the only way is forward. But I do not wish to force you. Just say the word, and I will cross you off the guest list.”

Claudia sighed. “It would be easy to stay in my room.”

“Very easy. I did it for years, never venturing out much in public. But you couldn’t stay hidden away. You had to protect your girls. I admire you so much for doing that. And you cared and protected your dear mother as well. Oh, you have feelings, Claudia. And your instincts are correct. Once you landed at The Velvet Vine, you could have done the same as me—hiding away in your room. But you didn’t. You grabbed the opportunity with both hands and accepted the job with the Galways. Good for you.”

Claudia nodded as she wiped a wayward tear from her cheek. “And now?”

“You seize even more opportunities. Friendship with me and the ladies within The Rakes and at the Galway Agency. Family, with me and Gideon. But most importantly, love. Or the possibility of it—with Oliver Wollstonecraft. He is a fine, honorable man and devilishly handsome to boot. I do not know all the particulars of how you both came to be injured, and I know you must keep confidence when dealing with an investigative case. But you care for him. You admitted as much yesterday.” Olivia took her hand and squeezed it assuredly.

“Perhaps I more than care. I may be falling in—hell’s bells, I cannot even say the word. It is so much more than his looks. It is his outward confidence, his desire to help others, how he embraces and acknowledges his emotions and speaks his mind—at least to me. He loves his family and friends. He took in a stray cat, can you imagine? No man should be so perfect.”

Olivia laughed, then sobered. “I assure you he is not perfect. No one is. But the fact you see him in this light shows you are definitely falling for him. There is nothing like it,” Olivia said dreamily. “To find one’s soul mate. To be friends as well as lovers, sharing everything. And it doesn’t happen to everyone. There are many lonely people in the world—and alone.”

That was true. Everything Olivia said made perfect sense. “Oliver said he sometimes felt lonely, even with his huge family and circle of friends. He said a doctor told him that feeling that way is caused by a fear of intimacy. And tragedy, although I don’t believe that aspect relates to him.”

Olivia nodded. “Yes, it is true what the doctor said. Even the most confident of people can have doubts and fears. Oliver admitted this to you?”

“We shared quite a lot when we were alone.”

“Yes, that is the beginning of building a relationship. Trust and sharing your past.”

“It is, and I am so glad I shared it with you as well,” Claudia said softly as she squeezed Olivia’s hand. “And I will attend your dinner party. Let’s try on the dress.”

Olivia squealed and jumped to her feet. “I hoped you would agree. I have it laid out on my bed. Come, let’s have a look before the tea tray arrives.”

As they dashed toward Olivia’s room, hand in hand, laughing and talking, a pang of emotion wrapped around Claudia’s heart. She had missed this since her mother died, not that they had much to laugh and smile about those last few years. The friendship, the joy of sharing secrets. Actually smiling—and meaning it.

If telling Oliver about her past lifted a weight from her shoulders, then confiding with Olivia removed most of the remaining burden.

Claudia felt lighter. And perhaps, at last, ready to move forward with her life on all fronts.