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“Has she any suitors?”

“Not yet, although I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. She has danced with some men, and enjoyed conversations with others. However, she is a discerning sort and is waiting for someone to properly inspire her.”

“I see. I hope that her season unfolds better than mine did.”

“Surely it could not have been that terrible?”

“It was not terrible; it was just… not what I expected.”

“How so?” Gerald asked. They stepped a few times before Clara spoke.

“Part of it was my own fault. I had been thinking about my debut for many years, and nothing could ever bear that weight of expectation. Grandmother had been telling me stories of her season ever since I was a girl, and I had seen my Aunt Lydia enjoy her debut. I was filled with ideas of glamor, and everyone told me that I would be the diamond of the season.”

“Were you not?”

Clara offered a wry smile. “I was, but not in the way I thought. I was overshadowed by my family. People were interested in using me as a key to unlock their way into my family’s confidence. They either wanted to speak to my Aunt Charlotte about her books, or they hoped to be invited to play cards with Uncle Edmund at his club, or they wished to be invited to Aunt Lydia’s infamous book club, which has been kept purposefully intimate. Nobody ever seemed to be interested in me on my own merits.”

“I see. I’m sorry that happened.”

“I have made my peace with it by now. It showed me that it was unwise to get my hopes up, and that I should accept things as they are, not as I wish them to be. It helped me decide that I wanted to do something more meaningful with my time, and it’s why I increased the time I spent at St. Margaret’s.”

“Then the children are all the better for it.”

“That’s what I like to think. And yourself? You must have spent some time in the ton when you came of age, or did you always keep your distance?”

“Although I attended balls, it was due to expectation rather than desire. When my father died, I had too many responsibilities to think about anything else. The ton seemed so… empty. Everyone there was happy, acting as though they did not have a care in the world. I could not join them. Sorrow shaded my heart, and so I kept to the shadows until eventually I stopped attending completely. I can’t say that I was missed. It was only when Eleanor came of age that I escorted her, and suddenly everyone treated me as though I was an old friend and that it was a great shame that I had been absent for so many years.”

“Their feelings may be genuine.”

“No,” Gerald sighed, shaking his head. “There happens to be a certain mystique that has arisen around me, and I believe some women think it is a challenge to become my wife.”

“There are certainly challenging aspects about it,” Clara said. She spoke so quickly, and her tone was so subtle that Gerald didn’t realize she was teasing him until he saw the gentle twist of her lips and the shine in her eyes. He smirked in response.

“I have never pretended to be an easy man.”

“And yet you find pretending to be easy.”

“Perhaps it is my co-conspirator who makes it easy.”

“Now you are teasing me again. I cannot believe any compliment you pay me, Gerald.”

“You should believe everything I tell you. I’m not lying to you, only to them,” he jerked his head in the direction of the crowd, which was getting farther and farther away. The path was lined with trees, and the hedge maze loomed before them. A couple walking hand in hand were giggling together, relieved looks on their faces as they stumbled out of the exit of the maze.

“Would you care to try the maze?” Gerald asked, gesturing to the entrance with his hand.

“I believe it would be a great affront to Lord Winthorpe if we did not. It seemed to be a great source of pride for him.”

“I believe he loves it more than his own children,” Gerald said, and they both chuckled at this. They stepped into the shadows of the maze. The dense hedges rose to about ten feet, obscuring them from the outside world. The dutiful maid followed behind. Gerald and Clara made sharp turns around the winding maze until they came to a point where the path diverged. Gerald went in one direction, while Clara went in the other. They paused and stared at each other.

“We should go this way,” they said simultaneously, then their heads sank, and they sighed.

“This way will lead us in the direction of the exit,” Gerald said.

“No, you only believe that because you didn’t take into account all of the bends. We doubled back on ourselves, so we need to go this way,” Clara said.

“I believe you’re mistaken.”

“Then we are at an impasse,” Clara said. “Perhaps we should go our separate ways and see who emerges from the maze first.”