Page 6 of Courting Claudia
Splendid.
“No, thank you, Mother,” Poppy said.
Poppy would probably be suspicious if Claudia went with the other ladies to the refreshments. Deep breaths, that’s all she needed. She inhaled; the sweet, tangy scent of roses filled her nose. Claudia watched the three women walk away. She bit the inside of her lip.
“Now that we’ve successfully rid ourselves of company, tell me what happened,” Poppy said.
She just needed to remain calm. She wasn’t a silly young chit; surely she could mention the man without salivating on herself.
“I met with Mr. Middleton and resigned. He was courteous and didn’t toss me out on my ear—just as you said. So now I am officially unemployed.”
“And?”
“He didn’t know that I was a woman and admitted that he probably wouldn’t have hired me had he known. But he did say that my illustrations had contributed to the success of the paper in Society.”
“How did he react to your resignation?”
“He wasn’t pleased. Offered me more money.” So far, so good.
Just then lords Chester and Brookfield and Mr. Collinsworth appeared to secure dances from Poppy.
She handed them her dance card, then whispered, “How much more?”
“He told me to name my price.”
Poppy’s green eyes widened. “Honestly?” she asked through her teeth, all the while smiling prettily for her admirers. “So what did you do?”
Claudia waited until the men left. “I told him the truth. That it wasn’t about money—that I had to resign so that I could marry.”
“I see.”
“I agreed to complete my latest assignment, and then my resignation will be official.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound horrible,” Poppy said.
Claudia eyed her best friend, who appeared to be carefully considering their discussion. She hadn’t said anything else; perhaps her interrogation about Mr. Middleton was over.
“What of Mr. Middleton himself? What was he like? Dashing as all the rumors I’ve heard?”
Perhaps not. She took a deep breath. “He was handsome.” She shrugged and tried to look indifferent.
Poppy’s eyebrows raised.
“If you like that type of man,” Claudia quickly added.
“What type of man?”
“He’s not very polished.” She scrunched her face. “He’s wild—admitted it himself.”
Poppy narrowed her eyes. “So what you’re saying is that he’s not the type of man you find attractive.”
“Correct.” She nodded once for emphasis.
“And what type of man do you find attractive? Richard?”
Richard was kind, the perfect gentleman. But was she attracted to Richard? No, not especially. She supposed he was nice to look upon, but he wasn’t precisely handsome. His features weren’t sharp and defined; they were softer, gentler.
At least, her heart never raced around him. And her hands never itched with sweat. She’d never been particularly fascinated by his mouth. All things she’d experienced yesterday with Mr. Middleton. “Richard is lovely,” she finally said.