Clarissa felt no triumph in that.
Only distance.
A chapter closing.
Arthur joined her backstage, looking proud enough to embarrass her.
“Ready?” he asked.
“No.”
He laughed softly. “Good. Only fools feel ready for important things.”
Before she could answer, Nathaniel appeared at the edge of the curtain.
He wore a black tuxedo and an expression that made Clarissa’s heart behave foolishly.
“You have a room full of people waiting to hear from you,” he said.
She exhaled. “That sounds terrifying.”
“It is,” he said. “But none of them are scarier than you.”
She laughed despite herself.
Nathaniel stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“There’s something I should tell you before you go out there.”
Clarissa lifted an eyebrow. “That sounds ominous.”
“It’s not.” He hesitated. “Three years ago, before you married Julian, your father asked me to meet you.”
Clarissa blinked. “What?”
Arthur suddenly found the ceiling fascinating.
