Masquerade ✔

Chapter 27

Clara walked through the halls to the back of the airship. The noise of the ball grew fainter and Clara felt she could finally breathe properly again. She fanned herself as the air grew cooler.

Her feet took her down the same hall that she and Harrison walked down the night of the first ball. Attempting to delay her return as much as possible, she spent time actually examining the art pieces that lined the walls. In her opinion, with the exception of a few, none of them were particularly attractive.

Finally, Clara reached the end of the hallway with the small door leading to the outside platform. She leaned against the wall and sank down to the floor.

She didn't know why seeing them kiss hit her so hard. After all, when it came to marriage, intimacy was usually part of the deal. But actually seeing it just made so many parts of her, some selfish and some not, realize how wrong it was.

She pitied herself, she pitied Harrison, she pitied Araminta and Lucretia. Clara shook her head. Lucretia. She was glad the other woman left the ball when she did. If Clara felt slightly ill from the public display of affection, she could only imagine how Lucretia might feel.

Despite the empty room and significantly less stuffy air, Clara still felt like she needed more space. She got up and, after hesitating for a moment, grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. She stepped out onto the platform and into the night breeze.

She still didn't want to get too close to the edge, but leaning against the side of the ship, her head back and eyes closed, was refreshing enough. Her hair blew with the wind and she breathed in deeply. The last time she had outdoor air this clean was when she was up here with Harrison.

Clara glanced up at the sky. She thought of the music room. Part of her avoided going up there at night because she hoped she would have a chance to do so with Harrison. But now that would be entirely inappropriate.

"I didn't expect to see you here."

Clara almost screamed and jumped about a foot in the air when she heard Harrison's voice. He held out a hand and took a step back, but was also suppressing a smile. "Woah, there, I'm sorry I scared you."

"No, no, it's alright," Clara said hurriedly. "I don't want to disturb you, I'll go." She turned toward the door.

"Clara." Harrison rested his hand on her arm. "It's alright. You're not disturbing me at all."
Clara didn't know if she should stay or go. On one hand, she wanted to spend time with him against her better judgement. On the other hand, she knew if they were caught out here together, many questions would be raised.

"Clara, please stay."

Those three words were all it took. She slowly turned back around and retook her spot, leaning against the side of the ship. Harrison looked visibly relieved. "I suppose a few more minutes won't hurt," she said. "But I suppose the real question is, what are you doing out here? It is your engagement ball."

"I suppose it is." Harrison had turned away from her, leaning on the railing, so she couldn't see his face. "Lady Araminta went to go freshen up and collect herself. I decided to do the same."

"Oh, I hope she doesn't need me," Clara said, suddenly worried that she abandoned her mistress when she needed her the most.

"I wouldn't worry," Harrison said. "I honestly think she just needed a moment to herself."
"Something you can understand, yes?"

Harrison nodded. He turned back around. "But, in my opinion, the actual real question is, how do you know about this place?"

Right. Clara wasn't ever supposed to have been out here before. "I was just walking through the hallway," she said. "I remember it from the tour you gave us when we stayed here for the week. I saw the door and was curious and when I opened it, I figured it would be a nice place to get some fresh air."