Page 37 of The Marquess Match (Love’s a Game #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

E verything was a blur.

The moment the rumors started, whispers swept through the ballroom like wildfire. At some point, Meredith grabbed Clare by the wrist and all but dragged her out. Griffin had been close behind, throwing a sharp glare at anyone who dared to stare too long.

Meredith hadn’t allowed Ash to travel with them. She needed time to speak with Clare, she told him. Alone .

Now, in the dim candlelight of the carriage, Clare sat frozen, her pulse still pounding from the sheer madness of what had just happened.

She had done it.

She had ruined herself. Again .

But this time, it wasn’t with some worthless rake who had discarded her like an afterthought.

This time, it was with Ash.

And there was no regret.

But she’d never seen Meredith so flustered.

“What were you thinking?” Meredith asked, her pale palms pressed to her flushed cheeks.

Clare let out a harsh breath, smoothing her temples with her fingers. “I wasn’t exactly thinking.”

“Don’t worry,” Meredith said, reaching over to squeeze Clare’s cold hand. “We’ll handle this. We’ll figure something out. We’ll?—”

Griffin, seated across from them, blew out a deep breath. “Will we?” He sounded skeptical.

Meredith shot him a glare. “ Not helping.”

Clare barely heard them.

Her mind was already racing ahead.

Her mother.

Her mother was going to lose her mind .

If Mama had been furious over Marsden, this would send her straight into hysterics. She had always threatened to send Clare away, to lock her in a convent where she couldn’t embarrass the family name any further.

And this?

This was enough to have her packed off to the nuns before breakfast .

Unless…

Her heart began to hammer. Unless she left first . She could still sneak off to Paris. Slip away tonight while Mama was sleeping. With Meredith and Griffin’s help this time.

Clare lifted her chin. “I need to leave.”

Meredith’s brows snapped together. “What?”

“I need to leave London,” she said, her voice steadier now. “Before Mama discovers what happened.”

Meredith’s eyes widened. “ What ? Clare, you can’t just?—”

“I can,” she cut in, nodding. “And I will.”

Griffin studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “Is that what you want , Clare?”

She knew he wasn’t just asking about her decision—he was asking about Ash. If she wanted to stay for him. But her feelings hadn’t changed. Yes, she had saved Ash from Lady Julia, but that didn’t mean she intended to marry him.

She hadn’t wanted to marry him out of pity. She certainly wasn’t about to do so now out of obligation .

Clare met Griffin’s gaze, her own steady and unwavering. “Yes. It’s what I want.”

Meredith shook her head. “But I don’t understand. Where will you go?”

Clare took a slow breath, forcing down the nerves threatening to strangle her. “Paris.”

She was going to Paris.

And she wasn’t coming back.