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He told her it was well deserved, and Clara looked down for a moment, smiling at the praise; enjoying hearing it. It was just as she looked up that she noticed he smiled slightly too at the following idea. "That was not a challenge, Mr. Slade!" She softly, and pretendedly, chastised him for pretending to try harder to spoil his daughter. Though the laugh in her tone made it clear she understood hew as not serious.

Then the conversation shifted to something a little different. "You want to be." She corrected, when he said he must be. If it was as simple as must, then the world would have better fathers all around. While many were amazing fathers, there were also many whom were not. "If it was as simple as must be, then we would see more fathers doing so." Maybe that was what made the three of them work so well. They all wanted to be here, rather than had to be here. It was a nice thought.

Yes, yes the goat did indeed like everything. As she had warned, there had been a time or two that Sir Gilly had found something very expensive to eat. None of that seemed to be held against him though, as Sir Gilly was still a loved member of the household. "Then I hope he enjoys the biscuits and not the blanket." She joked with Lina, noticing her pretending to drink the tea. "Though I dare say he has not tried to eat our picnic blankets in quite some time. You must be doing a very good job of training him."

Or more likely the goat was getting enough food else where, though it mattered little. Clara was still proud of how Lina took care of her friend. Lina asked what her favorite food was, and Clara paused to realize--she did not know. Clara did not over enjoy sweet things, so the normal foods that were popular favorites were not overly in her diet. "Do you know, Lina, I do not believe i have ever thought about it." She admitted. "Though I think tea might be close."

A hey cake indeed! How practical of them to have a hay cake. Clara smiled as Evelina thought of cakes for everyone to be fair. She was was never limited to a budget with Lina, but she attempted to not over spend, making sure that the girl learned to balance the idea of money with her wants--however cakes could easily be added. "I do not recall turning one. I do remember turning 20." She said the number with a bit of a tone that hinting turning 20 was a big event, and for a child as young as Lina--it was. "Do you remember turning one?"

"You made a very lovely sounding tune," Clara admitted while they waited by the door for a short moment before it opened. Smiling in greeting to the servant, who was hired thanks to Clara sending part of her wadges, and thanks to less people here to care for. Once the door was shut, Clara removed her gloves, and hat pin, so she could hand over her things for safe keeping until time to leave.

After being shown to the sitting room, to wait the others, Clara took a seat on the couch, and smoothed her dress out. "Would you like any tea or biscuits before playing in the garden?" She asked, knowing her mother and the children would be down with in moments of finding out they were here.

Yes, she had believed, foolishly, that this day would not come. That this could be her family. "You have never spoken of wishing for a wife. I am only surprised to find you have been thinking of one." Despite this words of wishing for one his daughter, a mother was almost a wife. A wife who shared his life, and more.

She glanced toward the door, wishing to escape from the thoughts, but knowing that she could not walk away from the emotions as easy as she could walk out of the room. "I wish you all the luck in your hunt, Mr. Slade." She told him softly, knowing it was all she could do. And that these personal conversations would need to grow less and less. For her her sake, and his w-wifes.

Pushing to stand up, she step closer to where he sat and--even knowing that he did not like to be touched--rested her finders on his shelve so he would know she was still there for him. "You deserve to be happy. Just as Lina does." Moving her hand back she looked down at him, and cleared her voice with a slight sound. "I should be off to bed. No doubt Lina will be a bundle of chaos after hearing the news on the morrow."

What troubled her? It was a reminder that she was letting her personal feelings invade. Her mother, who had raised her to be proper in everything she did would be horrified. Yet she realized with his words of concern for her what her feelings were. Why they hurt, and felt sharp in her belly, and chest. Why it felt as if she had been falling without sight of anything to catch her. Why the idea of a mother for the child she loved, and a wife for him hurt so very much. Why she felt like crying, despite the ability to hold her inside.

And she realized the fruitlessness of such emotions.

Her tongue wet her very dry lips, and she lifted her chin slightly. Not enough to appear arrogant but to look at him evenly, as she had done before his deceleration of a wife. "Forgive me for for appearing troubled, I was simply caught unaware. You must admit this was a surprise." She excused, knowing it was not the truth, and knowing she was now telling an half lie. She had not been 'simply' caught unaware. There was, after all, nothing simple about only realizing you were falling in love, the moment your heart was broken.

In need of a mother. For his daughter. If his first words of a wife had not felt as if there was something digging into her body, these words drove it home. She could feel the tingle at the tip of her nose, and she slowly pulled in a deep breath to prevent the display of emotion that she knew was just below the surface.

She felt caught unaware, and in a way . . . in a way a little betrayed. Not that she could place any blame on him, for he had not given her any reason to feel this way, and yet . . . and yet she felt as if he had been the one to pull the rug that was not causing her this uncomfortable falling feeling. Sinking.

She had almost made them a family in her mind. Placed herself as Lina's mother. Now she was felt foolish, hurt, and sad. A sad she had not felt the deeps of before. "Might I---" Deep breath, "Might I ask what has brought on such a want?"