I was sitting in the back seat of the car that the duke had arranged to take me back to London. I looked down as the tears dripped off my face and onto the front of my dress. Why did I feel like I had left my heart behind at Elstree? Probably....because I had.
My chest ached, almost as if someone had placed an anvil on top of it. I struggled to take a deep breath as I recalled the final moment between myself and the duke. The look of dejection on his face is one I will never forget. By saying all of the things I knew he needed to hear in order to let me go, I had hurt him badly. I realize that now. Sadly, it seemed like the only thing to do at the time.
At least I had achieved what I had set out to do, make things easier for the duke to choose Clara. Which now he could, without having
