Chapter 254

Padgett made sure Claire sat right next to him on his left, offering her the spot that used to belong to Norris. Norris didn’t mind at all. It was important to them that Claire felt welcomed and valued.

No one made a big fuss or hovered over her. They just let Claire eat her meal at her own pace, which actually helped her feel more comfortable.

After dinner, Dane headed home with the snow lotus in hand. When Baldrick saw the rare flower, he finally relaxed. He had been half-worried that Padgett would change his mind at the last minute. That snow lotus was hard to come by, and Padgett had bragged about it more than once.

“I ran into Claire at the Churchill house,” Dane said as he put the bottle of snow lotus liquor down.

“Ran into who… wait, did I hear that right? Who did you say?” Baldrick thought maybe his ears were playing tricks on him.

“Claire,” Dane repeated, a bit exasperated.

“Claire? Why would she be at the Churchills’? Is Padgett sick too? Did someone ask Claire to treat him?” Baldrick couldn’t help but eye Dane suspiciously. Who even knew Claire could practice medicine?

Dane could tell exactly what his grandfather was thinking. “Grandpa, you’re overthinking it. She wasn’t there for Padgett’s health p>

“Then what was she doing there?” Baldrick still didn’t get it.

“She’s Melissa’s daughter,” Dane said, just laying it out there.

Baldrick choked on his tea, spraying it everywhere. “What did you just say p>

Dane took a cautious step back to avoid the mess. “You heard me. I don’t need to repeat it p>

Baldrick shook his head, still in shock. “No, I must have heard you wrong. You’re saying Claire is Melissa’s daughter p>

“Yeah.” Dane honestly didn’t know why Baldrick was so surprised. Melissa had broken off her engagement with Ablett a long time ago, married someone else, and had a daughter. What was so strange about that?

“So that means Claire is your fiancée!” The words just slipped out of Baldrick’s mouth.

It was Dane’s turn to be caught off guard. He narrowed his eyes. “Grandpa, since when did I get a fiancée? How come I’m just hearing about this p>

“We’ve talked about this before. When Ablett and Melissa’s engagement fell apart, the promise was supposed to move down to the next generation. But the Churchills only had sons, no daughters, so we never brought it up again. Now that has a daughter, it’s only natural for you two to pick up where

Meliss

things left off p>

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Baldrick had always liked Claire. He’d actually thought about this before—if Melissa ever had a daughter and brought her back to town, maybe the families could reconnect through marriage Still he’d never pushed Dane and Claire together. Claire was a few years younger, and he didn’t want Pandora accusing Dane of robbing the cradle.

Pandora’s sharp tongue could cut through steel. No matter how close you were, if you got on her bad side, you were in for a rough time. Only in the last few years had she finally mellowed out.

“This is perfect. Claire’s family now. I don’t have to be jealous of Pandora anymore,” Baldrick said, looking pleased with himself.

Dane thought back to the way the Churchill family acted earlier. They hadn’t said a single word about any

engagement between him and ne

Claire Clearly, this whole idea existed only in Baldrick’s head. But he decided not to burst his

grandfather’s bubble.

Baldrick caught on quickly. “You were there today. Did Padgett say anything about

it p>

Dane just looked at him, staying silent.

Baldrick understood right away.