Clarissa and Peter, despite their differences and self assured proclamations that they’re both better off being in the romantic relationships they are now, then if they have gotten together, have cared deeply for one another for decades. Peter’s every thought and conversation leads back to only Clarissa. He compares every relationship he has to her and is consumed by his feelings for her, but those feelings don’t seem to be real love. It is a nostalgic sentiment of his youth, a time where adulthood felt so far off in the future, when he could afford to be carefree and imprudent. Now as a grown man, Peter aches for that time in his life which he associates with the girl he loved back then. Clarissa also doesn’t love Peter in the traditional sense of the word. It’s hard to link Clarissa with any real romantic involvement at all really. Her relationship with Sally was more entwined with the urge to feel a sense of freedom and self identity. She loved the person she was when she was with her. Her relationship with Peter is also related to her attachment to her youth. Even though Richard has now proven himself to be an underwhelming choice for a life partner, Clarissa still believes she made the right choice by not marrying the intense and impulsive Peter. She may have had feelings for Richard back in the day, but now that their marriage is failing and they are sleeping in two different beds, there is no love in that relationship either. 

She never talks about pure, romantic love in relation to a person, for her the feelings of love and true affection are explored and exhibited via inanimate objects. She loves Big Ben and its loud, musical strikes, as well as taking long walks around Bond Street and simply living and being free. (“I love walking in London” p. 5) She loves observing the buzz of the city after the war, watching it spring back to life, people watching and visiting shops. “For Heaven only knows why one loves it so… she felt positive, by Acts of Parliament for the very reason: they love life” (p. 4). It is hinted that Richard cheats on his wife, but Clarissa still stays with him due to a sense of marital obligation, which is a big difference if compared to Ida from What Maisie Knew, who was dubbed a modern woman for her decision to divorce her husband.