Completely clueless and befogged.
It pleased him that she cared not a whit for his status.
“You’ve called me meddlesome, an idiot, a nitwit, and countless other insults. You do realize I could have you banned from this exhibition hall for the rest of your life.” He wasn’t going to do it, of course. People who spoke honestly to him were rare and not to be lightly dismissed.
She appeared shocked. “But I am a scientist! Well, more of an amateur archeologist, to be precise. I know my ancient bones and the significance they represent. In fact, I have made some important finds and–”
He groaned.
Dear heaven, spare me.
A bluestocking.
She had the look of one, too. Atrocious clothes. Upswept curls that were more likely to have pencils stuck in them than pretty hair clips. Intelligent eyes.
Yes, he quite liked her eyes that were rather a remarkable shade of blue softened by swirls of gray that added a beautiful depth to them.
Her scent was that of chestnuts warmed on an open fire, rich and sweet when licked off the tongue, soft and delicious to the bite.
Not that he intended to bite into this bluestocking, but he would not mind nuzzling the slender curve of her neck.
“You would ban me from your exhibit hall for chasing a thief?” she asked in utter disbelief. “Where is the justice in that? Um…you do not strike me as an unreasonable fellow, Your Grace. Quite the opposite, your museum has been designed not only with great care and thought, but with obvious love of science. Particularly that of archeology. Your research library is far better than the public one in the Royal Society, and more than equal to their secret private library.”
He sighed and eased away, now settling his large frame in the chair beside hers. “It cannot be much of a secret if you are openly talking about it. Have you seen their private library?”
She nodded.
“Did you break into that, as well?”
She inhaled sharply. “I beg your pardon? I am not the thief here.”
“Is that so? The Royal Society Fellows never allow women inside their inner chambers. How did you get in?”
“The Duke of Lotheil gave me a private tour. He and I are kindred spirits when it comes to fossilized bones.”
He laughed again, for there was more to the remarkable Miss Adela Swift than met the eye. “You know Lotheil?”
She nodded. “I am very good friends with the Farthingale sisters. Lily Farthingale is married to the duke’s grandson. But I am closest to Laurel and Daisy, who are Lily’s sisters, and I am also well acquainted with Daisy’s sister-in-law, the former Miss Viola Ruskin. She recently married Viscount Ardley. It is through Viola that I met them all. Do you know their husbands?”
“Quite well. We fought together on the Continent against Napoleon’s forces.”
“You do have the look of a warrior,” she remarked. “You are awfully big for a duke.”
“I did not realize we came in regulated sizes.”
“I only meant that you do not look like a vain and pampered popinjay. Forgive me for knocking you over. I must have caught you completely unaware or else I would have bounced off you and gone flying. Please do not ban me from the Huntsford Academy. I shall be bereft if you do.”
He could have given the girl a hard time, but did not have the heart to do it. Her big eyes were shimmering and he feared she might start to cry. “You are not banned,” he said with a resigned sigh. “Do you wish for my help in bringing this Runyon fellow to task?”
“You would help me?” She stared at him in an obvious confusion mixed with a good dose of hopefulness. “Thank you. Yes, I would. Not only for my sake, but for yours. He also ran off with one of the Huntsford Academy’s rare books, although he will probably return it once he realizes what it is he has accidentally purloined. He is too much of a coward to ever dare take you on. But I am merely a woman and not likely to be believed or listened to, so he will walk all over me.”
“No, he won’t. I will not let him.” If this girl was telling him the truth– and there was something in her demeanor that made him believe her– this Runyon character was the sort of fellow who deserved a comeuppance. He felt this way not only for the man’s disregard of scientific truth, but also for his pettiness in treating the weaker sex with such arrogant disdain. Not that this girl appeared weak at all, but the odds were stacked against her since men made up the rules of play.
Miss Swift cast him a dazzling smile. “I think I am going to like you, Your Grace. I am sorry we got off to such a bad start. But you really are a good egg.”
He was going to laugh again.
He had never received such an odd compliment. Women did not describe him as a good egg. Big. Fearsome. Handsome. But never an egg. “Where do you reside, Miss Swift? I’ll need to contact you once I retrieve your research papers.”
