“It’s no trouble, Lucy. As you’ve said, we’re friends. We’re practically family from how long we’ve known one another. You should know that.”
Lucy sighed a little and gave him a small nod.
“You never got around to telling me your list,” she said, turning the subject abruptly. Talking about an assassination plot in the supper room at a ball was only marginally more inappropriate than her new topic. Roderick’s smile felt crooked. How could he discuss his list with her when all he really wanted was to toss the list away and propose to Miss Lucy Scranton?
“Did you decide to remove Miss Bastion from your list or leave it there?” she continued, in a very low voice, her lips barely moving. Her gaze had shifted from his face to just over his shoulder. “I do hope you had removed her because it would appear Lord Philips is making a play for her attentions.” Lucy’s gaze flickered back to his with a slight frown. “I wonder what has suddenly made her so popular.”
Roderick wasn’t even dismayed over her words. He certainly hadn’t set his heart on Miss Bastion. There was something oddly controversial about the woman that might have interfered with his friends’ studies, anyhow. But he could see why Lucy would think it odd that she was suddenly having more than one potential suitor when she had remained single throughout more than one Season.
When he realized he hadn’t yet answered Lucy’s question and she was still looking at him with an expression of sympathy mingled with curiosity, Roderick smiled.
“You know I had a list so I shan’t lie about it, but I hadn’t actually taken the time yet to remove her from it physically. I too have been a little preoccupied with this other situation.” He sighed slightly. “But, like you, I do feel a little bit of a press for time.”
Suddenly Lucy’s gaze was sharpened and focused on him. “Had I told you I felt pressed for time? I do, but I didn’t think I had admitted to it.”
Rod lifted one shoulder as though to dismiss it. “Why else would you have a list? There’s no real reason for you to feel pressure to wed. I just assumed.”
“Well, you should never make assumptions. As a scientist, you ought to know that,” Lucy said with a teasing tone before she drew a long breath. “In this case, though, you would be correct. But tell me why you feel the press of time. I would think your circumstances would carry even less pressure to wed than mine.”
“Well, there you’d be wrong. How else am I to survive? There surely comes a time when a gentleman can’t keep accepting his family’s charity.”
Lucy made a protesting sort of cluck. “It’s not charity when it’s family, Rod, surely you know that.”
Again, Rod lifted his shoulder. “Mostly I do know that, but in this particular case, I want to do more than just survive. I want to accomplish things and help my friends with their studies.” He paused, wondering if he ought to confide his plans in this lovely young woman but then considered there would surely be no harm in doing so. She might even have some advice to assist. He then blurted it all out.
“There’s this property, that would be perfect for my intentions. But I don’t have enough money saved to buy it and support everything until we can turn a profit.” He finally wound to a conclusion.
“So that’s why you’re suddenly interested in wedding a woman of means,” Lucy added with a nod. “That’s clever of you. And now I understand your choices of who you spoke with at the rout the other night. All women with slightly more than modest but not spectacular means. And ones with a degree of maturity and at least a modicum of intelligence.” Her expression was admiring. “Like everything, you gave the matter considerable thought.”
Roderick felt as though she had highly praised him and fought the urge to preen under the attention. He could feel his grin turning slightly lopsided and tried to keep it within bounds. He also wondered how he was going to pursue his intentions while fighting his warming feelings toward Lucy.
“So I’m not sure if Lady Evangeline should stay on your list,” Lucy was continuing, not noticing that he was quaking with supressed emotions. “She’s lovely, I’m not criticizing her, at all, I assure you. But she does enjoy social events despite the bluestocking tendencies she tries to hide. She might find the restrictions of your scholarly society to be a little stifling.”
“I don’t expect us to be placed beyond the pale,” Roderick protested even though that was one thing that had concerned him. “Surely my family’s influence should be sufficient to keep her socially protected, at least to the extent that she might wish to participate.”
Lucy nodded. “But if you wed with someone who has her own family high enough placed, that would probably be best. That also gives you double the chances of getting help with successfully launching whatever great inventions or discoveries your crew comes up with.”
“There’s no one that fits that description,” Roderick countered, feeling glum.
Lucy stared at him, unblinking, and Roderick began to frown.
“What am I missing?” he asked her, embarrassed.
“There’s me,” she said with a small smile and a tight voice.
“Are you proposing?” Roderick asked with a laugh he immediately regretted as Lucy’s face tightened before his gaze.
“Of course not, don’t be silly,” she said, suddenly light and flippant, standing up to end their conversation. “I will have a headache tomorrow, so you needn’t worry about my safety. Thank you for your concern but as you said, it’s very unlikely anyone would consider that I’m involved in anything complex. You be careful too, Mr. Northcott, it’s far more likely you could be in danger than me. Thank you for supper.”
With that jumble of words hurrying out of her mouth just as she turned on her heel, Roderick wasn’t able to stop her before she had glided away from where he had barely gotten to his feet. He watched in dismay as she disappeared into the crowd.
He had obviously handled that poorly, he thought, with a shake of his head and a heavy sigh, watching the footmen hurry to clear their small table so others could have it. Roderick wanted to leave the ball immediately, but he had spent far too much time with Lucy. He needed to arrange his own affairs. If she was sure she would be fine on her own, he had done his duty, he assured himself.
But he couldn’t keep her from occupying his thoughts the rest of the night. Roderick tried to pursue Lady Evangeline but while that lovely lady was pleasant and nearly perfect for his purposes, he couldn’t get Lucy out of his mind well enough to seriously consider pursuing the other woman.
This would just not do, he thought with a disgusted shake of his head when he finally gave up for the time being and took his leave of their hostess, Lady Haversham. Lucy had mentioned Sean, but Roderick hadn’t actually seen him there and didn’t have the heart to go looking to see if he really was present.
“Thank you for the lovely evening, my lady.” He had gone through the appropriate motions.
