“Didn’t you have questions you wanted answered, though?” Gilbert asked, stalling Lucy briefly.
“They can likely wait. I shouldn’t have called unannounced. I will offer my apologies once more.” Lucy’s smile was a little weak, but she kept her chin raised and her lips firm. Roderick couldn’t prevent a surge of pride from filling him. The woman was far stronger than she would ever admit to, he was sure of it.
To Roderick’s surprise, neither Gilbert nor Caroline offered much protest to their departure.
“I would be happy to make calls with you later this week, Lucy, if you’d like,” Caroline offered just before they quit the room.
“That would be most pleasant,” Lucy accepted right away with another lukewarm response but her smile was genuine, Roderick could see. “We are supposed to be at home to visitors tomorrow and we are attending a breakfast the next day, but the day after that would be free if that’s convenient for you.”
“I will attend you then, three days hence,” Caroline promised. Roderick could see that worry was troubling his sister-in-law but his sympathies lay with Lucy, despite his irritation with her for not awaiting his call at home.
They didn’t exchange words until they had gained the street. Lucy’s servants once again kept pace with them at enough of a distance that they could have private conversation. Roderick kept his strides short. He wanted to prolong their time together as much as possible. He didn’t have to strike the conversation with her.
“I am so sorry, Roderick. I should have listened to you and stayed home. I didn’t mean to stir up a hornet’s nest with your family.”
“As we’ve already said, Lucy, there is nothing for you to apologize for, I promise you. You did nothing wrong.” He paused and laughed lightly. “Rather, you did nothing wrong in calling at Northcott House. I do wish you had stayed home as I’d asked, but I should have called on you earlier in the day. I ought to have known you’d be wishing to know more. For that I apologize to you.”
Lucy nodded, as though agreeing with his words or perhaps accepting his apology. Her smile was slight but appeared genuine. Roderick was glad she was wearing a bonnet that allowed him to see some of her face even though she wasn’t facing him.
“What had you so occupied today, then?” Lucy asked, turning the topic and showing her attentive side.
Rod wasn’t sure if he ought to tell her but didn’t see that there would be any harm.
“I received word from the steward of the property I’m interested in. There has been some sort of development, and he asked me to come. I had to see my own lawyer this morning to see where exactly I stand, whether or not I can make an offer on the property.”
“What is the development?” Lucy asked, her gaze bright and inquisitive, a small frown of concentration forming between her eyebrows that Roderick couldn’t help but find endearing.
He sighed with frustration in response to her question. “I don’t rightly know. His letter was disappointingly short on details.”
Lucy nodded with a deepening frown. “Do you think something has gone wrong with the property, like a fire or something?” she asked, clearly disappointed on his behalf. “Or perhaps someone else is interested and he is hoping to play the two of you against each other in order to increase the price.” She appeared to be becoming upset for him before another possibility struck her. “Or maybe the owner has lowered the price in the hopes that you’ll finally make an offer.” Now her eyes were bright and eager. “Did you manage to hide your interest in the property sufficiently, do you think? And have you told anyone else about it? If they only think you looked but weren’t all that interested, is it possible they might do such a thing, do you think?” Colour touched her cheekbones and she suddenly appeared bashful. “I don’t know anyone who has purchased a property personally, so I’m not actually sure what goes into it, to be honest. I’m sorry if my suggestions are daft.”
“It seems to me that you could have the right of it, honestly, Lucy,” Roderick said, patting her hand where it rested in the crook of his elbow.
“But you haven’t found your bride yet,” Lucy exclaimed softly but urgently. “If it is that there is another party interested, what shall you do?”
“Well, that is the exciting part, and why I was late. My conversation with my man of affairs took longer than expected because we reworked my numbers in various ways. Especially if they were to lower their price or accept a lower offer at the very least, I just might be able to manage to make the purchase without needing to be a fortune hunter after all.”
Lucy didn’t react for a very brief moment but then she squeezed his arm to herself. “I’m glad for you, Roddy. I would never think of you in the guise of a fortune hunter, but I know that’s how you saw it so I do hope you can make things happen for yourself without needing to resort to anything drastic. I think you Northcotts are much like my brother and Isabelle in that you believe in a love match. You ought to wait until you find the right woman instead of merely wedding for the property, even if it’s for a noble reason.”
Her voice sounded slightly choked to his ears but he couldn’t quite read her expression, so Roderick couldn’t be certain.
“But will you be able to manage it? How will you eat or heat the place or do any of the needed repairs if you spend all your money on the actual purchase?”
“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves yet,” Roderick finally said with a laugh even though those were all concerns he also had. He was impressed with her logical leap and gratified that her thoughts were, as was often the case, in harmony with his own. “I will be out of Town for a few days, investigating these matters. Swear to me you’ll keep yourself out of trouble while I’m gone.”
Finally her laughter sounded between them, low and genuine, and she looked him straight in the face. “Will you trust my swearing, after today’s fiasco?” she asked with a wide smile. “I do swear it, though, Roderick. I won’t stay home, though. As I told Mrs. Northcott, I will make calls with Isabelle tomorrow.” When Roderick began to frown, she hurried to add, “But I’ll tell Belle we need to bring a footman with us. She’ll think me odd, but that won’t be anything terribly new.” She laughed lightly before adding, “Besides, both you and your brother have taken pains to tell me that I’m not actually in any danger.”
Roderick had to laugh along with her. “We do like to contradict ourselves, at times, don’t we? You’re right. It’s not likely that you’re in any danger, but I would rest far easier knowing you had at least some sort of protection with you.”
“Very well, then. I promise to have the company of a footman if I leave the house.”
It was the best Roderick could expect if he wasn’t going to tell her brother about what he had involved her in and the possible risk to her person. That risk was admittedly very low, but Roderick would prefer to be the one keeping her safe himself. He still didn’t have an explanation for what he saw in the park but he didn’t want to refine upon it with her.
“Send word to me if you have any concerns,” he insisted earnestly.
Lucy laughed. “How could I possibly do that?” she asked. “For one thing, I wouldn’t know where to send word to,” she said, waving her hand as though to dismiss the concern. “For another, that’s likely to cause a greater scandal than anything else.”
“At least send word to Caroline. That couldn’t cause an uproar of any sort. And she’ll know where to find me.”
