Immediately embarrassment heated Lucy’s cheeks with mortification. “No, no, I wasn’t displeased.”
“Of course you were,” Caroline said briskly, “and with every right to that displeasure. I would be disappointed in you if you weren’t,” she added with a smile. “Gilbert does important work but he often misses out on thinking of certain consequences, like when he involves a gently bred young lady. He ought to have told you a few more details.”
“Roderick told me as much as he could. I shouldn’t have been fretting. It was just that my imagination ran away with me when I was left to my own devices.”
Caroline laughed gently. “That does tend to happen.”
“How do you come to know about your husband’s work?” Lucy asked, curiosity overriding her reticence.
“I don’t think husbands ought to keep such things from their wives,” Caroline began in a rather sanctimonious tone before she grinned and laughed before leaning toward Lucy and lowering her voice to barely a whisper. “But to be honest, I knew about his activities before we even wed. It’s how we met. He thought my father was involved in something nefarious.”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “Was he?”
“Possibly,” Caroline answered with a laugh. “But not traitorous, as Gilbert had thought. But it’s another example of a time that he involved an innocent maiden in his investigations.”
“You?” Lucy asked with widening eyes, trying but failing to hide her lack of experience.
“It’s why I should have known we ought to have taken better care of you over this matter. You handled it all quite marvellously, though, I have to say.” She took another sip of her tea while regarding Lucy steadily over the edge of her cup. Lucy managed just barely not to squirm, taking a small sip of her own cup to cover over her discomfort.
“Are you quite certain you wouldn’t like to court Roderick?” Caroline asked Lucy as she placed her cup back into its saucer and set it gently on the table beside her chair. “I am convinced you’d be the perfect addition to the Northcott wives. There’s only one position left, you know,” Caroline added while Lucy struggled to think of a response. “I am quite fond of the others, so I’m particularly interested in Roderick’s choice of bride. You would do quite nicely.”
“But I,” Lucy began, unsure how exactly to deal with confrontation. “He told me he might not need a wife after all.”
Caroline laughed. “Every man needs a wife, my dear. He just doesn’t need his as expediently as he had thought, perhaps. But I must say, the fact that this was your response offers me at least a modicum of comfort.”
Lucy’s eyebrows rose.Modicum?This elegant lady was using large words and admitting to involving herself in her husband’s work for the Home Office. Clearly she didn’t consider her intellect to be a detriment. She recalled her attention to the conversation at hand.
“Why is that of comfort?” she wondered.
“For a couple of reasons. You didn’t reject the thought outright, so that gives me hope. Also, he obviously discussed his plans with you, which tells me he trusts you. And you didn’t seem the least bit put out by his plans.”
“Why would I be?” Lucy asked, frowning. Perhaps she wasn’t as quick witted as she’d thought herself. This conversation continued to confuse her.
“Because you are one of the most popular and fashionable ladies of the Season, surely you realize.”
Lucy’s cheeks heated, unsure if that was praise or not, but she didn’t let it deter her. “But what does that have to do with anything?” she asked even though she knew it had a lot to do with things for herself. She just didn’t think it did for anyone else.
“Popular and fashionable young ladies aren’t usually on the greatest of terms with scholarly gentlemen,” Caroline pointed out gently. “In fact, I’m nearly certain even Roderick expects you to reject his conversation out of hand.”
Lucy opened her mouth to object but found no words to come out. How could she object when she had often turned away from Roderick’s most fascinating conversations out of concern for her father’s good opinion of her? A good opinion he could never offer to her in any case since he was no longer with them.
Finally, with an inaudible sigh, Lucy offered her guest a weak smile and gestured toward the teapot. “A little more to warm up your cup?”
“I’d better not or I’ll find myself in discomfort while making our calls,” Caroline declined with a laugh. “Whenever you’re ready, we can be on our way.”
Lucy got to her feet immediately. “I’ll just run up and collect my things, then.”
What an odd development, Lucy marvelled as her maid put in a couple extra pins to ensure her hair remained as it should while making calls. She wished Roderick were there. He would surely be amused by the day’s development.
The thought startled her. Would Roderick be amused to hear his sister-in-law discussing his marital prospects with Lucy? She wasn’t so sure. But Lucy was sure that she always enjoyed her conversations with Roderick, even if she was uncomfortable involving herself with intellect.
Too bad she didn’t want to be in love with her husband. She and Roderick would be an excellent match. At least from his point of view. Even his family agreed.
Lucy turned her back on her traitorous reflection. She needed to get through the day. She hurried back to the salon and re-joined Caroline Northcott.
When they had gained the street and were walking toward Crossley House, Caroline tucked her hand into Lucy’s elbow and kept her tone low and confiding.
“You’ll be happy to know,” she began before correcting herself. “Maybe happy isn’t the right word, but perhaps it’ll be a relief to know that Gilbert’s men have arrested nearly every single one of the conspirators, and most have already been shipped out of the country.”
