Roderick had been well able to see that she had been slightly uncomfortable with the conversation, but she had set her reservations aside and started naming women she thought might fit his request.
Ever the student, he had taken careful notes.
Now, standing in the library at Lady Crossley’s rout, Roderick wished he could pull his notes out of his pocket and study them for the twenty-sixth time. But the first twenty-five would have to suffice. He couldn’t be seen examining such a list.
It probably wouldn’t do to be seen reading anything in public, aside from maybe the news sheets at his brother’s club or his favourite coffee shop. Thetondid not look upon intelligence with much favour, in his experience. And they already thought him odd for his persistence in the pursuit of education. There was no need for him to give anyone further evidence toward that consideration, especially not now when he needed at least one woman to look upon him with favour.
Greta Billingsley. The name flashed in his head as his eyes landed on one of the ladies on his list. While she wasn’t a lady in title, she seemed to be appropriately ladylike in appearance, he thought with approval as he watched her, trying not to be too obvious in his attention.
She was acceptable in appearance. Perhaps not the most beautiful creature to grace thetonwith her presence, but he didn’t want to wed a fashion plate anyway. No one could rightly call her ugly, and that was all that he could ask.
He should have asked Caroline more about why Miss Billingsley was still unwed. She appeared to be a fair bit older than the other young women making the social rounds. Not that anyone could call her old. He didn’t think she would even qualify to be called a spinster yet. Perhaps it was merely her bearing. She seemed quite self-contained. It might put off other fellows but not a gentleman who had the intention of pursuing his studies. Such a man would need a wife who wasn’t hoping to hang on his sleeve at all times.
Roderick felt brighter about his prospects as he continued to watch her. Before he could approach her, though, his thoughts were once again interrupted by Miss Lucy Scranton.
“What about Lucretia Scranton?” Rod remembered Caroline had asked him. “She’s still single. And this will be her third Season. In her defence, her first and second were both interrupted due to deaths in her family, so it isn’t as though she wasn’t popular or didn’t take. But she, I’m sure, has a respectable dowry and might be starting to feel a little anxious about her unwed state.”
“No.” Rod hadn’t meant to say it quite that baldly but there was no way to sugar-coat how very unsuitable the beautiful younger sister of Viscount Simmons would be for him.
The memory of his conversation with Caroline surged through his mind as the topic of that conversation filled his vision. As he watched, Lucy’s eyes flickered toward the wall of books and, as he knew they would, her gaze filled with longing for the briefest moment before she turned her back to them and a giggle escaped her as she approached a group of chattering ladies he’d never been introduced to.
Why did she do that?For all his examination of the lovely Lucy, he hadn’t yet figured out what exactly made her inner workings flow. But he was certain he wasn’t equipped to help her deal with what was obviously a very complex relationship with her evident intelligence.
Maybe not so evident, he thought, as he heard another silly giggle tinkle out of her. Why did no one else realize how unnatural it was?
Perhaps he was putting too much meaning into the interactions they’d had through the years when she had visited Everleigh with her brother and his wife. But the woman she had turned into was nothing like the girl she had been. Roderick would never forget the conversations, the rather intensely intelligent conversations, he might point out, that they’d shared through the years. She had always seemed to enjoy them, at least until a certain point. He had never been able to figure out why she would be seemingly deeply invested in a conversation with him about whatever he had been studying that session in school and then suddenly she would stop short as though she had been struck by a sudden bout of guilt. He had always thought it was due to his being a male of the species and she had been taught that she ought to be careful about such associations. But he wasn’t so sure about that anymore. Not from the way she was now routinely behaving.
Chapter Three
Why did Roderick Northcott have to be present?There was no one else more likely to ruin her social life. Lucy forced another giggle, hoping she sounded delightful and not ridiculous. It was always difficult for her to tell. She thought giggling was silly, but the gentlemen tended to think her far more interesting when she giggled than when she asked about their estates or their stocks or politics or anything of the least importance. Wiltshire certainly seemed to appreciate her bouts of seeming amusement.
Not that she ought to be asking about such things. They were not of her purview. She needed to always remind herself of that. But it was a challenge. Gossip and fashion weren’t nearly as captivating as she tried to imply by their frequent discussion.
They weren’t necessarily bad things. Not horrid like Roddy always tried to make her think. They were normal and acceptable by most reasonable people’s standards. If one looked around this very room, she could only count one person who thought fashion and gossip were anathema.
She shouldn’t even think a word like anathema, she reminded herself as she once more tried to ignore Roddy Northcott. Why was the one person in the room who most turned up his nose to the things she purported to espouse, the one person she most wanted to have a conversation with?
She shouldn’t think about purport or espouse either, probably, Lucy thought with a soft sigh as she turned to the gentleman on her right who was waxing almost poetic about his recent purchase of a large brown horse.
Lucy blinked. Of course, horses were useful creatures and she had been quite attached to several in her lifetime, but she couldn’t imagine going on about it the way this gentleman was doing. What was his name again? Lord Simpson? Lord Emerson? Drat, she needed to know these things. From what she could tell, no one liked it when you didn’t know their name. And it shouldn’t be so difficult. Her sister-in-law had insisted that she study the latest Debrett’s before she’d made her debut.
Not that Belle had been truly draconian about it, but she had been clear that Lucy needed to know who was who and how they connected with other members of Society. It had actually been quite helpful, especially when she’d first debuted. But she had become lazy, thinking that she knew everyone. Or maybe it was just that she didn’t find the people interesting enough to make the information stick in her head.
Another sigh threatened. She hated to think of herself as being so cold. Surely this horse-loving gentleman with currently no name was a fine fellow. She ought to care about him and his equine companion. Surely a good horse was something to admire. An exceptional four-legged companion was clearly something appropriate to discuss in polite society. At least he wasn’t discussing his latest pugilistic bouts as her younger brother delighted to elaborate on.
What was his name?
And why was Roderick Northcott even at this rout? If he weren’t there rattling her nerves, she would surely know who she was talking to.
Lucy took a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping no one could notice her calming action. There was nothing to panic about. If the horse-loving gentleman decided to pursue her in any way, she could confirm his identity then. She could also be certain her brother would be looking into any gentleman’s background, so there was nothing for her to trouble herself about at this point. It did feel quite rude not to know his name, though.
Keeping a pleasant smile pinned to her face, Lucy allowed her mind to wander. If she was already this rude to the man as to not know who he was and yet he hadn’t noticed, he wasn’t likely to notice that her mind had wandered. Surely, she would be able to knowledgeably re-join the conversation when he reached the end of his roundabout description of his seemingly iconic horse.
What was Roderick doing at a rout?What was he doing in Town, really was a bigger question. He hated Society and all such events. Lucy had thought he would be in Oxford at least until the winter break. She had thought she was safe.
He was the only one who knew how much she loved knowledge.
But surely, he could be trusted to keep her secret. She had tried hard enough to convince him that she no longer had such a flaw. She wasn’t sure if he had ever believed her, but she had to believe there would never truly be an occasion for him to reveal his knowledge or opinion on the topic. It would be best for her to avoid him in any case, just to be certain.
