He relaxed a little. Only a little. “When my mother died, it… well, I suppose it brought to light things that I had been attempting to ignore for some time.”
“Like what?” Her warmth bled into him. He fit his arm closer around her.
“Like the precariousness of life. Like if it had been my father to pass, I would have been left with nothing but a minor stipend and the charity of my brother to survive on.”
“Geoffrey would not allow you—or Edmund—to suffer.”
Andrew’s jaw tensed for a moment. The injustices of primogeniture grated on him. Made him irrationally angry. For years, he’d channeled that anger into something far better—because, in truth, he did not wish to be so mad. It was not his family he was angry with. It was the reality of his situation. It was the wayhis teachers looked down on him as a second son. The way nothing was ever his own unless he built it from the ground himself—it was all borrowed. “That is not it. I know Geoffrey would be fair. I simply… Well, as you said, I wanted to leave something behind. Not just a bit of Geoffrey’s story, but my own.”
She nodded, and the action shook his chest. He used it as an excuse to put his arm even tighter around her. How could he feel both so content and uncomfortable at once?
“That makes sense. But I am sorry it has come between you and your family. Being a woman, I would never fully understand.”
“You understand more than you give yourself credit for. You have fought for your own place in this world, and I don’t think I’d realized how it has affected my relationships.” But if they—his father and Geoffrey—knew, they would try to help him, and that was exactly what he wished to avoid. He supposed, like Sophie, he needed to prove this to himself.
Sophie yawned.
“Hey, Soph?” he asked, prolonging the moment just a little longer.
“Yes?”
“Will you go with me to a lecture held by the Mathematical Society tomorrow morning?”
She sat up a little, looking up at him. “You think I am going to say no to that?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “I hoped you would not.”
“Tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.”
Hopefully, even a small part of her was excited for the company, rather than just the intellectual aspect.
He chuckled to himself because he knew her. She’d forget he was there at all when faced with the riveting lecture.
Hoping to coax her back to his shoulder just a little longer, he pointed up at the sky. “Is that constellation Orion? What was the story behind that? Didn't he fall in love with a goddess?”
Her eyes flicked up. “Oh, no, the gods sent a scorpion to kill him because he became too boastful in his hunting.”
“Oh.” Murder. He’d tried to romance her with murder.
She stood, holding out her palm. “Come on, it is far too late, and I am unsure if I will ever regain feeling in my nose.” She crossed her eyes, attempting to see her own face.
He grasped her hand, standing with her. “I could warm it up for you.” That was odd. That was horribly odd, and probably a step down from murder in his romancing attempts.
She laughed. “I think a fire will do, but thank you.” She tugged on his hand and dragged him to the house.
Chapter Twenty
The buzz of conversation in the room that would hold the mathematical lecture seemed to bleed into Sophie’s chest and increase her own excitement to be there. Amongst the crowd, she even spotted a handful of women. Most with men, like herself, but a couple seemed to have attended the lecture on their own accord.
The room was quite full, and though she and Andrew had arrived in time to gain seats near the back, there were several standing about the edges as well. She leaned closer to Andrew. “Who is today’s speaker?”
“Benjamin Gompertz,” he said, turning to watch her reaction.
She was certain it was exactly as he’d wished. Her eyes rounded. She so enjoyed Gompertz's insights, and for years now, he’d been acquiring many mathematical awards. The opportunity to hear from him, first-hand even, was incredible.
The man himself appeared near the front of the room, and the noise dimmed, but did not halt entirely until he stood at the lectern. He had a strong brow, prominent nose, and deep-set eyes, but Sophie could not care less for his appearance—she shifted to the edge of her seat, prepared to learn of his mind. His brilliant mind.
“I am appreciative of the Mathematical Society for allowing me to present to you today. I intend to speak on a topic I have spent considerable time studying, and which continues to yield results and findings today.” He cleared his throat,peering down at his papers. “Some might believe this to be too profound a concept; however, in this hall of mathematicians, I do believe the implications will excite us all. Therefore, I will be speaking on the application of a method of differences. Ultimately, I wish to lay out my findings on imaginary quantities.”
