A ripple of laughter greeted her words, and Addie grinned at the sheer arrogance in that statement, as if the professor were daring them to find the talk boring but also absolutely certain they wouldn’t.
Arrogance.
Athletic body.
Husky voice.
Addie had been half-smitten after watching a shaky video that didn’t do justice to Dr. Darbyshire’s presence. Seeing the woman in person was enough to tempt even a rational person—and Addie wasn’t renowned for her common sense.
Trying to stare in “studious” not “smitten,” Addie pulled out hernotebook and pen and took more notes than she probably needed, but Dr. Darbyshire was Addie’s secret weapon. With her knowledge, Addie could understand the Victorians. Knowledge. Killing the role. Acclaim. Bigger roles. Respect. It was a whole thing. A plan.
Over the next fifty minutes, Addie wrote down enough information to flesh out the persona she needed for the role. Dr. Darbyshire made the information in dry books come to life. She was a gifted teacher.
If I had teachers like her, I’d have gone to college forever.…
After the professor answered the last question, Addie stayed in her seat as the crowd thinned. People stepped over her, and Addie tried to convince her feet to follow. What was she going to do? Walk up and ask Dr. Darbyshire out? Call it a research lunch?
Bad idea, Ads.
But the more Addie looked at the perfect column of Dr. Darbyshire’s throat and listened to her husky voice answer questions for the people gathered around her, the more the thought of talking to Toni Darbyshire, of asking for advice, was increasingly seeming like a perfectly sound plan. Of course, Adelaine was certain that any plan she created that seemed “perfectly sound” was ill-advised. She knew herself. Impulsivity typically led to trouble for her.
Addie stared at the professor a bit longer.
She’s a professor. Professors like answering questions.
Finally, Addie stood up and started forward. She had questions. Plus, it was only polite to say “thank you” for the great information.
And she’s talking about women like us. That’s another reason to ask advice on a Victorian-influenced lesbian play… or maybe casually ask if she’s single.
Adelaine knew better. She was a committed romantic, dreaming of forever, saving her heart—and other parts—for the right woman. A serious history professor who lived on the other side of the ocean was not going to fall for Addie on a conference trip. And Addie wasn’t going to be all “free love” like her parents. She might have moved temporarily to Scotland on a whim; she might even pick roleson a whim or adopt personalities to playact. But when it came to relationships, she was a one-woman kind of person, the marrying kind, the commitment kind.
Then Dr. Darbyshire looked up, catching Addie’s gaze briefly.
Maybe I could just say thank you.…
Head throbbing from the weight of her hair, Addie reached back and unclipped her braid. It fell like Rapunzel’s rope. She took several more steps forward.
Saying thank you for being such a wealth of information was fine, right? And if the professor was responsive, maybe a little flirting and—
A stunning brunette in a plain but very well-fitting dress walked up to Dr. Darbyshire.
“We still on for tonight?” asked the woman. “Or are you standing me up?”
The professor laughed. “As if.”
“Uh-huh. I see that research glimmer in your eye. Someone asked a question that got you thinking.…” The brunette grinned. “Can I trust you to meet me there or will I need to leave my meetings early to pull you out of your laptop?”
Dr. Darbyshire put her hand to her heart. “Emily, I swear I will be on time. Early, even.”
The brunette, Emily, nodded. “Lady’s Hand. Seven.”
“Yes, dear.”
And Addie’s heart sank far more than it should’ve. The professor had a girlfriend that her biography online didn’t mention, and the girlfriend was six shades of sexy.
It wasn’t as if there was a real chance of a relationship with the confident professor anyway. They would have an ocean between them come Monday. And Addie wasn’t the sort to let her lust lead her away from The Big Plan: true love, monogamy, and growing old together. She also wasn’t willing to let lust lead her away from her career goals, which meant returning to her life in LA where the film jobs were, not moving to the East Coast where Dr. Darbyshirelived. Unlike her parents, Addie had a clear life path in both career and relationship goals, and she would find a way to achieve all of it.
Addie pivoted and walked away from the idea of trying to talk to Dr. Darbyshire after the panel. She wasn’t a home wrecker. Maybe some other time she could ask Dr. Darbyshire questions about the Victorians, but right then, she was too emotional to try to approach her.
