“The lady astronomer?”
“The very one. She discovered many comets in the eighteenth century.”
He nodded. “I could see how you might enjoy that talk more.”
“Ivy is far too fair and kind, and is willing to hear anyone talk on any matter. She thinks even the silliest of people might have something enlightening to say.”
“Well, now we know what pomade to use to keep our hair thick and shiny.”
She blinked when she spied the slight smile quirk across his lips. “Did you just make a joke, Lord Rochdale?”
“Do not get used to it.”
Oh, she wouldn’t. Just as she wouldn’t get used to having him nearby or even engaging in conversations with him that were surprisingly more enjoyable than she anticipated. As soon as this mystery with his aunt was sorted, she would never have to speak to the man again.
∞∞∞
Roman couldn’t claim to have read any of Sir Teddy’s books and the talk did not persuade him to do otherwise, even if he didn’t find books a struggle. The sigh of relief he released when they stood to escape might have been caused by the end of the talk, or from knowing he would not have to be seated next to Lady Clementine any longer.
He couldn’t fathom why the woman got under his skin. By some miracle, they’d managed a little polite and amusing conversation, but it didn’t mean anything. They found common ground over Sir Teddy’s pomade, that was all. It did not mean he should regret leaving her side. The farther Lady Clementine was from him, the better.
Unfortunately, the crush of people escaping the room into the front vestibule made it impossible to put any distance between them, and she murmured an apology and glanced away when her hand connected with his chest as she tried to steady herself against the shoving.
Roman tried not to ponder the light touch. And failed, naturally. He grimaced. Something about Lady Clementine’s touch was like a spark on a tinderbox. It had most definitely been too long since he’d experienced the touch of a woman.
“I cannot see Mama or Ivy,” she said over the bustle of the crowd.
He peered over the sea of heads but it was too hard to distinguish one bonnet from another, and Sir Teddy made things worse by opting to move from the front of the room and cut through the crowd. His fans surged with him, and he spied women desperately clinging onto his arm as though he were a raft in stormy seas.
“Marry me, Teddy!” he heard one woman cry.
“Good Lord,” he muttered to himself. “We should exit the building,” he told Lady Clementine. “We have no hope of finding them here.”
“Agreed.”
Before he could lead her from the room, the crowd shifted again when someone stumbled over a chair. People moved back to allow the man space, sending several more people tumbling into others. Sir Teddy continued forward, an arrogant smile upon his face as the compliments and marriage proposals continued. The damned fool was going to hurt someone if he did not allow the room to empty before leaving.
The crowd heaved and Roman shifted sideways, taking the brunt of the hit as bodies barged into him. When Lady Clementine stumbled, he looped an arm around her shoulders and drew her into him to keep her from falling. It wasn’t what he wanted by a longshot; however, in this madness he could hardly have her flailing around on the floor. He eyed the entrance way and spied Duke far from the crowds and enjoying some nice fresh air with Lady Clementine’s mother and sister. But of course.
“We need to get out of here,” he told Lady Clementine.
She surprised him by not fighting his hold. “Easier said than done I think.”
The author continued his slow progression through the crowd, taking flowers and various lacy offerings that were thrust at him until he could carry no more. Roman was fairly sure even some of the men wanted to marry Sir Teddy, such was the fervor in the room. Did the idiot have the damned Midas Touch? This was getting ridiculous.
“Oh!” Lady Clementine tore away from him.
Unprepared for her sudden movement, he released her, regretting it instantly when she threw herself forward and down, vanishing amongst those around them. It took him a moment to recognize that a young woman had fallen in the chaos and those around her hadn’t noticed. She risked being trampled. As did Lady Clementine. Roman pushed his way bodily between the two men next to him.
“Make way,” he ordered and the man in front of him jumped and shifted sideways, their eyes wide.
Roman found Lady Clementine with her body wrapped about the young woman and at the mercy of boots, parasols, and bodies alike. He snatched her arm, hauled her to her feet, and grabbed the young lady with his next move, lifting her with ease. He didn’t waste any time using sheer brute force to haul both women to the edge of the room where they could gain some respite between two pillars from the chaos Sir Teddy had caused.
The young woman—a tiny thing who could be no older than eighteen —peered up at him with wide eyes and rosy cheeks. “Sir Teddy!” she gasped. She turned swiftly on her heel and shoved her away back into the crowd. “I love you, Sir Teddy!” she called as she forced her way between two men with surprising strength.
Lady Clementine straightened her bonnet then smoothed hands down her skirts. “I suppose that’s the thanks I get.”
He scowled at her. Did she not realized how close she had come to danger with her admittedly heroic actions? “You’re reckless, Musgrave.”