Wasn't that the problem, though? She didn't want Lord Winters' help, she wanted her father's. Yes, he still promised to supervise if she needed, but it had swiftly turned from a father-daughter project to an Aurora-Winters project instead. Really, any more time with Lord Winters, and she was going to lose her mind. She had made the mistake of trusting a man once. Not again.
If it had been possible to do this job entirely alone, Aurora would have. Yet, somehow help was needed; much to her annoyance.
From his spot by the window, Lord Winters said, "I'll be happy to do whatever I can, although I cannot guarantee it will be easy. There are a lot of problems to take into account, first."
Arms folded, Aurora asked, "like what?"
"We need to consider a timeframe for this. A schedule. Not to mention we will need a fail-safe in case something goes wrong—"
"Do you expect things to go wrong?" Aurora challenged. He had already proven to underestimate her knowledge. Did he still think her incapable?
Lord Winters' gaze flickered to Father, then back to Aurora. "Of course not," he answered calmly. Like he was attempting to soothe a young child. "But we can't always foresee what will happen. We could have a harsh winter, or samples could be damaged, all manner of things can go wrong."
She knew that, of course, just as any good botanist did. When experimenting like this, nothing was perfect; it was a matter of trial and error, and keeping a close record to avoid making the same mistakes again.
"I've already thought of that," Aurora replied. She had been standing, but now she perched on the edge of her chair as she continued, "but you're right that we cannot possibly foreseeeverything,so why panic ahead of time?"
"To ensure a solution to everything."
Aurora looked from Lord Winters to Father, her brows creased. "It sounds to me like neither of you actually want this," she pointed out. It was a harsh accusation, but she felt only a brief shudder of guilt. "It was all talk of excitement until now, when we have to actually start making decisions."
She was used to this, people's doubt in her. Yet it didn't make her any less frustrated, less disappointed. First, Christopher had made her look a fool in front of everybody; now, Lord Winters made her sound incompetent. Was it because she was a woman? Or was this simply what wealth and fancy titles did to a man?
"I just don't think that we should rush into anything," Lord Winters clarified.
"We aren't rushing into anything," Aurora argued. It was true, because so far all they had done was talk around in circles. "But if we wish to do this, we can't afford to take forever. We will need samples, of course. Good ones, to keep here in England while we work."
"They will be hard to find, and even harder to transport," Father pointed out.
Aurora felt a sudden rush of indignancy — sheknew.Goodness, were they taking each other's side now? If Father wanted to put her in charge of this project, he was going to need a little more faith in her abilities.
Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Aurora willed herself to calm. This was fine, she was used to fighting to be heard, and this was no different than all of the times she sat during those meetings andforcedmen to listen.
"All right," she said coolly, hoping to project that air of confidence. "You want to ensure that we look at this from all angles, then we will. You mentioned we might have a harsh winter, Lord Winters? Then we will insulate the greenhouse with extra care. If samples die, we will get more. If anything else goes wrong, we will find a way to combat it. Nothing is perfect, but that doesn't mean we will face disaster, either. Thereisan in-between."
It seemed to soothe his concern; at least enough that Lord Winters managed a faint smile.
He had an attractive face, she thought; a slender jaw and high cheekbones that made him look regal. Both young and mature all at once, he had boyish hair, yet a defined and striking face. The more she looked, the more she noticed the little details; a freckle here, a faint scar there.
But ah, why was she even looking so closely to begin with? Lord Winters was just a man, like any, and she had never been much interested in what they looked like. It was their attitude that counted, and Lord Winters' attitude was grating.
His attractiveness could never outbalance that,Aurora thought with a huff.
"I think," she started slowly, turning to glance at Father, "that sorts it. We cannot account for everything, but wecanprepare for the most obvious problems we could encounter. Now, about finding those samples... Lord Winters, do you know of anybody that could help us with the angel's trumpet?"
When he frowned, the corners of his eyes wrinkled just so. It was an odd thing to notice.
"I can contact some people," he said finally, "and ask what they can do to assist."
It was no overwhelming positive, but it was a start. Good enough to make Aurora brighten at the prospect.
"Okay," she murmured, more to herself than anybody else. "That's one problem solved. Now, perhaps we can move on."
Lord Winters wasn't finished, though; something that became clear when he stood from the window seat. As always he was spotless, but still took a moment to brush invisible creases from his waistcoat.
"Actually, there is one very obvious thing we haven't addressed yet. How are we going to transport the samples, once they're acquired?"
Father frowned. "What do you mean?"