Father's gaze flickered to her when there was a lull in conversation, and his brows furrowed in concern. "Aurora, are you all right? I know today didn't go the way you hoped."
She replied coolly, "as you said, the important thing is that the Duke is on our side.Howwe achieve that is less relevant."
He and Lord Winters shared a look, brows raised. A look of understanding flashed across Father's face. Or perhaps it was guilt?
"Just because it was an overall success, doesn't mean you aren't allowed to be disappointed. I know that you wanted to give the presentation yourself; but His Grace is an older man who has an old-fashioned view of the world."
Aurora scoffed, and turned back to stare out of the window once again. They were coming down the path to their home now, past the little gate to the front door. The garden was peaceful and undisturbed, pale lavender swaying in the breeze.
No sooner had the carriage stopped, when Aurora came tumbling out. She dropped to the ground with athudthat sent an ache jolting up her calves, but didn't pause to recover.
"I'm going to attend to the garden," she said briskly. The truth was that there wasn't much needing done today — and certainly nothing that couldn't wait — but she needed to get away.
"At least eat with us first," Father interjected. He came to stand beside her, a reassuring hand on Aurora's shoulder. "Surely you'll need fuel to be working in the garden?"
Had it been any other time, Aurora would have happily agreed to a meal. She loved mealtimes for the chance to talk and enjoy herself; but today, she had no patience for sitting around a table and pretending to be okay.
"I will eat later," she decided, shooting a pointed look towards Lord Winters. "Once he has returned home."
A look of hurt crossed his face, his dark eyes narrowed. "There's no need to be so rude. Today was a great success, what do you have to be angry about?"
She stiffened, disbelief making her shudder. Was Lord Winters really so dense that he didn't understand the problem? This was supposed to be Aurora's moment, her chance to prove herself to the Duke; and he'd taken that away from her. Now, the Duke of Stonehull was just one more man in a longlineof men that thought Aurora incapable.
Yet before she could say any of that, Father sent a warning look towards Lord Winters. He said, "I do believe that Aurora would like to work on the garden in peace. Perhaps, once we've eaten and had a chance to digest the Duke's words, we can talk properly."
Lord Winters looked as if he wanted to argue, but he only sighed and rolled his eyes. "All right," he replied, "if that's what you think is best."
"It is," Father agreed.
Aurora was still fuming quietly by the carriage, itching to leave. She wanted to be amongst the roses or the bergamot, where she felt at home. Anything to unstick the thought of the Duke's bored expression as she spoke about her passion. Anything to forget that today had happened at all.
She watched as Father and Lord Winters left for the house, feeling irritation twist her gut. In part, she knew that today had been successful only because Lord Winters had stepped in; but the thought was a horrible, nagging thing that only made Aurora feel worse.
Why couldn't people see her skills for what they really were? Was being born a woman really such an awful thing, that nobody believed in her?
Father believes,she thought dully,but what good does that do when he's only one person.All of the love in the world wouldn't help, when it was the people in charge that didn't care.
When the last glimpse of Father disappeared inside, she turned to the flowers. The sweet-scented lavender brought a smile to her lips, as Aurora bent to smell it; things didn't seem quite so hopeless, so long as she still had her garden. She even plucked a piece of lavender and tucked it behind her ear, before moving deeper into the garden.
She was going to have to speak with Lord Winters soon, before her anger at him consumed her. For now, however, she was content to be by herself.
Chapter 19
Elmore Winters
Elmore had been in the sitting room for the better part of an hour now, going over ideas with Mr. Washam. The meeting had been a success, even if it had started off awkwardly, and it had provided him with a sense of satisfaction he rarely felt these days.
It was reassuring, to know that the Duke saw the good in this project. As he'd said before, he wasn't convinced by how much the Duke truly understood; but so long as he understood enough to back the project, that was all right. Perhaps in the future, the Duke would be open to learning more.
"I doubt that His Grace will fund it entirely," Mr. Washam said as he sipped his tea. It seemed that Mr. Washam was never far from a cup of the stuff. "But any support is appreciated, and we can always try to arrange another meeting in the future. If this project will be long term, we'll likely have to keep him updated anyway."
Elmore hummed in agreement. "Yes, I'm aware. It's too much to hope that we'll be allowed to do as we please; he will want to keep a close eye on us for the first year, at least."
"Likely long after, too."
It was a small price to pay for the Duke's support, though. A price Elmore was more than willing to pay. He was optimistic about their chances of success, having started off on such a high note.
Elmore was about to say as much, before he saw Mr. Washam's gaze drift towards the door. He followed the gaze to see Aurora in the doorway; with a sour look on her pretty features.