It was almost the exact shade oflittle lottielavender that she was planting right now.
He hadn't noticed her bent in the flowers and wandered to the door without glancing back.
For the first time, Aurora had the chance to look at Lord Winters while he was unaware. Without her presence affecting him. She took the chance to peek past the carriage blocking her view, and watch.
He held himself tall, with a quiet confidence in the proud set of his shoulders. He looked broader from the back than from the front, with sturdy arms and a narrow waist that led to more slender hips. His waistcoat was custom-tailored, of course, and pinched in at the waist to make the broadness of his back even more pronounced.
He swung his arms gently as he waited. It was a little detail that Aurora had never paid attention to before, but it brought a smile to her lips.
Why did somebody sofrustratinghave to be so handsome? It wasn't fair.
The door creaked open then, and Aurora heard Lord Winters' delighted laugh as he greeted Father warmly. They disappeared inside together, the door falling shut at Lord Winters' back.
Aurora sat there for a moment, hands resting on her knees. Had she really just watched Lord Elmore unaware, like some kind of deviant? The fact that it was completely innocent was irrelevant; why did she care so much what he looked like from a distance?
With a huff, she climbed to her feet. She kept a little bowl of water by her side to clean her hands, and quickly rinsed them. Then, knowing that Father would summon her soon anyway, she wandered inside.
The house was chilly, at least more so than outside where the sun beamed brightly overhead. Aurora shivered as she delved deeper into the house, slipping into the kitchen to make tea.
The kettle took its time to boil, so she added biscuits to a plate and set out the saucers on a tray. The tea of choice today was apple, best drank without milk or sugar, but she brought some sugar anyway. Father had a sweet tooth, as it were.
She found Father and Lord Elmore in the downstairs study, lounging by the fireplace seats rather than at the desk.
Father beamed when she entered with the tea, and eagerly ushered her over. "I was just about to fetch you," he said happily, "what good timing. Please, sit, we have lots to discuss."
After placing the tea tray on the table and pouring them each a cup, Aurora sat. There were two seats left, and she specifically chose the one furthest from Lord Elmore. Unfortunately, being further away meant sitting in the perfect position for him to make eye contact.
She held his gaze for a long time, stubbornly refusing to look away first. Then she asked, "what was it we need to discuss?"
Lord Elmore offered an awkward smile. "I've had a look at my finances, and I can afford to support some of our endeavors out of pocket. I can provide perhaps half of the money we will need; this includes future samples, new equipment, that sort of thing. Unfortunately, this is a large project, and I can't fund all of it myself."
Aurora found herself scowling, something she did a lot of lately. A part of her was grateful towards Lord Elmore, for doing what he could; the larger part of her hated that they relied so heavily on his input. First, he had gotten the Duke to listen. Now they needed his money, too?
Yet, if the Duke was only sponsoring a small part of the project, the money had to come from somewhere. Goodness knew that she and Father didn't have enough; he was paid well, but notthatwell.
Before she had the time to doubt herself, Aurora blurted, "what about a fundraiser?"
Both Father and Lord Winters turned to look at her. Lord Winters almost looked impressed, his brows raised and a smirk playing at his lips.
"What sort of fundraiser? I admit, I had a similar thought myself."
She felt a trickle of annoyance that he'd had the same thought, because it meant hat Aurora hadn't come up with anything original.
Oh well.
"I think, maybe, that we could have a presentation at the museum?" she suggested.
It was a popular spot for botanists and those who were interested in gardening; but it hadn't changed in years. The museum was going stale; she thought that people would jump at the chance to listen to a presentation, and to experience something new.
"The owners will agree if they think it will garner interest in the museum and bring in new guests. And it will help us to get out names out there; ordinary museum guests can donate a small fee to see the presentation, and it might even bring in the interest of real, fellow botanists willing to sponsor us on a more official basis."
Father was smiling beside her, as he took slow sips of tea. He was lost in thought, a faraway look in his eyes as he listened.
"I think it's an excellent idea," Lord Winters said brightly, "I'm sure that fellow botanists would love a presentation; if I remember rightly, the botanical museum has a small room with a stage?"
Aurora shrugged. "I was thinking that we could do it on the museum floor, so that more people will see. It's less isolated, it will advertise itself."
Father hummed, a look of pride flickering across his face. "An excellent idea! I'm sure that the museum will love the idea; as you said dear, it will bring in more guests."