Page 51 of The Scholar's Key
The family stood before taking their leave, and Percy wished she could also slip out the door and run away. She stood as still as she could, staring out the window, although her back prickled as she felt her parents waiting.
“Well?” her father said, and she turned around slowly, finding him standing there with his arms crossed. “What have you to say for yourself?”
“Father, I appreciate that you are trying to make a good match for me, truly I do,” she said, her gaze flicking over to her mother for help, but her mother stood off to the side, her head slightly bowed. “I thought, however, that I would have some input in who I choose for a husband. Perhaps if you had discussed this with me alone, before—”
“Enough,” her father growled, and she jumped, even though his tone wasn’t loud, but rather even. Her father was not one particularly given to any emotion, but it seemed in this he was determined. “I did say you could have input, but that was two seasons ago. You are not only unmarried, but you have shown no interest in any man. What are you going to do, spend the rest of your life living with your brother?”
She tilted her head to the side. “Well, if he will allow it, then—”
Her father snorted. “Your brother needs to find a wife of his own, and he will have little chance of that if he has another woman living in his house. Especially a woman like you.”
“A woman like me?” she repeated as an ache began to creep into her chest.
“A woman like you, yes,” her father said. “One who speaks her mind, who doesn’t know her place, who is impertinent and defies what is expected of her.”
He was heated now, and Percy knew better than to continue to push him, but pain sliced through her at his words. She had thought that her father would always be there for her, that they had a bond that was stronger than the expectations placed upon them by society.
“Harold,” her mother said softly, trying to stop him, but that only earned her his anger.
“It’s your fault,” he said, pointing at her mother now. “You have been too indulgent with her.”
Her mother lifted her chin, stepping forward. “Have you asked Percy if she is interested in anyotherman?” she said, turning to Percy and nudging her chin forward in encouragement.
Percy bit her lip uneasily. Her mother couldn’t be referring to Noah – could she? However, he had called upon her a few times, and when they had been at social events, Percy had spent more time with him than any other man. She was sure that wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by her mother.
“I… have some interest, yes,” she said slowly, and her father stared at her intently.
“Does he return this interest?”
Percy was about to say yes but then paused. She had assumed that Noah felt something for her by the way that he had acted with her, but she didn’t know what that something was. Was it friendship? Lust? She couldn’t be certain.
“I am not entirely sure,” she said truthfully.
“Who is it?”
“I would not like to say until I know how he feels in turn,” she said, and her father sighed, waving his hand toward her, apparently having given up.
“Do what you must. I need an answer in two days. In the meantime, spend some time with Lord Stephen. He is a good man, from a good family. I do think, Percy, that if you open yourself to the possibility, you might be pleasantly surprised.”
“And he is ever so handsome,” her mother added.
With one last shake of his head, her father left the room.
Her mother turned to her with an eyebrow raised, taking Lord Stephen’s seat on the settee and patting the cushion beside her. “Come sit and tell me about Mr. Rowley.”
“There isn’t much to tell,” Percy said with a shrug as she did as her mother bid. “We have spent time together, and I do enjoy his company. However, even if he was interested in pursuing a romance with me – which, I would have thought he would have expressed that interest by now – he is a second son, one who spends his days with his nose in books, searching through old letters and diaries. I can hardly imagine Father approving.”
“Perhaps not,” her mother said thoughtfully, “but you never know. Perhaps he would surprise you. I believe that part of your father’s newfound insistence on your marriage stems from his concern that you will not be looked after.”
“I will always find my way,” Percy said, sitting as tall as she could.
“I know that,” her mother said, patting her hand. “But we would both like to make certain that you are taken care of. No one should be alone, Percy.”
With a squeeze of Percy’s hand, she stood and walked out of the room, leaving Percy to consider her future.
She had always considered Noah a friend, and when they had practiced flirtation, she had become more aware of him than ever before. It was not, in hindsight, the flirting that had made him attractive to her, nor even his change in looks. It had caused her tonoticehim, and once she had, she’d liked what she had seen. He was not at all what she had thought she wanted in a man, but she had come to realize that she liked the fact he was introspective, that he put other people first, and that he carefully assessed every situation. He was warm, safe, and steady, and she knew that she would always be able to count on him – something that could not be said about most people.
But was it enough to build a life together? And what would he have to say about it?
