Page 13 of A Murder in Mayfair
His left brow arched. I’d surprised him. “Of course not.”
“Well, there you are. I’m perfectly safe in your company.”
For a few moments, his eyes focused intently on me as if he were trying to decipher a complex puzzle. “You’re rather unusual. I should have remembered.”
I bit back a grin. “Thank you, although I doubt you meant it as a compliment. Now, what did you wish to discuss?”
“I was dissatisfied with how things ended between us last night.”
“Things did not end, Your Grace, because they never began.”
“Be that as it may, you accused me of being less than a gentleman.”
“I apologized. Didn’t you get my note?”
“I did.” His upper lip twitched, creating a lopsided grin. “Beautifully written as it was, I didn’t get the feeling you were the least bit sorry.”
“Oh, dear. I’ll need to improve my groveling skills.”
The quirk became more pronounced, transforming his face from cold and forbidding to something quite mesmerizing. Drat! I’d forgotten he possessed a sense of humor. I would need to beware. He was fascinating enough as it was. Thankfully, in the next instant, he became all business. “The reason I requested this meeting was because I wished to extend an olive branch.”
That was the last thing I expected from him. “I’m listening.”
“Lord Naughton disposed of your petition in a rather shabby manner.”
“Shabby?” My ire rose hot and swift. “He tossed it into the fire like yesterday’s refuse. I spent hours writing it. The least he could have done was write me a letter noting its disposition.”
“I agree.”
“Do you really?” I gazed at him, wondering what game he was playing.
“It would have been the proper thing to do. Your proposal deserved better.Youdeserved better. And that leads to the reason I’m here. Because he treated it in such a discourteous manner, I’m willing to espouse the petition by introducing it at our next Legislation Committee meeting. I will argue it should be considered by the full House of Lords.”
To say he’d surprised me was an understatement. “I’m speechless, Your Grace. Thank you.”
He sipped his tea before offering a response. “I said considered, not approved, which is what will most surely happen.”
“You don’t think it will be moved to the floor for discussion?”
“No, I don’t. Many members of the House of Lords believe?—”
“—that women lack the education to make informed decisions. You also hold that belief.”
He nodded. “I do.”
Anger threatened to rise once more, but I couldn’t allow it full rein. He was extending a peace offering, after all. I would need to discuss the subject in a way he would understand. “Women lack education because they’re not given the opportunity. While fathers of the nobility provide their sons with a first-rate education at Oxford and Cambridge, their daughters are only taught the social graces. It’s no wonder they grow up ignorant of the world around them.”
“And what do you propose be done? We can’t force those universities to enroll women.”
“Parliament can create schools of higher learning where women can study advanced subjects. They wouldn’t have to be as prestigious as Oxford or Cambridge. They could be smaller ones, located around the country, that qualified females could attend.”
“Such schools already exist, do they not? The Cheltenham Ladies’ College and Roedean School, to name two.”
“But only for those who can afford them, Your Grace. We need to provide for everyone, not just the privileged few.”
“Even if Parliament was willing to create such schools, I doubt many ladies would enroll. Those who are unmarried need to work to earn a living. If married, they need to attend to their husband and children.”
“The schools would only accept unmarried ladies. Full tuition as well as room and board would be offered.”
