Read Online Magic in the Stars by Patricia Rice - Free Book Online Page B

after their mother’s
death,” Lady Azenor whispered. “You might marry off all your younger brothers
as they come of age.”
    “That will happen when the moon is discovered to be made of
green cheese,” Theo murmured in his hostess’s ear. The dainty Lady Aster
pinched his arm in retaliation.
    He forced a smile for Juno. “Perhaps Lady Azenor should
teach a class in astrology so others could learn to do what she does.”
    “An excellent idea,” the lady in lavender said. “Those of us
of a mathematical persuasion could form a society.”
    “We need the findings of the Astronomical Society to keep
our charts updated,” his hostess said with an emphasis aimed at him.
    “Teach your class to repeat your findings on their own and
build a case for astrology as a science,” Theo suggested, more or less
facetiously. Lady Azenor did not seem to require simpering blandishments, so he
felt comfortable speaking to her as one of his brothers. “Are all the ladies
here of a mathematical sort or are some familiar with agriculture or other
pursuits?”
    Lady Azenor smiled frostily at this reminder of his needs
and squeezed his arm to steer him. “If you’ll excuse us, Miss Jenkins, I should
introduce his lordship to the baroness.”
    “A baroness in her own right? If it means she owns land,
that sounds promising,” Theo said, studying the parlor filled with milling
females and fighting an urge to flee for his life. There weren’t sufficient
chairs for sitting, so the women sipped tea from dainty cups and circulated in
eddies, much as leaves did in a stream. He couldn’t distinguish one from another
any more than he could identify leaves.
    “Could I really catch the attention of the Society if I
taught others to duplicate my charts?” she asked in a low voice that mirrored
her doubt.
    “Only if they all read the same results into them as you do.
If every one of them could have predicted the king’s death and Duncan’s
accident, the Society would have to listen.” Theo doubted the Society would care , but then, he doubted her
predictions could be duplicated any more than his mother’s vague prophecies
could be proved.
    Inductive reasoning ,
his foot and eye. Marriage must rot a man’s brain if Herschel’s new theory was
any example.
    “I would love to have the information and understanding of
the planets’ movements that astronomers possess. Do you produce periodicals I
can peruse?” She didn’t wait for an answer but brought him to a lady of average
stature, whose nondescript coloring wasn’t enhanced by the swathes of beige
draped over her less-than-prepossessing figure. Judging from the wrinkles in
the corners of her eyes and the slight sag of her jaw, the lady was older than
Theo. Not entirely a bad thing if it meant she had the experience he required.
    Theo wondered if he could interview prospective wives in the
same manner he would interview a steward. Not that he knew how to interview a
steward either.
    “Lady Wilkins, Lord Theophilus is the gentleman of whom I
spoke. My lord, the baroness owns lands in the Lake District. She is familiar
with sheep. I will leave you two to talk. I wish to see if there is any
interest in an astrology class.”
    Lady Azenor abandoned Theo to his own devices.
    “You need help with sheep?” the baroness asked in a guttural
accent that revealed her foreign origins.
    “My brother does. His estate is extensive, and his managers
aren’t doing the job they should.” Theo wasn’t good at fabricating, but Duncan
wasn’t ready to reveal his blindness to the world. “We need a good steward,” he
added.
    “There are no good stewards,” the lady said harshly. “You
must know your herd personally. I go out with the stock each spring and take
note of all the lambs. It is the only way,” she insisted.
    Theo damned well wasn’t counting sheep, even in his sleep,
but if the lady wanted to . . . He had to keep an open mind.
Perhaps Duncan would be interested in