“Even his dogs saw through him! He complained that they never listened when he addressed them.”
Lord Sayres snorted, and his amusement made her smile. It moderated her ire enough that she addressed him directly and with total honesty. It helped that they were at last at the steps to her home and she could stop and face him.
“All my life, I have been out of step with everyone else. Even with my vast intelligence, I cannot find the right rhythm to match anyone else. I do not believe it is possible. Which means I cannot be brought into popularity.”
“But of course you can,” he returned. He was smiling warmly at her, and his eyes heated to a rich amber in the sunlight. Quite handsome, but not handsome enough to distract her from the discussion.
“I have tried, my lord, but—”
“You failed because you made an error in logic.”
She felt her chin lift in automatic insult. She was not a woman who tolerated illogic, especially in herself.
“That is patently untrue,” she said.
“The error is in that you tried to adjust yourself to everyone else. Lady Gwen, popular people set the tempo. Everyone else must march toyourrhythm.”
She stared at him a moment. She thought over his words and saw a certain type of reason in it. But she could not in any way see herself leading anything or anyone. “It’s not possible.”
“That is a failure of imagination,” he chided.
She sniffed. “That is male arrogance. A better word is ‘hubris.’” There. Let him ponder that. She didn’t know ten gentlemen who recognized the word “hubris.”
He shook his head. “I make no claim to be better than a god. And Arachne was a woman, so hubris is not unique to men.”
She blinked, startled enough that she felt her jaw go slack. He knew the word? And the way in which it had been used? She couldn’t credit it. “You’re a student of Greek poetry?”
He shrugged. “Not really. The basics, at best.”
She didn’t know a single man on thetonwho didn’t preen a bit when he used scholarly words. Not a one would admit to knowing only the bare minimum of anything. They all pretended to more depth than they had, and it had become a game to her to pierce their veneer with a few well-placed questions. Needless to say, that did not endear her to them.
She was so shocked as to be silent. And in that space, he smiled at her, clearly knowing he had the advantage of surprise.
“I should like to change my clothes, Lady Gwen, and then return this afternoon so that we can discuss this more deeply.”
She blinked. “Hubris?”
He chuckled. “Your transformation into a society leader.”
That was ludicrous enough to jolt her out of her shock. “Impossible, my lord. Set your mind to finding a lady more suited to the task.”
She nodded to him by way of good-bye, then began climbing the stairs in front of her home. Her butler was just opening the front door when she heard his words.
“I shall call this afternoon, Lady Gwen.”
She looked back and saw the most curious expression on his face. It was one of challenge and mischief, accompanied by an ancient gesture more appropriate to a medieval night than a mythical satyr. He mimed throwing down a large gauntlet at her feet.
“Consider it a challenge.”
“You’re daft,” she said.
“Even so.” Then he winked at her as if he truly were a satyr tempting her into all sorts of inappropriate behavior.
Well that just showed that he didn’t know her very well. She was never one to pick up a task just because a handsome man offered it. And yet, there was something about that wink that got her thinking, thinking, thinking in the most ridiculous directions.
Chapter Seven
Jackson had neverwanted sleep more, but his mind kept churning. He had a plan to rescue his finances and his brain had arranged all the pieces including the people he could recruit to his purpose. But it all depended on Lady Gwen’s cooperation.