He straightened in surprise. “I suspect you would be excellent at that,” he said slowly.
She heard the hesitation in his voice. “But you don’t think I can do it.”
“Not alone. And not all at once.”
She arched a brow, so he eventually conceded the rest.
“And not such that it would earn a great deal of money. Not for a while, at least.”
She smiled at him. “At least you have not dismissed the idea.”
He took a breath. “I listen to a great many ideas from a great many people. Mostly young men, but the older ones have strokes of genius as well.” He shrugged. “The world practically overflows with good ideas.”
She arched a brow. “But there is a problem?”
“Money. Time. I believe you would follow through with your ideas. I believe you would be willing to put in the work.”
She nodded. “I would.”
“But how would you live while you establish yourself? Registries are notorious because they don’t make money without bilking their clients. And where would you place your office? People must come and go but a shop is expensive, since you must pay rent for the space. Especially since you would want to be in a respectable neighborhood.”
He saw her absorb his words, her teeth pressed into her lower lip. He did not mean to dash her dreams, but he had seen many people lose everything on unmanageable ideas that had not been thought through. And that didn’t even begin to address the most serious question.
“Will your family support your ambition?”
She looked into his eyes. “My adoptive mother wants me to stay at home and manage her household.” She blew out a breath. “She wants me as an old spinster keeping her company through the rest of her life.”
He tilted his head to look her in the eye. “Was that the discussion this morning? Is she the dragon who dimmed your fire?”
“She’s not a dragon,” Miss Rees hedged. “She cares for me, but she has a vision of my future. Indeed, she’s decided what every one of us will do, and she’s an expert at managing things to her satisfaction.”
“She prevents you from considering gentlemen who might marry you and she—”
“Provides me with enough comfort and pin money to dissuade me from searching for a job.” She took a deep breath. “I am not mistreated, my lord.”
“But you are not allowed the full choices that you would like.”
She laughed, but it was a low, unhappy sound. “No one gets a full array of choices.”
“What will you do?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I have only landed on this idea today.”
“Then perhaps you should explore it without spending any money. Think of how you would fashion your registry. Look for a place to have it. Perhaps there are other options of which you are unaware.”
“Perhaps I will find that I am not suited to it at all.”
“You will never know unless you look.”
She smiled at him and this time he saw a full measure of excitement in her eyes. No restraint, no fear. And he felt like the greatest dragon hunter of all since he had been the one to bring her there.
Chapter Ten
Lilah’s mind wasspinning. She had so many ideas, and none of them would settle. Every idea sparked another and another. She realized very quickly that she would have to get a hold on her runaway thoughts. She itched to start making lists and sort through her options, but she was walking home with Lord Kittrel and as much as she ached to flesh out her plans, she wanted to linger with him more.
“You have given me so much to think about,” she said as she spun around on their walk. “I haven’t felt this excited since…” She pressed her lips together. She wasn’t supposed to talk about her childhood.
“Don’t stop now,” he said with a grin. “Since when?”