She pressed her lips together, clearly unwilling to tell. But in this, the mystery was solved by the no-longer-distracted Ronnie.
“Oh, she wants to show us her formula for a new women’s cream. Big secret. Excellent market potential. Women by the scores will be buying it.”
She spun around, her mouth ajar. “Ronnie!”
The bear simply shrugged. “Well, it’s not as if the lordling is going to manufacture it himself.”
A women’s cream? Certainly not. But he didn’t say that aloud, as he would likely learn more if he kept silent. And sure enough, the argument continued without him prompting it at all.
“That’s not the point!” Miss Smithson exclaimed. “This is my formula. I should be the one who decides who gets to know about it. And most especially, how I will sell it.”
Clearly, he was not to be included in her intimate circle.
The bear merely smiled as he leaned against the wall. “What she doesn’t realize is that she doesn’t need to prove her formula. Father likes the idea and thinks it a capital thing to take to market.”
“He does?” she cried, clearly excited. “But that’s…that’s—”
“Capital!” Trevor completed when the appropriate word seemed to escape her. “It means you need not demonstrate your formula. Your uncle is ready to market it whether or not I find out about it.” Which meant that she would go back to not throwing him out, and he could happily spend the next few days in the laboratory with her father.
“Not exactly,” interrupted Ronnie. Irritating fellow.
“What?” Miss Smithson asked. “What do you mean?”
“Weeeell,” answered her cousin, slowing down his words in the way of a natural-born storyteller. “We need the formula.”
The lady shook her head. “Not until…until…” She glanced his way, clearly uncomfortable with speaking such personal details in front of him. Fortunately, Ronnie had no such qualms.
“She won’t give over the formula unless the profits go to her.”
“Well, that seems fair,” Trevor said. After all, that was the point of creating a new product, wasn’t it?
“Of course it’s fair!” she said. “But Papa thinks a lady shouldn’t have her own money. Shouldn’t run a factory or be known to create formulas.”
Trevor nodded. “Well, it is somewhat unusual. I wouldn’t think you’d want to run the factory in any event. Nasty places, noisy and crammed full with unwashed people.”
She rounded on him. “That’s not the point!”
“But it is the point,” interrupted Ronnie. “What you want is unnatural, Mellie.”
Trevor heard her grind her teeth. It was quite audible. And then she spoke, each word spit out like tiny rocks.
“I won’t give over the formula any other way.”
“And neither of our fathers will put the money in your name.”
She exhaled slowly. Loudly. “Ronnie—”
“But there is one way you can have what you want. One solution that will make everyone happy.” He stepped closer, his eyes wide and his expression earnest. And he was such a large man that he by necessity shouldered Trevor aside even as he blocked the sun from the room.
“Ronnie,” she began, clearly knowing what was about to happen. But Trevor didn’t know. And he was suddenly very interested to find out.
“It’s our destiny. Has been since the day I was born.”
“No—”
The man dropped down to one knee. He went hard, the thud of impact on the marble echoed in the foyer, but the bear didn’t even wince. His eyes were all for his cousin as he captured her hands.
“Marry me, Mellie. I could tell you as many romantic things as you want. I can talk about your beauty and write poetry—”