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"May I introduce you, Viscount Danvers, to Miss Quinn Shaughnessy."
The Viscount looked Quinn over from head to toe and when he smiled it never touched his eyes. He reached for her hand to brush his lips across her knuckles and even through the gloves, her skin crawled. He held her hand a moment longer than was polite and when he did release it, she was tempted to wipe it on the skirt of her dress.
"Charmed." His voice even sounded like Derek's. An idea started to form in her head, an answer to why she was here, but her thought was lost when Thaddeus nudged her from her rudeness.
"It's a pleasure," she replied reluctantly.
Lady Danvers immediately appeared at her son's side, slipped her arm through his and led him away. Quinn watched as they walked across the room and the most bizarre thought popped into her head again. It was crazy and yet it made an awful lot of sense.
She was again pulled from her thoughts but this time it was from the heat of Archer's stare. His staring was unnerving and becoming more common. He rarely spoke to her but he watched her -- and not with disapproval but with interest as if he was trying to figure her out. There was no mention of their shared exercise -- and conversation between them during it was nonexistent. So when he approached Quinn and her name came from his lips, the first time he'd ever started a conversation with her, she knew she was looking at him as if he had sprouted another head.
"Miss Shaughnessy. I owe you my gratitude regarding my son's nurse. She was," he took a moment as if the next words were difficult to say and his expression was positively lethal, "...beating him and has been dismissed without references."
"How is Nickie?" Quinn implored.
His eyebrow rose at the use of the nickname but other than that he offered no objection to the use of it.
"He is well and has been asking about you."
"I imagine you haven't yet replaced his nurse."
"Not presently."
"I'd be happy to act as his companion until another can be found."
His expression was one of disbelief. "Why?"
"Because contrary to the opinions in this room," she shared, "I adore children and think we have just as much to learn from them as they from us."
His eyes grew a bit softer at that comment. Quinn felt a temptation to step closer and really look at them to see if she imagined the touch of warmth she saw burning there but she managed to control her impulse.
"I couldn't ask you to do that," he nearly blushed.
"You didn't ask, I volunteered. He will have to spend his time with someone until you find him a nurse and mostly everyone under this roof has daily chores to see to so he'd only be underfoot," she replied. "Those who don't have any pressing responsibilities have made their feelings very clear regarding children. I would truly enjoy his company."
"Very well. I'll inform Mrs. Hamston that you will be acting as his nurse until I can arrange for a new one." He bowed his head and started to leave but stopped and whispered, "Thank you."
At dinner the discussion was fairly benign but after Lady Danvers and Katherine excused themselves, complaining of headaches, the gentlemen -- with the new addition of the Viscount -- stayed in the dining room so as to not exclude Quinn. Soon the conversation turned to business and investments which was just what Quinn hoped would happen.
Thaddeus was mentioning Thomas Newcomen and the work he was doing. Quinn knew that in the next few years Thomas Newcomen would be the first to harness the power of steam to use in mechanical work: namely, he would create the first practical steam engine to pump water. His invention would later take off across the country, particularly in the coal mining industry. As far as investments went, this one was a winner. Quinn was happy to hear that both Thaddeus and Archer were investors in Newcomen's work but the Viscount was not.
"We can't just sit back and be idle, Edwyn," Archer admonished. "We need to take a more active role in our estates and finances. Simply marrying for money isn't going to keep our estates solvent generations from now. Our legacies should be something more tangible and not just the results of advantageous marriages."
Quinn was so shocked to hear such modern thinking coming from Archer that she simply stared at him in wonder.
"In the five years I've know you, your attitude has always been very odd, Arch, but I for one like the concept of marrying for money. It makes it all very simple. Not that I'm in the market for a wife, but if I was she'd be the richest one I could find." It looked like he was going to say more but the look on Archer's face dissuaded him. This was clearly not a conversation for mixed company in the 18th century. The Viscount unconsciously looked over at Quinn before he offered, "As far as our estates, that's why we have tenants to work our land and provide revenue."
Quinn didn't miss the look of disgust that passed over Archer's face before he quietly added, "Yes, well, some of us take a far larger cut from our tenants than others."
"Absolutely, they're lucky they have the land to work. We are entitled to take what we want."
"They're paying you for the use of that land," Thaddeus interjected but Edwyn ignored him and turned to Quinn.
"What doyouthink, Miss Shaughnessy?"
She was rendered speechless for a minute because looking at the Viscount she saw Derek looking back. Her mind was a bit scrambled as it tried to reconcile where her thoughts were taking her. She knew she needed to give an answer and found that she was thankful that not much was expected of ladies in this time because forming a real answer was beyond her.
"It's quite taxing just getting myself put together each morning. I couldn't possibly be asked to do anything more," she said in her most shrinking violet voice.
