“I had no idea too,” she said.
“Well,” Pembroke said, raising his glass of wine, “to our families.”
Louise also raised her glass. “To family.”
She took a swig of her wine and looked up to see Pembroke watching her intently. Louise smiled shyly and looked away only to see Callum frowning deeply at her. Not wanting to be distracted, she quickly looked away from him.
“Would you like to see some of the textbooks I used when I was in Oxford after dinner?” Pembroke asked, “There are extensive diagrams explaining complex things in there.”
“Uh...” Louise was taken aback.
“Oh, Lady Louise, I apologize for even suggesting such a thing,” Pembroke said.
“I am not upset, My Lord. Far from it,” Louise quickly said, “I am simply surprised that you have decided to show me such things.”
“You seem to have an inquisitive mind, Lady Louise and that is indeed rare to see,” Pembroke said, a dreamy look on his face again, “it is one of the things I miss about being at Oxford. I was always surrounded by people with inquisitive minds.”
Louise blushed. As a beautiful woman, she had received several compliments throughout her life, but she had never been called someone with an inquisitive mind. She liked the sound of it as it made her sound like some smart scientist or philosopher.
“Oh, you flatter me, My Lord,” Louise replied.
“Far from it, Lady Louise,” Pembroke insisted, “I loved talking to you. More than I thought I would.”
Louise nodded. “How do you plan to show me the textbook? Do you take your Oxford books with you everywhere?” Louise asked.
“Oh, I do not,” Lord Pembroke replied, “I had lent it out to Lord Felington sometime ago, therefore, I believe the book should still be in his library.”
“Is that so?” Louise said. She did not quite like the idea of the library, especially as it was not a crowded place like the rest of the other rooms in the house. Most people would prefer to engage in other activities other than reading; therefore, it is usually expected that the library be empty most of the time.
“So, what do you say, Lady Louise?” Pembroke asked, “Would you like to feed your inquisitive mind with the Oxford books?”
Cough! Cough!Louise looked in the direction where the cough was coming from, only to see Callum still glaring at Pembroke. She rolled her eyes at his childish behavior before she turned her attention back to Pembroke.
“My Lord, I would–”
“Could you be so kind as to pass me the pork, Pembroke?” Callum cut in.
Louise felt her temper flair, as she knew quite well that Callum was not in any way interested in the pork. He only wanted to disrupt her conversation with the good young man for whatever reason.
“Of course,” Pembroke replied, oblivious to Callum's plan. He gave the pork to Callum, who took it without as much as thanking him.
“Lord Langton,” Louise said, “I would suggest that you be careful with the pork. It contains pepper and that might not quite go well with your cough.”
Callum looked even more annoyed. “I appreciate the concern, Lady Louise,” he replied, his mouth set in a tight grim, “I believe I can handle a little pepper.”
“Why, I love that you are always so concerned for other people,” Pembroke said, looking at her with admiration in his eyes, “you would definitely make a good mother.”
Louise looked away.Is Pembroke saying that I would make a good mother for his children?“Thank you,” she replied, not showing just how excited she was, “I have always dreamed of having my own children, and I plan to have many of them.”
Pembroke nodded. “So, what do you say about the textbook and the library?”
Taking a quick glance at Callum, who was sitting across from her, red in the face with anger, Louise nodded. “I would absolutely love to, Lord Pembroke,” she said, “I cannot wait to see what I can learn from you.”
Pembroke smiled widely. From being courted by several men in the past, Louise had learned that the best way to make a man feel enchanted was to admire his intellect. And with Pembroke, Louise did not even have to pretend; he was indeed intelligent.
“In fact, I am finished with my dessert,” Louise said. By this time, most people had left the dining table after finishing their food.
“You are right, Lady Louise,” he replied.
