Magic in the Stars by Patricia Rice

and
there is an Ives behind it. Duncan has been the only Ives interested in the
land. Perhaps in another generation . . . but not now.”
    Aster perused her mental list of his family but concluded
much as he had. “Land is scarce. Unless one inherits a vast amount, farming is
not a profitable industry. I understand.”
    “But women often run small farms, don’t they?” he asked with
a plea in his eyes.
    She gestured helplessly. “We grow roses for perfume, herbs
for medicine, but we do not often have the land required to run sheep or grow
wheat, nor the wealth to have tenants. Perhaps a widow who has helped manage
her late husband’s estates. It will take some research. How long will you be in
London?”
    If nothing else, she had to respect a man who accepted that
women could do more than look pretty.
    “I can’t waste a moment,” he said in despair. “Erran’s
business is in London. William is only home a tenth of the time. Jacques is currently
standing guard, dealing with farmers and merchants, but he has no head for more.
The rest of the lot are schoolboys. We have a cousin who promised to help at
harvest, but I need to produce my glass orders now . And there are still the shipping and mining ventures needing
attention. I feel like a jester juggling too many balls.”
    “You are not very good at juggling yet,” she remarked. “You
dismiss everyone as inconsequential when, with a little planning, each person could
take up one small piece of the load. Perhaps what you need is a managing female.”
    His glower didn’t perturb her. His eyes were a glorious
experience. Today, the gray had lightened to a sky blue shadowed by lashes as
long as her own. Aster wanted to smile at his frustration, but this was not a
laughing matter. His situation was serious—with the potential to endanger her
own. Her charts had been quite clear on the matter.
    Ashford’s blindness was alarming. The marquess had been a
potent force for change in the Lords. His loss would be felt in wider circles
than the estate—like Gwenna’s bill to help child laborers. Losing his support
could be catastrophic to their goals. Aster’s instincts failed her on the
proper action now.
    “I will stay in London long enough to learn of available
stewards,” Lord Theo said frostily. “Then I must be off to interview them.”
    “Suitable women do not grow on trees, my lord,” she
countered. “It will take time. Your glass orders will have to wait. And might I
remind you, my charts are complex and time-consuming. I do not produce them on
whims or for free. Just as you must make your own living, so must I make mine.
You would do well to have a few women in mind as a starting place.”
    That caught his attention. Apparently, if she was to cost
him money, she became a little more worthy of his interest.
    “You didn’t charge us for the warning,” he said, halting his
pacing.
    “I’d drawn your brother’s chart for my library. The warning
was for the good of the country and possibly my family. Finding a wife is a
selfish pursuit and entirely a different matter.”
    “It’s not a damned chart I want, but a wife. Is the cost the
same?” He appeared to be clenching his teeth as he asked.
    “It is not always a matter of money,” she answered, thinking
quickly. “In your case, a successful request to the Astronomical Society to
accept astrology as a science would earn you half a dozen charts.”
    Lord Theo’s jaw tightened. “Astrology is not a science. It
is a female affectation I’m willing to endure in hopes of getting what I need.
Real scientists would not be so polite. They would tear your charts apart if
you attempted to present them.”
    “My charts are very scientific!” Female affectation ! She should smack him, but she’d encountered
this type of opposition too often. She simply needed to convince him otherwise.
“To what purpose do you seek the stars if not to enlighten human understanding?
We use the same mathematics, share