decision, my Lord," she said at last. "You will be free to concentrate on your great inventions and see them benefit the whole world. You need no distractions."
"Distractions, yes. That's what those frivolous women are. What I need is a woman who is as passionate about my creations as I am myself."
He did not say more, but his eyes intent on Dorina made it clear that she was the woman he had in mind. She felt as though she were floating in a blissful dream.
But his next words shook her to the soul.
"And it will take all the concentration and all the skill of which I am capable, to defeat John Radford."
There was a slight clatter as Dorina set down her wine glass too quickly, and struck her soup bowl.
"John Radford?" she asked faintly.
"My chief rival and the only one that I fear. You know so much, you must surely have heard of him?"
"I have heard the name," Dorina said cautiously. "I believe he too is an engineer of repute."
"Indeed he is, and a very great man," the Earl agreed with a readiness that warmed her to him. "Whatever major engineering developments there have been this century, he has led them."
"He? Not your father?" Dorina could not resist asking.
He made a humorous face.
"No, Radford was always just a little ahead of my father in ingenuity and inventiveness. Not that I would have admitted that while Papa was alive. He too was a great man in his way and he improved dramatically on many of the ideas that were invented by other people. But he seldom got there first, and it was always his ambition to outdo John Radford.
"The only way he managed it was with his title. He was so proud that they made him an Earl and offered Radford nothing. Mind you, I heard rumours that Radford was offered a title and refused it. I'm only glad my father never knew that. It would have spoiled the victory that meant so much to him.
"Since he died, it has been my ambition to outwit John Radford, on my father's behalf. And now – " a glow seemed to light his face, "now I'm finally within sight of doing it. You can't imagine what that means to me."
"Does it matter so much, being the first?" Dorina asked.
"It's the first man whose name goes down in history," the Earl said simply. "John Radford knows that as well as I do. I suspect that's why he's suddenly gone quiet."
"How do you mean?" Dorina asked in alarm.
"He almost seems to have vanished from the face of the earth. People who contact his business in Birmingham find themselves talking to employees, but never to the man himself. It's as though he's gone into hiding, and my guess is that he's very close to victory and doesn't want any distractions. If only I knew the answer."
He stopped as Henly appeared to clear away the soup plates and serve the next course. Meanwhile Dorina tried to think of a way to distract the Earl from this subject which was fraught with danger.
When they were alone again she said,
"So let us plan for the future of your horseless carriage. Have you decided on the next step?"
"There are one or two small technical problems to be overcome, but they won't take long. The steering needs a little attention."
"Tell me more."
She spoke only to distract his attention. She did not care about the steering, but she loved to hear him talk with such intensity.
And he did talk. All through the meal he discussed his work with a total confidence that Dorina could appreciate. In fact, she did not understand everything, but she knew she could follow more than any other woman would have been able to.
The Earl was good at explaining things, better than her beloved father had been, she had to admit. Many things became clear to her that had been obscure before. The whole wonderful world of engineering and inventions seemed to open out before her, as if for the first time.
At last the Earl said,
"Serve us coffee in the library, please Henly. Then everyone can go to bed."
When they were alone in the library he poured the coffee himself, while he talked on for
"Distractions, yes. That's what those frivolous women are. What I need is a woman who is as passionate about my creations as I am myself."
He did not say more, but his eyes intent on Dorina made it clear that she was the woman he had in mind. She felt as though she were floating in a blissful dream.
But his next words shook her to the soul.
"And it will take all the concentration and all the skill of which I am capable, to defeat John Radford."
There was a slight clatter as Dorina set down her wine glass too quickly, and struck her soup bowl.
"John Radford?" she asked faintly.
"My chief rival and the only one that I fear. You know so much, you must surely have heard of him?"
"I have heard the name," Dorina said cautiously. "I believe he too is an engineer of repute."
"Indeed he is, and a very great man," the Earl agreed with a readiness that warmed her to him. "Whatever major engineering developments there have been this century, he has led them."
"He? Not your father?" Dorina could not resist asking.
He made a humorous face.
"No, Radford was always just a little ahead of my father in ingenuity and inventiveness. Not that I would have admitted that while Papa was alive. He too was a great man in his way and he improved dramatically on many of the ideas that were invented by other people. But he seldom got there first, and it was always his ambition to outdo John Radford.
"The only way he managed it was with his title. He was so proud that they made him an Earl and offered Radford nothing. Mind you, I heard rumours that Radford was offered a title and refused it. I'm only glad my father never knew that. It would have spoiled the victory that meant so much to him.
"Since he died, it has been my ambition to outwit John Radford, on my father's behalf. And now – " a glow seemed to light his face, "now I'm finally within sight of doing it. You can't imagine what that means to me."
"Does it matter so much, being the first?" Dorina asked.
"It's the first man whose name goes down in history," the Earl said simply. "John Radford knows that as well as I do. I suspect that's why he's suddenly gone quiet."
"How do you mean?" Dorina asked in alarm.
"He almost seems to have vanished from the face of the earth. People who contact his business in Birmingham find themselves talking to employees, but never to the man himself. It's as though he's gone into hiding, and my guess is that he's very close to victory and doesn't want any distractions. If only I knew the answer."
He stopped as Henly appeared to clear away the soup plates and serve the next course. Meanwhile Dorina tried to think of a way to distract the Earl from this subject which was fraught with danger.
When they were alone again she said,
"So let us plan for the future of your horseless carriage. Have you decided on the next step?"
"There are one or two small technical problems to be overcome, but they won't take long. The steering needs a little attention."
"Tell me more."
She spoke only to distract his attention. She did not care about the steering, but she loved to hear him talk with such intensity.
And he did talk. All through the meal he discussed his work with a total confidence that Dorina could appreciate. In fact, she did not understand everything, but she knew she could follow more than any other woman would have been able to.
The Earl was good at explaining things, better than her beloved father had been, she had to admit. Many things became clear to her that had been obscure before. The whole wonderful world of engineering and inventions seemed to open out before her, as if for the first time.
At last the Earl said,
"Serve us coffee in the library, please Henly. Then everyone can go to bed."
When they were alone in the library he poured the coffee himself, while he talked on for
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