Claire, Priscilla, and Lucinda crouched behind the flower bed, trying to stifle their laughter.
"A man like Professor Churchill is destined to be a bachelor forever!"
Lucinda whispered in awe.
Priscilla had a different take. "He's just setting strict boundaries. If he doesn't like someone, of course he should reject them."
"If he doesn't shut it down now, she'd only cling harder, wouldn't she?"
If this female teacher had been just a little more shameless, Norris could have been guilt-tripped into spending his life with a woman he didn't love.
The mere thought of some unwanted woman eventually inheriting his estate was enough to make anyone sick.
While Priscilla didn't have anything personal against Honoria, she absolutely despised her manipulative tactics.
"Priscilla is right," Claire agreed. "No matter how much Honoria likes him, the fact remains that Norris isn't interested."
"Not giving her false hope is actually doing her a favor."
Although Claire secretly agreed that her cousin was probably destined to die a bachelor, it was still better than him marrying someone completely unhinged.
If he brought home a woman who loved putting on such theatrical displays, their family gatherings would be an absolute nightmare.
Lucinda nodded, persuaded by their logic. "You both make a good point. In that case, being too much of a gentleman would only backfire."
The situation reminded her of her own father, who had once been relentlessly pursued by a student.
In his younger years, Professor Vance had been quite the charming intellectual, and with his good looks and his status as a doctor, it was easy for people to become infatuated.
One of his female students had developed a fierce obsession with him, determined to take his wife's place.
The student had even confronted Lucinda's mother, spinning a web of ambiguous lies.
If her mother hadn't trusted her father completely, their family could have been torn apart.
Lucinda would have ended up caught in a messy divorce, feeling like an abandoned orphan.
"Exactly! Once a man commits, he has to stay strictly in line, and before he settles down, loyalty and self-discipline are the best traits he can bring to a marriage!"
Priscilla stated firmly.
Claire nodded in solemn agreement.
When it came to that, Dane excelled.
Seeing her reaction, Priscilla shot Claire a meaningful glance.
It seemed Dane was checking all the boxes for absolute loyalty.
Claire kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, deliberately avoiding her friend's eyes.
Whether Dane was perfectly behaved or not, she absolutely refused to become the subject of Priscilla's gossip!
"How much longer are you three going to spy on me?"
Norris's sudden voice from above sent the three eavesdroppers into a sheer panic. "Professor, what a coincidence," Claire offered a sheepish grin.
Norris tapped her lightly on the forehead, his expression a mix of exasperation and amusement.
"It's not a coincidence, and have a little dignity, will you? Three,
Beautiful girls crouching in net
the dir
behind a flower bed to eavesdrop was hardly a good look.
"Sorry, Professor. We know we crossed a line."
Lucinda apologized faster than anyone.
In fact, she practically folded on the spot.
Priscilla also lowered her head in embarrassment.
Claire, however, simply gave Norris a thumbs-up. "You handled that perfectly, Norris."
His execution had been flawless, which only meant he had plenty of practice dealing with unwanted schemes.
Norris let out a dry scoff but didn't say anything.
He knew full well she had been enjoying the show.
Lucinda, completely unaware of their actual relationship, stared at Claire in sheer awe.
To casually address the famously cold professor by his first name at a time like this -she was insanely bold!
"Take notes. You need to learn how to say no, too."
"Whether it's someone you don't like or something you don't want to do, you need to
shut it down the second it happens."
Norris hadn't always been so
ruthless
n his rejections; he havet
simply dealt with far too many
situations, like this growing up
He had evolved from a naive kid into a man who could handle any scheme with effortless precision.
He worried that Claire was still too soft to handle such things, which could easily drag her into a mess.
She was young, and if she
accidentally caught the at
someone truly shameless getting a nightmare.
rid of them would I