Chapter Text
Finally, I have my chance to get my hands on that book! The only thoughts rushing through your head as you ride in your estate’s carriage is how you can’t mess up sneaking into William James Moriarty’s room so you can get your hands on “ Instituzioni Analitiche ad Uso della Gioventu Italiana,” a book on numerical analysis published by the Italian mathematician, Maria Gaetana Agnesi. This is the book you needed to prove to your family to allow you to go study mathematics. The contents of the book don’t matter, what matters is that it proves women can study mathematics.
Not only that, but since he works as a professor, I’m sure he has other books that will pique my interest. From what I’ve heard, he teaches differential equations and higher-level calculus. I’m sure he has books on Euler then… Maybe he also has a copy of Hermite’s proof that e is transcendental… That proof is newer and I haven’t been able to get someone to get it to me yet.
Your carriage comes to a halt and you prepare yourself for the swarm of women about to compete against you to make their way into the Moriarty’s estate. Your butler opens up the carriage door and you step out, taking in the fresh air and looking at the gates ahead of you. Sure, you would have to feign interest in the Moriarty men to be able to get to the books, but you figure that you can use the crowd of women to slip away. Having a party at the Moriartys is unheard of, so you intend to use this chance to the best of your ability.
After Lord Albert Moriarty greets all of the guests, announcing the commencement of the tea party, you rush towards him with the rest of the women to better blend in. Sadly, Lord Moriarty is able to quash the commotion, destroying your chance to sneak into the mansion. With a fake smile plastered to your face, you take a seat at a table on the edge of the garden.
The mindless gossip about the Moriartys is the only topic at hand amongst the women at your table. Another one of the women asks your opinion on the men. “Well, they are just darling, aren’t they? Lord Albert’s eyes are such a striking shade of chartreuse and Lord William’s intellect isn’t to be trifled with.”
“But which of the brothers would you wish to court you? For me, Lord Albert is the best option.”
Your answer doesn’t need to be thought about and you respond, “Lord William. I think his intellect is attractive. I heard that he’s made progress on the binomial expansion first brought about by Sir Isaac Newton.” You think that William is attractive and have heard a lot about him from the gossip of the women around the town. You’re more interested in his intelligence, not that he isn’t pleasing to the eyes.
The other women give side glances to each other, seemingly lost by your comment. Murmurs at the table give away that the women are judging you for being more interested in studies rather than the dashing men amongst you. The woman to your left pretends to trip as she gets up and spills hot tea all over your arm and dress.
Not exactly how I planned for this to happen but I’ll use it . The chatter around your table goes quiet, catching the attention of Lord Albert. He approaches the table and takes your hand, looking at the fresh burn on it.
“Are you alright,” he questions to the displeasure of the women swooning over him. You glance around and see William teaching elementary maths to a group of women near the mansion and Louis is nowhere to be seen.
“I’m alright, My Lord. If you could point me in the direction of the privy, though, that would be nice. I wouldn’t want this stain to set in.” You flash a sweet smile towards him, encouraging him that you are, in fact, alright.
“Of course. You can clean up in the third room to the right on the left side of the hall when you enter the house.” He holds his arm out, directing you towards the house. You give a small curtsy, turning and making your way to the mansion. When you get near the house, you notice an older woman who appears to be attempting to look young, trying to get close to William. You smile to yourself, knowing he’ll be busy trying to fend her off. Little do you know, this is not how things will go.
After making sure the coast is clear, you make your way upstairs before heading toward William’s room. One thing you weren’t expecting, however, was other women trying to snoop in his room. They’re standing before his door, arguing about when they should go in.
“Are you two also trying to peruse Lord William’s extensive mathematics books,” you ask them.
“No, we just wanted to take a look around his room. You know there has to be something secret there, right?”
You clench your jaw, realizing this might be harder to get them to leave than you had first imagined. “Surely we aren’t childish enough to be snooping for things like that. You can read some of the textbooks with me if you would like. I heard that Lord William has a copy of Hermite’s proof that e is transcendental. Now that is something worth gossiping about.”
The two women tense up. Jackpot . People always clam up when you talk about your interests. Since many women still don’t have access to higher-level education, it’s no surprise that they’re lost by your comment. You already had a bit of a reputation for your outspoken tendencies towards your family, mainly that you wouldn’t accept not being taught what your older brother was being taught, much to their dismay. You were also known for not getting along that well with other women, which is why your attending this tea party was such a shock to your family as well as the other women in attendance.
Accepting defeat, the two women leave, brushing your shoulder as they rush past you. You watch them leave before making your way into his room. You set your hat down on the couch and move to the bookshelves, looking through them to see how he has them arranged. Alphabetic by author’s last name… Then I should be looking in the A’s. You have your pointer finger running along the spine of the books, reading their names to yourself.
“A-ha!” you tort to yourself. You grab the book and set it aside before looking at the rest of his collection. Euler, Euler, Euler… There it is! Foundations of Differential Calculus! The book is up high, so you’re up on your tiptoes reaching for it. You grab the book and just as you’re about to pull it back, you feel a presence press against your back, steading you and grabbing over your hand, helping you pull the book down.
“ Foundations of Differential Calculus ? This is a fine book,” the voice speaks from behind you. You turn around and the person takes a step back, taking the book from your hand. Before you stands William James Moriarty, thumbing through the book, looking at the pages where he had previously marked important concepts. His hair is pushed back and his tie is slightly loosened.
“Ah, Lord William, I’m terribly sorry about this. I’m interested in mathematics but my family forbids me to go to the library to study. I thought I could take this chance to read,” you spill the truth, feeling as though his scarlet eyes will see right through you.
“Y/n, the daughter of Lord L/n, right?” Your face flushes, realizing that William knows who you are. “A proper host should know all of their guests, no?” You sigh in relief.
“Yes. Let me formally introduce myself,” you curtsy. “Y/n L/n, eldest daughter of Lord L/n.” William chuckles and takes your hand, holding it to his mouth as a courtesy.
“William James Moriarty, second son of the Moriartys.” You stand up from the curtsy and pull your hand back once he releases it. He looks over at the book you set aside and picks it up. “I take it this is to show Lord L/n that women can indeed study mathematics?”
“Yes, I wish to attend university but my father would rather have me wed to a suitor,” you state blankly, looking at the book in his hands. He moves to sit on his couch, moving your hat to the armrest. William is two years your senior, so you still try to remain as formal as possible with your answers.
“Maria Gaetana Agnesi was the first appointed female professor in mathematics, this was a good choice.” You blush humbly at William’s comment. He motions for you to sit across from him and you do. “Although, not enough to persuade Lord L/n.”
You look at him in shock. “How do you know,” you question with too much enthusiasm. “I’m sorry,” you speak in a more level tone, “how does Lord William know this?” Your hands are clutching your dress, the burn on your hand stinging and the red tone highlighting the stain in your dress.
“Please, William is fine. Your father still sees you as irresponsible and if you go home with a book but your dress is sullied and your hand is still injured, that will confirm his notions.” Your grip loosens and you lower your head.
It is unbecoming to cry in public, but for some reason, it feels even more humiliating to cry in front of someone of the opposite sex. Tears drip from your face and you hold back your sniffles as much as possible. “I just want him to allow me to pursue my passions as my brother can,” you whimper out. You look up and over to the bookshelves, scanning over the vast amount of texts on mathematics. “You are lucky to be able to pursue maths freely as a man. Maybe if my family weren’t aristocrats, I’d be able to go to the library freely or he would allow me to study abroad instead of using me as a bargaining chip in his business negotiations.”
Your crying calms and you look back to William, “Pardon my asking, but by chance do you have Hermite’s proof of e being transcendental? My brother and butler both got yelled at for bringing me Taylor’s publications on series.” Tears stream down your face, accepting this will be the last time you will ever be allowed to as so much touch a book after your father hears about this.
There is a pause in the conversation. William stares at you, studying your reactions. You clearly hadn’t come in here to dig dirt up on him and your ability to get the other women to leave is impressive. He stands from the couch and kneels before you, taking your hand in his, his other hand behind his back.
“Allow me to properly introduce myself. William James Moriarty, criminal consultant.” he presses a kiss to the back of your hand, a more sincere greeting than the simple raising to his mouth from earlier. Your eyes go wide at the sight before you. “I have but one question for you, Y/n.” You nod your head and wait for William to look back at you. “Do you wish to be married?”
You’re taken aback and stutter out, “I-I mean yes, but not if it gets in the way of my studies,” you answer truthfully.
“Then, I have a proposal for you. You will become my wife and I shall personally see to it that you are able to study mathematics.” Your face sets on fire with a fierce blush as you stare at William.
“I- what? How is that your proposal?” You pull your hand back and look at William flabbergasted.
“Your father won’t let you study mathematics and wants you to be wed, there is no getting around that. However, once you have a husband, with their permission, you would be allowed to study freely. And as you saw earlier, I don’t exactly know how to handle rejecting women. To be quite frank, I have no interest in being married, but you seem devoted and this deal would work for both of us. You would be able to study maths and I would no longer have to entertain prospective partners. Isn’t that right, Albert?” William looks over at the doorway.
Your tear-stained face follows his gaze, spotting Albert standing in the doorway. He sighs and pushes off of the doorframe, walking into the room. “I trust your judgment Will but doesn’t having a bride pose other issues,” Albert implies to William, sitting down on the couch across from you, prompting William to stand back up.
William glances back at Albert before facing you again. His scarlet eyes shine with a simple response, “It will not. Did you dismiss the guests as I had instructed?”
“Yes, they were quite upset to hear that you were feeling ill suddenly and wished to retire.” You look between the brothers and back at William.
“I’m so sorry, I’m being selfish. I should leave,” you go to get up only to have William press a hand on your shoulder, keeping you seated.
“The real reason I came up here is that there was a little mouse looking for cheese. However, it was a perfect chance to escape that woman,” William retorts with a smile on his face. “Now, what is your answer, Y/n?”
You take a moment to think. You would be able to study the topic you love, your father would stop using you to make deals go through for his work by offering your hand in marriage as a possibility, he would stop bugging you about getting married despite using you, and you would have a respectable husband on top of it. Although, you don’t entirely understand William’s position. Certainly, he can’t just be doing this because it would stop women from approaching him. There must surely be another motive, otherwise, he wouldn’t make such a serious decision so lightly.
“Can you tell me your real reason for suggesting marriage,” you question.
William pauses before a smile spreads. “See, I knew you were smart. Just as you have rejected many suitors for not being intelligent enough for you to talk about your passions, I am in a similar situation. As I have just told you, I am a crime consultant. Although, that is a secondary job. Now, why would I want to get married in this line of work?” He’s testing you.
Why would William come to see who is in his room instead of sending a guard? There must be stuff in here that isn't meant to be seen. Although they would've known and prepared for that so this is merely just to see your intentions. On the other hand, they could send a guard for that as well, since the guards must be in on their secondary job. This leaves you with, William has previous knowledge of you, further than just your name and father.
“I am of benefit to you greater than just using me once,” you answer and William looks back at Albert. “I rebel against my father and his work, which benefits you. Having a wife would make it easier for you to miss events after you wed, allowing you to do your job more. And considering you proposed this idea after I cursed the aristocracy, I assume that also benefits you. I don't see how my interest in maths would benefit you, however.”
“I was told you were a bright woman, but your deduction skills are far greater than I assumed. Women's intuition, as they say?” William replies before continuing, “So what is your reply?”
You take a few moments to think while looking at the bookshelves before looking back at William, “I agree. I don't care about your secondary business as I've already seen my father's. As long as I can read your literature. And I would like to be courted semi-properly.”
William pauses at this and Albert laughs. “A woman has needs, Will. And it will make things seem more official to the public.” William sighs and extends his hand.
“I, William James Moriarty, shall marry you with the intention for you to be able to study mathematics. You, Y/n L/n, will have free reign of my literature collection. All I ask is that you help me against your father. And I shall court you. Properly.”
You smile and take William's hand, shaking it before getting up and brushing off your dress. Albert takes the chance to talk at this point.
“Every other estate was informed of William’s sickness besides yours. Shall we have you cleaned up and your hand treated? It would be improper to send you home like this.” You look down at the stain and frown before looking over to the book.
“I would rather read Fundamentals of Differential Calculus while I have the time. I assume I will be sent home at the original ending time?”
“You better watch out, William. Euler might steal your new bride.” Albert chuckles and calls in Louis. “Louis might get a little jealous, but I assume you heard everything?”
Louis grits his teeth at the idea of his beloved older brother being taken away from him. “Yes, I have, older brother.”
William steps towards you with the book in hand. “We have spare clothes for you to change into while Louis can work the stain out of your dress. You can read the book after I have a look at your hand. Does that sound alright?”
You nod and look between the three brothers. “Yes, that would be lovely.” And thus begins your courtship with William James Moriarty.