Oliver respected that. But . . . He swallowed, though it did nothing to relieve his tight throat. “And you think that’s Lord Sheridan? Despite the fact that they don’t even like each other?”

“I think they respect each other, which is frankly more than I can say for any other acquaintance she’s made. He wouldn’t try to change her. He wouldn’t forbid her from being who she is or take her microscope away or grow angry when she resists going to London.”

“But accepting and appreciating are vastly different, my lord.” His fingers curled into his palm. “And she deserves more than just being tolerated. She deserves to be loved.”

“At what cost?” Telford cast a critical eye over his gardens and the house Oliver loved so much. “Perhaps she thinks she likes it here, but it’s a novelty. How quickly would it begin to chafe when you couldn’t afford to buy her new slides or books or allow her to travel?”

He didn’t mean to bristle. But he wasn’t as broke as all that. “Don’t presume to know my ledgers so well, my lord. But even so—I think you underestimate your sister.”

Telford blinked at him, shook his head. “I’ve known her for twenty years. You’ve known her for a month.”

“And Lord Willsworth has had only a few conversations with her, yet I imagine if he came to you seeking your blessing, you’d give it. And why? Because he’s titled? Wealthy? Do you really suppose those things will make her happy?”

Rather than answer, Telford studied him for a long moment. Not with the immediate dismissal he’d looked upon him with before, or with the disdain he’d lavished upon him since. He seemed, for the first time, to be trying to gauge the sort of man he was. Then he drew in a long breath and straightened his shoulders. “Again, I don’t mean to be an ogre. But she’s my sister, and I have to protect her. You understand that.”

“Of course I do.”

“So then. You know it’s with her best interests in mind that I say this, not because I have any particular dislike for you.” He took a step back, lifted his chin, and looked suddenly the earl, not just the big brother. “If you propose to her, and if she says yes, she won’t get a penny of Telford money. No dowry. No monthly allowance.”

A perfectly logical threat meant to dissuade him if he were only interested in her because of the windfall she could bring him. “Understandable. But would you cut her off emotionally as well?”

Telford’s brows slammed down. “I beg your pardon?”