Page 28 of The Rules of Courtship
He had liked speaking to her beside the bookcase last night, but that camaraderie slowly dissipated. Her words felt too calculating, her attention too fleeting, for him to take her seriously.
Hopefully Ruth had gathered more information about the woman and could straighten out Oliver’s thoughts. He hadhoped to spend some time that morning speaking to Lord Rocklin, but they hadn’t ended up in the same boat. He needed to find a way to inquire if Lord Rocklin had any memories of his father which might help him to locate the man, but it was a delicate situation and couldn’t be spoken about too openly. The scheme was a long shot, he must admit, but it was worth trying. But instead of furthering his search for his father in the boats, he’d been forced to endure a competition between Edmonds and Bailey, which neither of them won.
Samuel had reeled in the largest fish.
“Tell me, Rose,” Bailey said now, his gaze on the women walking slowly down the path. “Do you have any claim to Miss Wycliffe, or is she available?”
Why did Oliver’s stomach seize at the question? “We have no understanding,” he said truthfully. He wanted to protect her, but there was no reason for it. Bailey, by all accounts, was a well-respected gentleman with a tidy estate on the border of Surrey, close enough for Ruth to visit her parents but far enough away for her to have her independence. Oliver didn’t like how he felt around the man, but he’d admit to himself that it could very well be due to jealousy. Thus far, Bailey had not given him any true cause for concern beyond a marked interest in Ruth.
“Then my campaign shall commence,” Bailey said.
Oliver’s patience snapped. He needed to be out of this boat immediately. “I wish you the best of luck. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who knows their own mind better than Ruth.”
Samuel glanced at him over his shoulder, his golden eyebrow raised. Had he noted the irritation lacing Oliver’s words? He needed to be better about concealing his opinions.
“I do not mind a challenge,” Bailey said.
“I have been trying to convince Ruth to allow me to court her for years with no luck,” Samuel said. “Hopefully you will have better fortune than I did.”
Bailey looked thoughtful at this. He’d been described as a recluse when they met. Was he interested in obtaining a wife and returning to seclusion, or would he provide Ruth with the companionship she needed? The woman was far too social to accept such a quiet life.
The boat soon reached the dock. The men worked together to tie it off and bring their bucket of caught fish to the waiting servants.
“Did you have much success?” Miss Edmonds asked, coming to stand on the grass where the earth met the dock.
Ruth came up behind her, smiling at the gentlemen. Sunlight lit her pink cheeks and round, blue eyes.
“We caught enough for dinner,” Bailey said, grinning.
Miss Edmonds’s gaze dropped to the bucket on the dock, her nose wrinkling in distaste.
“Would you care to walk back to the house with us?” Samuel asked, stepping up the dock to approach the ladies. Servants were collecting the buckets of fish and equipment from the boats as the men all gathered together, moving toward the lawn.
Miss Edmonds glanced around the group of men before nodding. “We would love to.”
But there had been something that made her hesitate. A reason she would not wish to accept Samuel, perhaps? She seemed as though she wasn’t ready to return to the house. Meanwhile, Ruth was much quieter than usual.
Oliver looked toward Lord Rocklin and Mr. Kellinger, who were already walking away, deep in conversation with Mr. Watson. He would need to be more proactive in requesting an audience with the man.
For now, though, perhaps Ruth had gained insight when she was around the women that morning.
Bailey started walking toward the women. If Oliver didn’t act quickly, he would lose a chance to speak to Ruth alone. Hestepped forward and offered his elbow. “Can I walk you back to the house, Miss Wycliffe?”
She looked at Bailey before giving Oliver a smile. “That depends. Are your arms covered in fish?”
He gave her an amused shake of his head. “Shockingly, they are not.”
“Then yes, I’d love your escort. We wouldn’t want me falling over my feet.”
“You speak as though it is an outlandish idea, yet I’ve seen you do that very thing more than once.”
“You ought to at least pretend I’m a proper lady when we are around the other men,” she said, tucking her hand in the crook of his arm. They started up the path toward the house.
He was vaguely aware of Miss Edmonds speaking to her brother behind them and felt it was reasonable to leave her safely in Edmonds’s hands. “There is nothing unladylike about you, Ruth. You needn’t worry on that score.”
“All the same, we do not want you pushing suitors away.”
“No, you do that well enough on your own,” Oliver said, thinking of her rules.
