Page 48 of The Rules of Courtship
She knew she ought not to be out here alone, but she needed to think and the air felt refreshing after the stuffy heat inside.
Ruth’s steps slowed after she found the safety of the hedges. She dropped her face in her hands and let out a soft groan, pacing the space without stopping, enjoying the exercise and movement. When she rounded the corner toward the fountain, she ran into a thick wall that let out an oomph and grabbed her by the shoulders.
Ruth gasped, drawing breath for a scream, when a hand clapped over her mouth.
“Hush, Ruth. It is only me.”
She raised her gaze and looked into the familiar darkened eyes of Oliver Rose.
Chapter Seventeen
Rule #17: Never wager more than you are willing to lose
Once Oliver was certain Ruth wouldn’t squeal at the surprise of their encounter, he lowered his hand from her mouth. She blinked up at him, her chest heaving and blue eyes dark in the shadows of the garden.
“What the devil are you doing out here?” she asked.
He didn’t know another woman who used language like that in front of gentlemen, but he also didn’t know anyone else who had grown up alongside his friend Ryland. Ruth was uniquely capable of both strength and ladylike behavior—as evidenced yesterday when she’d held her wits about her during Edmonds’s accident, then arrived at dinner looking like the most beautiful woman in England.
“Oliver,” she repeated. “What are you doing?” She spoke quietly, careful not to be overheard in case anyone had stepped onto the balcony.
“I snuck out here for some air,” he told her. “I had not realized anyone saw me.”
“You think I followed you?” She scoffed. “Iam the one who snuck out here for air and hoped no one saw me.”
He believed her. But prodding her had always been a bit of a sport between them. “If you say so.”
Ruth’s hands immediately went to her waist. “I did. It was…suffocatingin there.”
Oliver’s heart began to race. That implied…dare he hope she did not take pleasure in her time with Bailey? “It appeared to me that you and Mr. Bailey were enjoying yourselves.”
Her hands dropped, a grimace falling over her features. “I moved his bishop instead of my own. My mind was not anywhere near capable of playing a good game.”
“It wasn’t the game I imagined Mr. Bailey had been appreciating.”
Her eyes flashed toward his. Had she sensed the shift in his emotions? He was doing his best to cover them well. “I am not certain he is free to enjoy anything of that nature. I asked Sarah to learn what she could below stairs, but she has been unsuccessful so far. Even if Mr. Bailey does not love Miss Edmonds, she believes?—”
“I spoke with him about this,” Oliver said. He should have told Ruth sooner, but they had yet to be alone together since the accident yesterday. “Bailey did not know Miss Edmonds prior to coming here. He met her for the first time when he arrived for this house party.”
“But…how? Who, then, could she have meant…unless Samuel?”
Oliver shrugged. “If Samuel is in love with her, he has not mentioned it to me.”
“The only other available man is Lord Rocklin.”
They shared a look.
“She would not be the first woman to choose stability and atitle over love,” Oliver said kindly, doing his best not to think of the decades spanning their ages.
“I suppose not.” Ruth’s nose wrinkled. “Many women would marry any man so long as he came with a title. But he is soold.”
“It certainly would explain her motivation.” Oliver frowned. “Though I thought you mentioned Miss Edmonds was in love.”
“That was what she told me, but it doesn’t make sense.”
Oliver considered the men in the house. “You’ve forgotten one gentleman.”
“Who?”
