Page 74 of The Rules of Courtship
Chapter Twenty-Seven
SAMUEL
Rule #27: Only put your faith in those who prove they are worthy of it
Samuel had not been prepared to find Ruth and Oliver locked in an embrace. The way their bodies had held fast to one another made clear how deeply their emotions ran. The sight had slammed him in the chest with two quick thoughts in succession. First, pain, because he was not quite over his feelings for Ruth, regardless of what he wanted to tell himself. The second, sadness. How long had Oliver loved Ruth? Had he only been hiding his feelings because Samuel could not seem to hidehis?
Samuel schooled his face into a neutral expression when they reached their horses. Ruth had insisted on accompanying them, and as she was already in her habit, there was no reason for Oliver to refuse her. Wycliffe had offered to come lend his support as well, but he needed to saddle his horse and would be along shortly.
They mounted their horses and set off for Boone Park, silence between the three of them.
“How many are there?” Oliver asked, guiding his horse across Wycliffe’s fields. The concern on his brow had not left since being discovered in the music room, and Samuel feared he was in for an uncomfortable private conversation later.
He was glad to have something else to focus his attention on. “Three. A woman who claims to have been married to Captain Rose and her two children—both daughters. The older seems about Ruth’s age. The younger does not seem old enough to be out yet, but is probably near being old enough for it.”
Had the family arrived only a few weeks ago, Oliver would likely be wondering if he was about to meet his sisters. Now, Samuel was glad for the knowledge that made it clear these young women were cousins to them both.
“Are you afraid they have fabricated the whole of it for a chance at Captain Rose’s fortune?” Ruth asked.
Samuel felt his neck heat. “That is what my father believes. Eliza’s father is more open to the possibility they are telling the truth. It is merely suspicious because this was the family who has been caring for Captain Rose during his illness.”
Ruth gasped.
Oliver looked at him sharply. “You ought to have led with that,” he said dryly.
When they reached Boone Park, they each dismounted and left their horses at the stables.
Oliver marched ahead with purpose, Samuel and Ruth falling behind him. There had been such a great many changes for their family recently. It was evident the weight had fallen on Oliver’s shoulders, but he had borne it with equanimity. Watching him now, it was clear he had grown stronger. His back was straight, his posture sure. Where he had usually been meek and quiet before, now he appeared confident. The change was a welcome one, and Samuel assumed it had something to do with Ruth.
This morning, when Oliver had left Boone Park, he had not been standing so tall.
They entered the drawing room to find the women seated on the sofa, with Mother, Father, and Uncle Charles seated around them. No one had been speaking.
“Mrs. Rose, I presume,” Oliver said, striding forward as though he owned the house. Well, Samuel supposed he did.
It was a bold move, taking the woman at her word before so much as speaking to her, but it was very like Oliver to offer the benefit of the doubt.
The woman rose, her curly hair drawn back and secured behind her head. Her gown was simple but made of quality material, and her daughters were younger versions of her, with similar gowns and the same curly brown hair. Samuel searched their features for evidence of his uncle’s influence, and he thought he might have seen it in the shape of their eyes, but both girls looked very much like their mother. The same small noses, same wary expressions.
He could possibly believe he saw a resemblance only because he wanted to believe they were telling the truth.
Introductions were made. Oliver offered the kindness of calling the woman Mrs. Esther Rose, her daughters Miss Rose and Miss Penny. Samuel watched the expressions of his family members, noting the scowl on his father’s face, the way his jowls pushed low and unhappy.
“Forgive our surprise, Mrs. Rose,” Oliver said. “We had not been informed of…” His words trailed off.
Esther smiled. “William felt it was important to keep the secret to protect you. I was…already with child when we met on board a merchant ship returning to England, when he was bringing you home to your grandmother.” She paused, looking at her daughters. Her posture was straight, her strength evident. This was not a woman to be trifled with. “I was escaping an unfortunate situation, and by the time we were married, scandal had not evaded me entirely. William had already told the world of his deceased wife and newborn son—he could not have announced a second bride so quickly without calling attention to the situation. He felt it would cast a light on Diana and bring others to guess the truth.”
“That is reaching,” Father snapped. “If he had married you so long ago, he would have told us.”
Esther’s smile was tight. “Perhaps. But he did tell your mother shortly afterward, and she was displeased with the union.” Esther looked at her daughters. “William chose to protect us.”
“By forcing you to remain a secret?” Uncle Charles asked respectfully.
She faced him, her posture rigid and proud. “None of my neighbors are ignorant about the state of my marriage. William often spends—” She stopped, swallowing. “Spenthis leaves at home with us, and his holidays when he could.”
It certainly explained why Captain Rose had spent little time in Harewood. Had he never considered that his choices, while made in the effort to protect Oliver, actually had the potential to hurt him more? It could not have been easy for Oliver to feel so abandoned by the man he believed to be his father. And yet, in the spirit of protecting him from scandal and the title of illegitimacy, Captain Rose had allowed the farce to continue for nearly thirty years.
In actuality, Samuel didn’t know which was better—to live believing one’s father wanted nothing to do with one, or to go about life with a stain. Illegitimate children dealt with persecution, and it would not have ceased when he became an adult. It would have affected his relationships, marriage prospects, and business dealings.
