Page 79 of The Rules of Courtship
She scowled up at him. “The pains were not so bad an hour ago.”
“Take Grandmother’s room,” Oliver said. “It is the only chamber I know to have clean sheets. It was prepared for Esther, but she did not feel comfortable… Anyway, you can go there directly, unless you’d like to wait for another bed to be made up.”
She nodded, and Jacob lifted her tenderly in his arms, moving toward the stairs.
“Oliver,” Eliza said, forcing her husband to look back. “When you are finished sending for the doctor, will you be so kind as to inform my mother and sister of the situation? I would like for Ruth to know as well.”
“Of course. I will see it is done.”
“And Peter,” Eliza said. “Aurelia and Ryland are minding him. They must be informed.”
“I will see he is brought here,” Oliver promised.
“Anne!” Eliza said. “I need my maid. I need Anne.”
Oliver fought his amusement at Jacob’s exasperation. “She will be here,” Oliver promised.
Jacob caught his eye briefly. “Thank you.”
Oliver nodded, unable to reply. There was a grateful, knowing look from Jacob that made Oliver wonder how much he knew about the nature of their true relationship, but he shook the thought away for now. He had tasks. A baby was coming.
It had takenthe better part of an hour for Oliver to send for the doctor, locate Aunt Rose and Mary in the parlor and tell them of Eliza’s situation and whereabouts, write a note to Ryland about Peter and have it sent to their house, send a groom to fetch Anne, and have his horse saddled to ride for Willowbrook. Mr. Dale had verified he needed nothing further from Oliver, and that bank draughts would be prepared shortly for each of the beneficiaries.
That still left Oliver without the money he needed to save Boone Park.
He could take his inheritance and invest it, but that was either a slow gain, or he had the potential of losing it all. He’d thought of purchasing horses and attempting to breed them, but he had watched Wycliffe struggle for the last few years, losing foals and mares alike. It was not a guarantee of funds, either.
No, he was still without a plan. The idea that he could lose Ruth over this sent his body into a fit of nerves, his hands shaking as he pulled his horse up to the front of Willowbrook House. Because now that he had her—now that they each admitted their feelings, now that he’d tasted her lips and knew her heart belonged to him—he could not imagine a life without her by his side.
There was an answer. Oliver just needed to find it.
The front door flung open and Ruth hurried out, unceremoniously coming to his side after he swung down from the saddle, his boots hitting the gravel with a thud.
Her beaming smile reached through his chest, further hardening his resolve to do whatever he must to be worthy of her.
“You’re here,” she said, smiling widely. Her brown hair was pulled back, but a few wayward locks fell loose, lifting in the soft warm breeze.
Oliver handed his horse off to Jameson and allowed Ruth to pull him up the steps to the front door. His chest glowed when she took his hand. It was not until they were heading down the familiar corridor toward Wycliffe’s study that Oliver realized why Ruth thought he was here—to have the second meeting with her father. He had forgotten. His mind had been on Eliza and carrying out his tasks.
They stopped before the study door. The painting of Wycliffe’s favorite horse, one that Ruth had painted in her youth, still hung in the same place, arresting him. He stared at the horse, his mind awhirl after all the things that had happened recently, after all the ways his life and understanding had altered. He’d come here that day to ask for her hand. How differently would things have gone had he done it then? Oliver couldn’t regret waiting. The decision was stronger, his love surer now.
“Wait,” Ruth whispered, squeezing his fingers. Her deep brown eyes bore into him. “Are you well? Is everything well?”
He gave her a hint of a smile, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand, and determination flared within him. “It will be.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rule #29: Always listen to the counsel of your parents, but never be afraid to share your opinions
It was deuced unfair that conversations which centered on Ruth and her future had to be conducted without her present. She clung to Oliver’s hand before releasing it to knock on the door.
“Enter,” Papa said.
Ruth pushed it open and stepped inside. “Oliver is here.”
“I have come to speak to both of you,” Oliver said, clearing his throat. “If that is acceptable.”
Ruth tried to cover her surprise. She was not used to being included, but she ought to have known Oliver would be different. He had always been different. She looked into his clear green eyes and fell into their warmth, forgetting for a moment where she was. She wanted nothing more than to pull him into the music room again—but first, her father’s blessing.
