Page 87 of The Rules of Courtship
Ruth absolutely beamed.
“We ought to be leaving soon,” Lady Helena said. “We are taking Catherine Temple and Mrs. Watson to the Locksley assemblies.”
“I would rather remain here,” Ruth said.
Lady Helena was undeterred. “Yes, but you shan’t.”
She groaned softly. Her stepmother was correct, and she would not leave her guests to attend the assemblies without her. She handed the baby reluctantly back to Eliza and stepped back. “Can I see you tomorrow?”
“Of course. Come to the forge though. I will not be here.”
She nodded, leaning to give her dearest friend a hug. “I am glad for how things have turned out.”
Eliza smiled, her eyes bright. “As am I.”
OLIVER
The letter was writtenin perfect English, but Oliver still struggled to make sense of it. He ran his eyes over the message for the fifth time, then dropped his hand by his side.
Esther had left him money. Or, rather, the moment Captain Rose’s fortune moved to her hands, she would. Her intention was clear. What Oliver did not understand waswhy?
Ruth and Lady Helena’s voices could be heard in the corridor, so Oliver folded the paper again and tucked it in his pocket. He stood at the top of the stairs waiting for them. They would be upon him soon.
Should he tell her now? He and Ruth had been prepared for a future with hardship and financial insecurity. Wycliffe had blessed the union, knowing they would find a way through it somehow. Yet, Oliver had privately wondered if he would need to sell Boone Park to start fresh somewhere else—somewhere much smaller, more affordable.
If this letter was real, if Esther wanted to help, he would not have to give up his family estate—the house his mother wasraised in. The house he was raised in. The house where he had hoped to raise his own children.
Relief rushed through his body. There was still a good deal of work ahead of them, but now the bank could be paid and Oliver could move forward rebuilding the estate’s funds.
“You seem pleased,” Ruth said, coming up to his side. She slid her hand down his arm and wrapped her fingers around his. “I think that is the most beautiful baby I have ever before laid eyes on.”
“She is lovely,” he agreed, gesturing for her and Lady Helena to precede him down the stairs.
“Such a great deal of dark hair,” Ruth continued, descending beside her stepmother.
“Eliza is so beautiful,” Lady Helena said. “It is no surprise her child would be the same. Though Lydia takes after her father quite a lot.”
“She does,” Ruth agreed, nodding.
Oliver could not take it anymore. “We have the money.”
The women stopped and turned to look at him, their expressions quizzical. He stood two steps above them, towering even more than he usually did.
“Oliver?” Ruth asked.
“Yes.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I sound mad, but thisismad. It is what Esther wrote to me about. She wants to provide us with the three thousand pounds we owe the bank.”
“You are in earnest?” Lady Helena asked. “That is wonderful.”
“But…is it wrong to accept?” He looked between them. “Captain Rose was not my father. It is a fortune, nearly as much as he set aside for his daughters’ dowries.”
Ruth met him on the higher stair. “Only you can decide that, Oliver. I think it is kind of her. Your grandmother ought to have made her situation plain to the family so you were not as shocked when you inherited her debts. But that is the past andyou have made great strides in the last year. You should be proud of yourself. I am deeply proud of you.”
He nodded, glancing down to find Lady Helena gone. She must have quietly retreated. He closed his eyes. “I want to accept.”
“Whatever you decide, I will support you,” Ruth repeated.
He swallowed, setting his eyes back on her serious gaze. “You are incredible.”
