Page 17 of The Rules of Courtship
“You would not believe some of the horses in there, Ruth. I’m not certain I’ve ever seen finer stables. Your father ought to have come.”
“I suppose now we understand why my father and Lord Rocklin are good friends.” She shot him an impish smile.
“Will your friend be joining us?” Oliver asked.
Her friend? Mr. Bailey wasn’t anything more than an acquaintance at present, but she did not miss Oliver’s meaning, nor the way he had phrased the question. It was notourfriend, butyourfriend. Interesting. What could he possibly have against the man?
Ruth glanced over her shoulder, but no one came up the walk. Mr. Bailey could be lost in the garden as well, but she somehow doubted that. She lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. “I suppose not. Shall we be on our way?”
The sky was already lightening, soft hues of gray and lavender spreading across the expanse. If they lingered too long, they would miss the sunrise entirely. They mounted their horses and started off at a leisurely pace, allowing themselves time to grow familiar with their mounts. Ruth glanced toward the house occasionally in case Mr. Bailey did intend to join them, but saw no movement.
“You must not regard his absence as a slight,” Oliver said. “The man likely overslept.”
“I’m not offended.” She held his gaze. “You needn’t worry about my feelings.”
Oliver did not reply to this.
They rode in the direction Mr. Bailey had described to her the night before until they found a shallow hill. The sky wasslowly brightening, the grays and lavender making way for blue. Cold wind wafted over her face. Her nose tingled as she inhaled.
“A house party,” she finally said, her breaths coming faster as her horse climbed the shallow hill. “It is a good deal of socializing after a surfeit of isolation these last few months. How do you intend to cope?”
Oliver’s focus remained on the path ahead of them. His straight nose and strong jaw were especially highlighted with the sunrise. “With intention. I have not come here without a goal.”
A goal? Then Father had been right, and Oliver was searching for a wife. It surprised Ruth, but she did her best to cover her astonishment. Some small part of her believed he could not have been in earnest, for Oliver had not so much as looked at a woman with serious intent for as long as she had known him. He had been too preoccupied with horses and caring for his grandmother. “What goal is this?” she asked, hoping for further clarification.
Perhaps it had nothing to do with women at all. Maybe he wanted to buy a horse from Lord Rocklin.
Oliver kept his gaze ahead of them. “I thought it was time I found a wife.”
Ruth had been prepared to hear these words since receiving her father’s request, but they still managed to surprise her. “Did you single out Miss Temple prior to arriving?”
“Not exactly.” He ran a hand over his chin. “My research could have been better, I suppose.”
She stopped, pulling at the reins to command her horse to pause as well. “You mean to tell me you came here looking for a wife and you hadn’t any idea what eligible ladies would be in attendance? Gads, Oliver. Why put in any effort at all, then? You can save yourself a good deal of trouble by marrying the first quiet church mouse you come upon.”
He directed his horse to turn back until he was beside her. “That is what courting is for, Ruth. I do not need to select my wife before I’ve met her based on a list of qualifications. I can meet women, find one whom I connect with, then determine if we are suited to one another.”
“You make it sound less like a business transaction than my father does.”
“Marriage is a transaction, but it far surpasses finances alone. We are to be parents together, to share our meals for the remainder of our lives—I’d like to know I have a wife whom I enjoy spending that time with, at the very least.”
It was not unreasonable. In fact, the very notion of courting in that manner was altogether enticing. Put that way, Ruth could see herself finding a husband. Until now, the notion of love was an out-of-reach ideal. It seemed good in theory, but while she had been attracted to some gentlemen, she had not yet felt that elusive romantic love for anyone. She had been too busy building up walls and barriers with her rules to keep unwanted suitors away that she had not yet experienced anything like Oliver described. She could not regret it, though. The rules, the walls, and the barriers had done their job very well.
They started their horses again up the hill. “We ought to be a team, Oliver.”
“In what way?”
“We can help one another find good matches. You know me better than anyone else at this house party, and short of Samuel, I’d like to think the same about how well I know you.”
“You want to help me find a wife?” he asked, his dark eyebrows rising.
Imagining him sharing his dinners with Catherine for the rest of their lives, or raising children at her side, gave Ruth the oddest feeling of discomfort. But that wasn’t unreasonable, given how a wife would take Oliver away from her even further. He would be out riding with his wife, not hisfriend.They had already spent the last nine months drifting apart, so shesupposed she should be glad of this house party and the opportunity it provided for her to spend a few weeks with him again before things changed forever.
“Yes, I know. You needn’t help at all,” she said flippantly, hoping to cover the thick, heavy feeling in her chest with an airy attitude. What had Papa said? She should take advantage of her connection to the women to help Oliver. “I will be privy to the conversations that happen when the men are not around. I’ll have the benefit of insight into characteristics you cannot possibly see, as young ladies immediately become their best selves once the gentlemen enter the room. I am unfailingly honest with you.”
His eyes glittered with amusement. “Are you telling me you do not act your best self around me, Ruth?”
“Do not twist my words,” she said, looping the thin leather reins around her hand once more. “It is one benefit of being more similar to brother and sister than acquaintances. You know all my best bits and my failures. Besides, I trust your advice.”
