Page 44 of The Rules of Courtship
“In that case, then go!”
Edmonds took off like a gunshot, Oliver just behind him. Their horses tore across the field, Oliver’s borrowed steed gaining on Edmonds’. He wasn’t certain who was in the lead, their horses neck-and-neck. Oliver wanted to win so badly he could taste it, could practically feel Ruth moving to the beat of the piano while he guided her through a dance. Feel the full weight of her attention, the pressure of her smile and what it did to his chest.
Oliver flew, wind beating against his cheeks and threatening to remove his hat. His yearning for Ruth broke down each of his emotions until the only thing remaining was utter desire. He maintained speed. Bailey drew closer, the end nearly there, when a shout tore through the air and Edmonds disappeared from Oliver’s peripheral vision.
Two seconds of hesitation passed before Oliver glanced over his shoulder. Edmonds was on the ground, his horse lying on top of him. Oliver turned back immediately, pulling his horse to a stop and sliding to the ground with a heavy thud. Edmonds cried out when his horse rolled off him and drew to stand, his face chalky white before he fainted, lying on the grassy earth. His leg was bent at an unnatural angle, but Oliver knew that to be the least of their worries.
If the pressure of the horse had caused damage to his organs—but no, he would not borrow concern until it was necessary.
Hoofbeats thundered toward them.
“We need to carry him back to the house,” Oliver said.
Bailey looked horrified. “His leg?—”
“Yes, it cannot be helped. We can fasten one of our coats to two branches and fashion a way to keep him lying down while we carry him.”
“I’ll go in search of branches,” Bailey said, immediately turning his horse toward the copse of trees lining the stream.
“You do not happen to have smelling salts at hand, do you, Ruth?”
“No,” she said. It was a testament to her concern that she did not joke about her lack of need for them. “Shall I fetch some?”
Oliver glanced at Edmonds, his skin white and face slack. “No, it is probably better he remains asleep. Will you ride back to the house and send someone for a doctor?”
“Yes. I will send a groom out for the horse, too.”
He wanted to remind her to make haste, but it was unnecessary. After all, one horse had gone down on this terrain. He could never live with himself if Ruth’s horse did the same.
Leaning back on his heels, Oliver closed his eyes and breathed out. They weren’t anywhere near the house. This was bound to be a terribly painful interlude if Edmonds awoke.
He hoped the man remained blissfully unconscious for as long as he could.
It had takenBailey a long while to find two branches sturdy enough to hold Edmonds’ weight, and even longer to convey them back to where Oliver waited. They removed their coats, using the reins from Bailey’s horse to secure them to the branches. It was not the best work, but given the circumstances, it had done the job well enough. Positioning Edmonds had been the tricky part. The man woke just as they were lifting him from the ground. He cried out, then fainted again.
Oliver believed it to be a small blessing. They knew he waswell enough if he could wake, and hopefully he had not hit his head too hard. But his pain was clearly unparalleled.
Together, they worked swiftly and cautiously, Oliver at the head and Bailey at the feet, carrying Edmonds toward the house and leaving the horses behind. When a groom located them, they explained where the accident had happened and let him find the lost horses on his own.
“This was not what I had in mind for our morning race,” Bailey said, his breath heaving.
Oliver’s arms were growing tired, the weight straining against his muscles. “Indeed,” he agreed through his own huffing.
“I’d hoped to impress Miss Wycliffe this morning. Do you think she will find us very gallant?” There was an edge to Bailey’s words that made them sound self-effacing.
Oliver was grateful he did not have to look in Bailey’s eyes while having this conversation. Immediately, his smile soured, his stomach dropping, the familiar distaste returning. It was abundantly clear his ill feelings toward Bailey were rooted in jealousy. On further recollection, the man had neither said nor done anything to deserve the ire Oliver held for him.
Indeed, Ruth would find this sacrifice and effort very gallant, and Oliver could not very well lie to the man. “She has a soft heart for animals, so I imagine she will be worried about both Edmonds and his horse.”
“Meeting her has been a pleasant surprise during this house party. My expectations were low when I accepted the invitation, but it was time I did my part to continue the family line. You understand, I am sure.”
Oliver certainly understood a desire to not be the stopping point in his family line, but that was as far as he wanted to concede. Hadn’t Ruth been concerned about a liaison between Bailey and Miss Edmonds? He turned his head, hoping Baileycould hear him easily. “Forgive my impudence, but I had wondered if you’d set your sights on Miss Edmonds.”
“I considered it,” Bailey said honestly. Oliver could not see his expression with the way they were carrying Edmonds, but he could hear him clearly enough. “But there is something about her that is not quite right. She will flirt and smile and laugh…” He took a break to breathe, shifting the branches in his hands. “But then she looks away, and it is apparent she has no true interest in the conversation. She is merely biding her time.”
Biding her time. Oliver nearly stopped walking but caught himself in time. “I felt the same.”
“Ah, then I am not mad. I wondered briefly if I was inventing those feelings in my mind. There is simply no understanding women sometimes.”
