Page 71 of The Rules of Courtship
Ruth left him, closing the door to the study when she saw her father’s face. A fissure of unease coiled through her. “What is it?”
He grimaced. “Things are not as they seem, Ruth. A union with Oliver at this time?—”
“Do not say it,” she said quietly. “Please do not.”
Papa’s lips pressed flatly together. He sighed. “I adore the boy. It is no secret I’ve long wished for a union between the two of you.”
Long wished?No secret?“On the contrary. I was unaware.”
“Your mother knows. It was the reason I asked her to take you to the house party. I hoped a courtship would naturally come of it. Oliver is a good man, but—” Papa scrubbed a handover his face. “Things in his life are not settled. It is my duty as your father to ensure you are safely and securely matched. Currently, nothing about Oliver’s situation is safe or secure.”
“And love?” Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Does that have nothing to do with it?”
Papa’s expression softened. “Of course it does. But I cannot discount the other things I learned today.”
Ruth was tired of all the secrets, and she hated being told what she could or could not have.Shemade the rules that governed her life. No one else had the authority to dictate her feelings or thoughts or who she would or would not marry.
“He is grieving,” Papa said. “Remember that, Ruth.”
“I have not been allowed to forget it,” she said. “If that is all, I would like to speak to Oliver. Have you provided your blessing or not?”
“We are meeting again after the solicitor comes to read the will tomorrow.”
“That is not an answer. Have you or have you not provided your blessing, Papa?”
“I cannot. Not yet. Once the will is read and we know the full truth of things, we will discuss it again.”
She scoffed. “You mean to have me believe you will decide after you know if Oliver is made more rich than he already is?”
Papa looked exasperated. “I suggest you speak to Oliver.”
“I would like to.” She left the room in a whirl of confusion. Papa was not a greedy man. None of this made any sense. Oliver waited for her outside the study door, his green eyes dark in the shade of the corridor.
She would have her answers, one way or another.
Oliver watched her, his eyebrows drawn in confusion. “Shall we ride?”
“Not quite yet.” She took his hand and pulled him down the corridor in the opposite direction, turning the corner and coming upon their seldom used music room. It was slightlydusty, Lady Helena’s harp in the corner having sat untouched for so long, the drapes pulled mostly closed.
Ruth tugged Oliver into the room behind her and closed the door with a quiet snap. She turned to face him, hands on her hips. “Now you may talk.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rule #26: Never allow yourself to be alone with a man for whom you share a mutual attraction…Mother has already explained precisely where that is likely to lead
Oliver swallowed. Wycliffe had taken the news exactly as he had expected, given the nature of things he was revealing. It was not in Wycliffe’s best interest to align his daughter with a man who could be ruined within the next few months, even if he liked the man.
What had come as a surprise to Oliver was Wycliffe’s response, however. He wanted to discuss the situation with Lady Helena and converse again tomorrow. Wycliffe had already been aware of the money Boone Park owed the bank and the pressure Oliver was under, but he needed time to consider the matter of Oliver’s parentage. Ruth’s dowry would be hers and would keep her safe in the case that Boone Park suffered, but an additional settlement would be required to save the house ifCaptain Rose had not left part of his fortune to Oliver—additional money Wycliffe could not provide. His funds were tied up in his horses at present. The timing was not ideal.
At least this way they could break the engagement without harming Ruth’s good name beyond reparation.
Now that Ruth had dragged him into the dark music room alone, he was not thinking about marriage settlements and missing fathers anymore. The long-case clock ticked loudly, his swallow as audible as his thrumming pulse.
“I feel I am owed an explanation, Oliver,” she said.
“You are owed multiple,” he countered, unable to tear his eyes from her. Did she feel the palpable energy between them? It was as though the kiss in the garden had unlocked something within him, making him long for her whenever she was away, to grow desperate for her the moment she was near. Nothing in the world made him forget his trials as she did—nothing made him feel complete the way Ruth did.
“You may begin,” she said magnanimously, though her hands were still resting on her waist impatiently.
