Page 29 of The Rules of Courtship (Hearts of Harewood #3)

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.

She did not expect him to allow her to remain. It was not how things were done, of course, for her to be present. But still, she hoped.

Finally, Papa sighed, gesturing toward the open doorway. “That would be acceptable to me. If you will close the door, please.”

Oliver did as he was bid while Ruth stepped forward, standing in front of Papa’s desk, her knees wobbly. Oliver came to stand beside her. He did not reach for her hand, but she felt his sleeve brush her arm. He was not shying away.

“Is it safe to assume Ruth informed you about Mrs. Esther Rose and her daughters?” Oliver asked.

“She did.”

“Then I will spare you a repeated explanation. Their relationship has been verified and their claim valid. They will receive the bulk of my uncle’s inheritance. He has left me with a sum of four hundred pounds—enough to keep us steady for a couple of years, but not enough to save us if we suffer a terrible season or emergency befalls the estate. The house is still in danger of being lost to the bank, as you know.”

Disappointment fell over Papa’s face. “That was not what I had hoped to hear.”

“Understood.” Oliver remained steady. “I am still in need of two-thousand-six-hundred pounds to put us to rights again.”

Papa passed a hand over his face, sighing. “It has been a wish of mine for you to marry my daughter for some years now.”

Oliver went still. Ruth stared. Her stepmother had mentioned this, but she hadn’t allowed herself to believe it.

“I admire you, son,” Papa continued. “You did not deserve the debt your grandmother saddled you with. I wish it was within my power to settle additional funds upon Ruth, but at this moment, my hands are tied. If you were to marry her, could you provide for her, for your children, for the rest of your life?”

Silence rang loudly in the room. For a moment, Ruth began to wonder if Oliver was going to respond at all. She inhaled, chancing a glance up at him, and was surprised to find him looking down at her. His eyes were steady, infusing her with peace.

“I cannot guess at the future, sir,” he said calmly. “It is impossible to know what will happen with the estate.” He turned to face Papa, but his hand found Ruth’s and held it tightly. “What I do know is how deeply I love your daughter. I have done my best to find a way out of the financial mess I inherited last year, and with your guidance and wisdom, I plan to continue to climb my way out. My household lives in a state of retrenchment at present, as you are well aware. We have been economizing where we can, so I cannot promise lavish dinners or a surplus of gowns in our immediate future, but with careful planning, I think we can be comfortable. Furthermore, you can rest at ease knowing Ruth’s dowry will remain untouched, set aside to protect her in the case the house is taken by the bank.”

Papa nodded along, careful not to betray his feelings and keeping a blank expression. “Go on.”

“As far as my illegitimacy is concerned, I have little control. I can only promise to do my best to keep the information safely within the bounds of those I trust, but there will always be a potential for scandal. There is nothing I can do about that.”

Papa nodded.

“May I speak?” Ruth asked, eager to announce how little she cared for Oliver’s past or the circumstances of his birth, which were out of his control.

“Not yet,” Papa said, lifting his brow. “Allow Oliver to finish.”

She pressed her lips together impatiently.

“With your blessing, I will take care of Ruth in all the important ways. She will always have a roof over her head and a husband who adores her. When it comes to the things that matter, she will never be found wanting.”

A slow smile spread over Papa’s face. He rose from his seat, nodding. “That was the one thing Helena and I agreed on. You will do well if you both accept one another as you are, with the understanding that the only constant you will have from here on out is each other.”

“Papa,” Ruth said breathlessly. “You mean it?”

“Of course. We never meant to withhold approval. Did you not hear me? I’ve long hoped for this union.”

A smile spread widely over Ruth’s face. She released Oliver to hurry around the desk and pull her father in for a hug. “Thank you, Papa.”

“Of course.” He pressed her close, his voice dropping. “I only ever wanted you to be happy.”

She stepped back, wiping moisture from her eyes. “Then why did you shove so many men in my direction?”

Papa smiled impishly. “Because I was hoping they would drive Oliver to make a declaration. Stubborn man.”

Oliver let out a startled laugh. “You might have nudged me along, sir.”

“I wanted to lay a hint in your ear, but Lady Helena reminded me that young people like to come to their own conclusions. Not many take kindly to being told whom to marry. Ruth and her set of rules made it a little difficult, as well.”

“I thought you cared very little for my rules,” she said.

“Indeed. I wished them all to Jericho. But we’ve come about in the end.” Papa waved toward the door. “Come, your mother will want to hear the news.”

“Before that, I have something else to share,” Oliver said. “I was tasked with coming to inform you that Eliza is having her baby.”

Ruth gasped. “It is too early!”

“Alas, she felt the same way,” Oliver muttered.

“Is the doctor with her?” Papa asked.

“The entirety of her family is with her. The doctor was sent for and should be there now. She is set up at Boone Park if you would like to return with me, Ruth.”

She looked at her father. “May I?”

“Of course. But first, you really ought to share the news with your mama.”

“She is likely to find it quite anticlimactic. We already announced an engagement to her weeks ago,” Ruth said.

“Yes, perhaps.” Papa winked. “But this time, it’s real.”

Lady Helena was situated in the nursery, reading to Tom from an aged book of fairy stories that she used to read to Ryland when he was a small boy. She glanced at the couple standing in the doorway and lowered the book.

“Can we ride now, Ruth?” Tom asked, leaping up from his seat beside his mother and rushing toward her. “You promised to ride with me yesterday and you never did.”

“Because you were sent to your room for making a mess of Cook’s dinner.”

He scowled. “I told her I was sorry.”

Lady Helena closed the book and set it down. “Ruth cannot ride with you today, darling. She is preparing to receive her friends.”

Drat. “That is today?” Ruth asked.

Lady Helena gave her a look of longsuffering. “Yes. The Temple twins intend to arrive this afternoon. We discussed it, Ruth. You wrote the letter.”

“My days have gotten away from me.”

“The Locksley assemblies are tomorrow.” Lady Helena gave Oliver an apologetic smile. “I am sorry you cannot join us.”

“I am only sorry to miss the opportunity of your company for an evening,” he said smoothly .

“Well said.” Ruth grinned. “Mama, you will be happy to hear that Papa gave his blessing.”

“Oh, darling, that is lovely.” Lady Helena smiled warmly at them both. “It is too bad we cannot have a dinner to celebrate soon. The moment you have put off mourning and are feeling ready, we will host something.”

“Thank you,” Oliver said.

“What’s more,” Ruth said, “Eliza is at Boone now having her baby. Mama, I must go to her.”

Lady Helena drew in a slow breath, her mind working over the problem. “And the Temple twins?”

“Is it truly so abominable if I am not here to welcome them? The assemblies are not tonight.”

“It is impolite,” Lady Helena said. She glanced at the window, her brow knit in thought, then nodded. “I really ought to chaperone you to Boone. But you are engaged now, and surely they will understand my absence. You will return as soon as you are able, though? The Temple twins might not be as pleased by the arrangement.”

“Of course.” Ruth grinned, throwing her arms around her stepmother. “Thank you, Mama.”

“I love you.” She reached past Ruth to take Oliver’s hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “I am thrilled for you both.”

“Can I ride with them, Mama?” Tom asked, bouncing on his toes.

Lady Helena smiled patiently down at him. “If Jameson will accompany you and bring you back home, and both Ruth and Oliver approve, then it is acceptable to me.”

Tom turned eager eyes on them. “Please?”

“No racing,” Ruth said sternly.

“No racing,” Tom repeated in a promise he would most certainly break.

“Then yes, you may come. ”

Oliver nodded, and they set off toward the stables. He took Ruth’s hand, pulling her close to his side as they walked. The sun shone on them, the wind ruffling their hair, and despite the unknowns ahead of them, Ruth had never been happier.

“You know,” Oliver said, drawing her a little behind as Tom ran on ahead. “Despite my utter lack of funds and the fact that we have to wait several months to be married due to my period of mourning, I’m not sure I have ever been happier than I am in this moment.”

“Never?” Ruth asked with a mischievous smile.

He narrowed his eyes. “What are you scheming?”

“Nothing particular.” She pulled him around the corner of the stables and stopped just under the apple tree. “I need a treat for Rosaline,” she said quietly, her arms going around his neck.

Oliver’s smile widened, pulling her a few more steps until they were out of sight of the house and anyone leaving the stables. “You are not a married woman yet, Miss Wycliffe.”

“Nearly,” she said, reaching up on tiptoe to press her lips to his.

Oliver drew her close. She lost herself in the feeling of being wrapped in his arms, knowing he wanted her forever, that he loved her, that they would get to spend the rest of their lives in a partnership powered by love and mutual affection.

“Can we run away together?” Ruth asked. “I do not wish to wait six months.”

“Captain Rose was my uncle,” he reminded her, leaning back to look in her eyes. “I only need to wait three months.”

“What would people think?”

“I am not sure, but if it is agreeable to you, then the only person I would like to request an opinion from is Jacob Ridley.”

“Eliza,” she breathed, pulling away. “We must hurry.”

Oliver pulled her back for one more lingering kiss that sent heat traveling clear to her toes before letting her go .

“Ruth!” Tom called, his little voice carrying from the stables. “Where are you?”

She laughed, pulling Oliver along. “Three months sounds much better than six.”

Oliver smiled at her, plucking an apple from the tree as they passed it. “I thought the same thing.”