Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Aurelia sat on the end of the curricle's bench seat, doing her level best to keep as much space between her and the earl as possible. Edmund was no longer sitting between them as a buffer, so the earl was closer than he had been on the ride up to Dunder Hill. She clutched the edge of the seat while they bumped their way down the pocked, uneven road, well behind the other carriages.

Regret pooled in her stomach, souring as she worried about the things she had shared. It had been a relief to admit her family's situation to someone in Harewood, though, and she'd felt she could trust the women. In reality, some small part of her wanted Ruth to learn of her relation to Nathaniel first, so she could advise Aurelia when it would be the best time to tell Ryland. That was abundantly clear to her—she would need to tell him eventually if she was going to remain at Tilton.

The longer she waited, the harder it would become.

"We should be back on a smooth lane shortly." Ryland glanced at her before turning his attention back on the road. "You could have ridden inside Ruth's carriage."

There certainly had been room enough for her, but she hadn't been offered a seat and she hadn't felt comfortable imposing without invitation. Though with her charge in the carriage, it likely would have been acceptable. Aurelia sometimes questioned what was appropriate as a governess and what was no longer acceptable now that she'd fallen in station. Her second-guessing had cost her a seat inside with Ruth.

She watched the carriage disappear ahead and swallowed her regret.

Chilly air wrapped around them. Aurelia pulled the lap rug tighter.

"Once we're at the bottom of the hill, I will pick up speed."

Aurelia could hear the anxiety creeping into his voice. "I am perfectly well, my lord. Do not rush on my account."

His brown eyes slid to her. "You enjoy being caught in rainstorms?"

"It's not raining."

"Yet," he muttered.

Just then, a big drop of water plopped on the end of her nose. Aurelia drew in a gasp. "How did you know?"

"Were you hit—ah, there it is." He wiped at his forehead with his sleeve. "I watched those thick gray clouds come toward us for a quarter-hour before directing Ruth's servants to clean up her picnic. I'm not sure why she wanted to walk with you while a storm moved in, but I couldn't let it go on any longer."

The rain increased until it was falling steadily. Aurelia went from entirely dry and cold to drenched and freezing within a few short minutes. A shiver ran over her shoulders. "I wish you would have commanded us to leave sooner."

"I wish you would have ridden with Ruth."

"How could I? She did not invite me."

Ryland frowned. He was likely understanding the dilemma she had been in. Even if she had retained her station as Ruth's equal, she wouldn't have been able to invite herself to ride in Ruth's carriage without some degree of impoliteness.

"I understand your hesitation," he said, "but you needn't stand on such ceremony with Ruth."

The curricle reached the main road, and Ryland instructed the horses to go faster. Aurelia gripped the seat with one hand, holding on to the lap rug with the other. Wind and rain whipped her face, the whole situation so uncomfortable as to be comical.

The wheel went over a rut and lurched to the side, forcing Aurelia into Ryland's shoulder. "We are already quite wet, my lord," she said when she was able to regain her composure. "Perhaps it is more important to drive safely."

It was unnecessary of her to say because Ryland was already slowing down. He deftly maneuvered around a larger puddle, but the wheels slid again, forcing him to slow the horses further. "At this rate, it'll be past dinner by the time we make it home."

Home . Had he known he had included her? She wiped water from her forehead and sank into the warmth of that word. She'd only been at Tilton for a few weeks, but already she could feel it becoming a home to her.

They slid in another puddle and she gripped the seat tightly. "I'd rather be wet, cold, and alive than in a muddy ditch, my lord."

His lips twisted. Rain fell sideways, coming down in sheets. Aurelia could feel her clothes soaking through to the skin, cold and clammy. She could feel the slippery nature of the curricle on the muddy road, as well, but tried to put it from her mind. It wasn't helpful to worry over her safety when she knew the earl was doing his utmost to be cautious.

Ryland took the bend in the road that led them through the High Street in Harewood. Two carriages idled nearby, the horses stamping and flicking their tails with impatience. Lights flickered through shop windows, but the road was empty, the shop patrons likely waiting indoors and hoping the rain would cease.

They made it through town and down the lane toward Tilton. Twice, Ryland corrected the curricle before it could tip or slide from the road.

"You are very good at that," she said, her voice weaker than she anticipated.

"Wycliffe taught me." He grimaced. "It has been the one thing we've shared—our love of horses and an aptitude for driving them."

"He is a good teacher."

"His patience knows no bounds." Ryland slowed again as they came around a corner. "Which proof you will find in the way he treats his children. He's a good man."

"You speak very highly of him. You must be close."

"Not very. We simply love the same things. And the same people."

"That is enough," she said quietly. Her parents had always seemed more worried about what others thought of them than cared for each other. Her brother was hardly ever around, and when he had deigned to visit in adulthood, there was always a favor attached. Aurelia had moved into his house to be his housekeeper and hostess because she'd had no other choice. She felt a sense of gratitude that he had taken her in—and he was her family—which was why she paid for his barrister. If her father had not lost his fortune and foisted a life of work upon her, she never would have chosen to live with Nathaniel.

In truth, when Nathaniel was taken away, it had not been a great surprise. That they never found the ring he was alleged to have stolen hadn't surprised her either. He was cunning. It was probably hidden behind a loose brick or up the chimney or some such thing.

Their carriage continued down the road, nearly to the hill that hid Tilton from view.

"I cannot imagine having a sibling with such affection like you and Ruth share. It is very wholesome."

Ryland looked at her with consideration, taking his eyes off the horses. The carriage hit a puddle and slid, shifting Ryland's panicked glance back to the horses. He pulled the reins, but the curricle was already toppling toward the side of the road. It happened so quickly, Aurelia didn't know when she left the seat, but the next thing she knew, she had collided with the ground, the shock reverberating through her arm and shoulder.

She groaned, turning her head, blinking rain from her vision. Ryland had landed near her. He pushed up, searching the ground until his eyes fell on her. "Are you hurt?"

Her arm was sore, but otherwise she felt no pain. She could move it, after all. "No, I don't believe so."

Ryland tried to stand and collapsed.

Aurelia breathed through her dizziness as it subsided and hurried to his side. "Is it your leg?"

"Yes. My ankle or foot. I do not—" He sucked in a breath through his teeth.

Aurelia supported his side, helping him stand. "Lean on me."

His motions were slow, his eyes not quite focusing.

A thread of alarm weaved through her. "Did you hit your head when you fell?"

"I am not sure," he said, his speech slow.

Aurelia panicked. She reached for his head, pressing her fingers softly to his scalp. She ran her hand through his wet hair and let out a quiet sigh of relief when she didn't feel any blood. "I've found no injuries." She swallowed, looking ahead. "We can nearly see the house. Can you walk?"

"Where is Paul?"

She didn't know who—oh, the groom. Aurelia looked behind them, but didn't see him right away. When she turned, she saw him jogging their direction from down the road. "He must have jumped from the back, my lord. He's coming now. I'm certain he'll care for the horses, so we needn't worry about them anymore. Can you walk?"

He tried to put his foot down again and cringed. "I can try."

"Lean on me." Aurelia put her arm around his waist, holding him tightly against her. She lifted her skirt with her free hand so she wouldn't trip and send them both tumbling to the ground again. With the earl leaning heavily against her, they started toward Tilton.

Ryland was silent as he limped, only emitting the occasional grunt. The rain let up slightly, falling in more of a quiet mist. Their clothes were so wet it hardly mattered, but the reprieve was nice all the same.

By the time they had reached Tilton's iron gate, Aurelia was breathing heavily, clouding in front of them as her chest heaved. Her arm was sore from the odd way she'd landed on it, but she bit back her discomfort and drew in a sustaining breath. She hadn't been injured, but she would likely have a bruise.

Ryland must have sensed her pain. He pulled away. "I can walk the rest of the way myself—" He staggered, wavering, until she put her arm around him again.

"Shall I help you reach the door and then you can walk on your own? That way there will be plenty of footmen to catch you when you fall."

He muttered something incomprehensible.

"I will not let you fall until we have help, my lord," she said, in case he feared for that very thing. The drive was lined with pebbles that would do him no favors were he to fall on them. She was concerned about his injuries—the state of his mental awareness seemed to be slipping, which could not bode well.

"I know," he said, barely intelligible.

The front door opened when they had nearly reached it and Jasper rushed out.

"The curricle threw us," she explained. Mr. Pike stood on the steps, watching with restrained concern. "Send for a doctor immediately," she told him. Jasper stepped in, supporting the earl up the steps and into the house.

Aurelia stood on the porch, panting as she watched Jasper lead Ryland away while the butler ran to find someone to send for the doctor. She pressed her wrist to her stomach, cradling it gently, and tried not to think of the state of her gown. She had only brought a few with her, and losing this one would be a grave sacrifice.

None of that mattered as much as Ryland's well-being. She had no claim to him, no right to follow him upstairs to ensure he was well and had everything he needed. In this household, he had many servants to do that for him.

That logic did not stop her from feeling like she wanted to do all those things anyway.

Aurelia was breaching dangerous territory. She needed to retreat immediately. She stepped into the house and closed the door in time to see Ryland look over his shoulder, as though searching for something at the bottom of the stairs. His gaze landed on her and remained there, his brown eyes darker in the shadowed house, deeper like pools of hot drinking chocolate with no milk. He locked onto her, holding her gaze for long enough that Jasper paused on the step and looked back to see what had arrested the earl's attention.

Aurelia nodded to them and turned away, breaking the taut connection and heading for the servants' stairs. She hurried up until she had reached her floor, then slipped inside her room and leaned against the door, closing her eyes and resting her head against the solid wood. The fear that had gripped her earlier when Ryland was not speaking coherently was startling in its intensity, and the subsequent relief when she did not find blood on his head had been equal in fervor.

She needed to cease thinking of Ryland altogether before she found herself developing real feelings for him. That would only end one way, and it would not be good.