Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

T he disconcerting quiet bothered Oliver as he brought the breakfast plates from the table to the kitchen. No storm, no wind, no howling. The dull morning light that filtered into the room from the window should have been a cheery sight, but the absence of the storm brought with it a foreboding feeling. "I do not think we can take your crutch with us," he said, after they'd eaten breakfast. "It will be cumbersome to ride with it."

Grace nodded. "Not to mention I wouldn't be able to explain where I received such a gift."

"That is very true."

"It was very kind of you to make it. I am indeed very grateful for the gift, even if I cannot take it with me," she said.

"Once you are better it wouldn't be very useful anyway. We should try your boot on to see if you can wear it during the ride."

Grace nodded her ascent, and he worked at getting the boot on her foot. Grace gripped the sides of the wooden chair, but Oliver could tell that she was trying not to wince at the pain. She flinched again, and he pulled the boot away from her foot. "Your ankle will do better without the boot." He would pack it securely in her saddlebag.

"I can't simply ride a horse with only one boot," she said. "Perhaps I will just have to stay here with Apollo until I am fully healed." She patted the dog's head. Apollo closed his eyes happily in response, his tongue rolling out of his mouth.

Oliver shook his head. "As much as Apollo would love the attention, we must get you to your family and into the care of a physician who can make sure that everything is healing properly. I will carry you to your horse and help you mount. After that, we can wrap your foot in a blanket. It's the best we can do." He gave her the boot, and then picked her up.

Grace nodded. "You are right, of course."

Oliver took care to set everything to right in his hunting lodge. The fires were completely out; the food was stored.

Once they were out on the path, she said, "I shall miss this place. You have a very nice cottage, Ollie."

He looked back over his shoulder, following her line of sight. Covered with snow, and nestled with trees in the background, it was a very picturesque place—there was a peace and stillness about it. It was one of the reasons he liked being here. "Thank you, Grace."

In the stable, he helped Grace onto her mare, Honey, then carefully wrapped her ankle with a blanket.

He rubbed Poseidon's neck, speaking softly to the animal. He led both horses out of the stable, then secured the stable as well as the hunting lodge. Then he called to Apollo, who was sniffing at a nearby tree, and mounted his own horse.

"Apollo is coming with us?" Grace asked.

Oliver smiled. "Of course. He doesn't want to miss out on all the fun. It's an adventure this time of year, through the trees."

Grace nodded. "Will we take the road?"

Oliver shook his head. "Our most direct route will be through the forest. Going by the road would add more miles than we have daylight." Not to mention he didn't want to be seen riding through the countryside roads with Grace without a chaperone. It would raise too many questions, too many suspicions.

They rode through the countryside at a sedate pace. The entire earth was covered in snow, and Oliver didn't want any injuries on the horses due to unseen obstacles.

They fell into easy conversation—first about the weather, then about their childhood memories, and then about the upcoming Christmas season.

"Are you looking forward to the house party?" he asked Grace .

Grace was quiet for a moment. "I have been looking forward to it for weeks," she said, though her voice didn't sound as convincing. "Though I will miss … that is to say, it is the first time I have been without my sisters. My youngest sister, Harmony, felt my leaving keenly. I have promised to write to her and all of them, and I hope it will be enough."

"But you've traveled before at Christmas time?" he asked, remembering some of the stories she told him.

"We have traveled, but only as a family. This is very different."

"You shall be with your cousin soon," he said. "That will be some consolation."

Grace nodded, but silence seemed to fill the space between them on the road.

Perhaps they were both lost in their own thoughts.

"What are your plans for the holidays?" she finally asked him. "Do you have … that is to say, do you visit with anyone during the holidays?"

He took in a deep breath of the cold air. "Every year over the last decade has looked different," he said, not wanting to talk about the specifics of his memories unless they were stories from his youth. "This year I had planned to let the season come and go without too much fanfare." He waved his hand in the air. At least that had been his plan before Grace had stumbled into his life. Now—well now he wasn't sure how he saw the future. He was still figuring that part out.

"That seems a little lonely," she said. "Do you miss your family?"

A knot formed in his stomach, clenching tightly. "I do miss them. My father passed away several years ago. I hope in the next few years I will see my Mother and sisters again. My older sister married an Italian, and my mother went with her and my younger sisters to be there before the war. It was safer for them to stay there, instead of attempting to come back, and now it has become home for them. Although the current unrest has died down for the present, there is no telling if more won't come."

"That sounds lonely to be secluded," she said quietly.

It was lonely, especially when he considered all he'd lost. But the last few days had been some of the most enjoyable that he'd had in a long time. He wanted to voice his thoughts, but something held him back.

Apollo raced ahead of the horses, leaping through the snow, came bounding toward them, and then repeated the process.

"Apollo seems more excited than usual, if that were possible," Grace said, laughing.

The comment eased the tension from their heavy conversation about his family. "He loves this part of the country. It is one of his favorites."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. In the summertime, this area has quite a few squirrels. He never quite catches them, but he picks up their scent and chases them all through this area. We are nearly to your cousin's house," he said. "Once we crest this hill, you'll be able to see the outskirts of their estate."

She pulled on Honey's reins. "Thank you again for all of your help. And for everything."

"I was just doing what anyone would have," he said modestly.

"I very much doubt that. I shudder to think what would have happened if you didn't find me."

He looked at her pinched features, concerned with the worries of what might have been. "Then do not think on it. You are safe, and you will continue to heal once you are at your cousin's house." The path continued to be wide enough that he rode side by side next to her for most of the way.

"Ollie?" The way Grace said his name nearly undid him. He couldn't dwell on it.

He kept the reins loose in his hands. "Yes, Grace?"

"Shall we meet again?"

He held a breath. This was a moment of truth. Would he meet her again? He wanted to … but … he glanced at her, taking in her entire form, and the look in her eyes. "Does it matter if we meet again?"

Her eyebrows raised. "Of course it matters. You have become a dear friend. Surely, you must come into town every once in a while for supplies."

"I'm seldom in town," he said.

"Do you ever … come to the balls?"

His heart sped up. Did she care if he, Ollie, came to balls? She was to pursue the duke—that had been her plan all along, and he needed to remember that. "It is far for me to travel."

"That is true. I know how dangerous the path can be, and to travel it after a ball … it makes sense that you do not come." Her shoulders sagged slightly. "Perhaps you could come and stay for the house party. I am sure my cousin would be able to accommodate another guest."

He turned his horse to face her. "You do not want me to come."

"Of course I do."

He shook his head. He had to push through to the reality of their situation. "You cannot be serious. How would you explain that to your cousin?"

"I will come up with something. I am very clever."

"You are very clever, Grace," he admitted, his tone light. "But if anyone found out about the last several days, you'd be forced to marry me, remember?"

"That wouldn't be the worst thing," she said quietly. Then she laughed. "Yes, well we can't have that, can we?" She looked at him with such longing that for a moment he wondered if she really wouldn't mind marrying a man who lived in the woods.

He cleared his throat. "If we ever meet again, we would need to act like perfect strangers, waiting for an introduction. I couldn't insert myself into a house party without raising all kinds of questions."

"I wouldn't expect you to read me poetry every night." Her eyes widened. "You know what I mean. "

"Grace, should you ever see me again, we must have a formal introduction before we can converse. You would not be able to ask your cousin if I could be invited to a house party."

"Perhaps I could just suggest …"

He stopped her words. "You wouldn't be able to admit that you know me to anyone. Do you not see that it would cause a scandal?"

"Of course I am aware of that. If our situation was known, you'd be forced to marry me, and that would make you miserable."

He pulled his horse to a stop. He let her words sink in, but they rang untrue. "You would not make me miserable," he said.

She blinked, her jaw slacked. "That's good to know, I suppose."

"But you wouldn't want to be forced to marry me." He held his breath, knowing that her reaction to his statement was crucial in understanding where they stood.