by Abigail Agar
“Well, Miss Windsor, I feel that I am very fortunate to have stumbled upon you today. I am curious if I may have a drink of water? I am rather parched,” he said.
She smiled and nodded, turning away from Jonathan. He dismounted from his horse, at last, and watched her go into the house. It would not have been appropriate for him to follow, he understood, but he could stand and wait for her. Glad that he had this excuse to stay a little bit longer, Jonathan tried to be patient.
After a few moments, she returned with the water for him. Jonathan came inside the garden and took the cup from her.
“Thank you, Miss Windsor. You are too kind,” he said. Jonathan took a drink from the cup and tried very hard to appear thirstier than he was just as a way of prolonging his time to stand there with her. He even considered asking for another or seeing if she had anything to eat.
Jonathan didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by pushing for her to go inside again, thought. She may worry that, at some point, he would follow her. They had to ensure that there was nothing which could be misconstrued by society as they were out there together.
So, instead, he took another sip of the water and tried to prolong it. Miss Windsor waited, patiently, as he took his time to relax and recover from the ride.
“Is that better? Would you like more? Or I can get you tea if you prefer,” she offered.
“Oh, no, tea is not necessary. I am perfectly fine with this, thank you,” he said.
“Very well,” she replied.
“You keep tea on hand here? Even though you do not live here?” he asked.
She looked sheepish at that question but nodded.
“Indeed, I do. I find it very important that I have tea on hand at all times,” she said with a laugh. “I am sure you understand.”
“Yes, I do,” he replied.
“You say that you have just come from seeing a friend?” she asked.
Jonathan clammed up a little bit, not wanting to give away any hints of his identity by talking about Simon.
“Oh, yes. Just a brief visit,” he said.
“That is wonderful. You must be very fortunate to get away from work in the middle of the day to visit a friend,” she said.
As they were talking, Jonathan realized this young woman truly had no idea who he was. He decided that he had to choose a station for himself. If he was going to pretend like this, he would have to make it sound truthful.
She was interesting enough that he wanted to continue the conversation and that meant telling his lie quickly and convincingly.
“Well, yes. My…my master, that is, my employer, he is out at the moment, so I thought I could take this opportunity to get out as well. I mean, he gave me permission to do so,” Jonathan said.
“Your master?” she asked.
“Yes, um, just a duke who lives nearby. I am his groom. I look after the horses and that gives me the opportunity to go out often because he only keeps a few on hand. His favorites,” Jonathan said, trying to explain as best he could even though it was rather a feeble attempt to sound like an ordinary man with no title. He wondered how he could better cover for himself.
“How wonderful! I should love to be a groom and spend all that time with horses. You must love your work. Goodness, how could you not?” she asked, excitedly.
Jonathan was surprised it was so easy to convince her that this was his work. She was so excited by the idea of the horses that she believed his every word. It was a relief, even though he felt bad about lying to her. He would have preferred that she could know the truth about him, but…
Why was he so intent on hiding it?
It was then that Jonathan finally realized why he was making this effort to appear perfectly normal and unimportant. It was because he knew that she would treat him differently if she knew his identity. People always treated him differently once they knew who he really was. That was the last thing Jonathan wanted from anyone, and especially from Miss Windsor.
The moment she learned the truth, she would be overly cautious around him. She would be anxious and formal. She would be uncomfortable and awkward, just as any young lady might be if she was standing there, barefoot and loose-haired, before a nobleman.
No, he didn’t want her to know that he had a title and wealth. If she knew that, she might not be comfortable to be around him and he would have missed out on this wonderful conversation with a woman who was no one like he had ever known before.
Indeed, she was a unique young woman and he wanted to know her better. Perhaps, he had just made the most wonderful mistake by riding through the trees.
Chapter 5
This handsome stranger was astonishing. Ellie had never seen anyone like him. He was tall and regal, noble and skilled. Knowing that he worked with horses was even more of an intrigue to her than anything else.
Even though she knew very little about him, she found him interesting. It was curious how he had simply found himself there before her, but she was glad for it. She was glad for the happenstance of meeting one another.
Of course, she knew that she was supposed to be careful around strange men. There had been so many stories she had heard in her life whereby young women fell for strangers whom they did not know. The stories always ended badly.
But she had a good feeling about him. Maybe it was only because she wanted to have a good feeling about him, but she allowed herself to think positively anyway.
“So, you mentioned that you were watching a bird?” he asked.
Ellie laughed, finding it an amusing segue.
“Indeed, I was. I found it wounded when I arrived. It was here inside the garden,” she said.
“It was in here? Strange, I recall passing a wounded bird out along the road when I passed by here earlier today. I wonder if it was the same one. Oh, it must have been. It was just out there,” he said.
“A little sparrow?” she asked.
“Possibly. I like birds, but I fear that I am not well-informed as to their species,” he confessed.
“Well, I brought her inside and pulled out the stick which was stabbing into her wing. It was quite shallow, but it was stuck and she had not been able to fly freely away,” Ellie said.
“You…you rescued it? You essentially healed the bird?” he asked
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. It seemed to her that he did not think she would be capable of something like healing a bird. After all, why would anyone expect that? It was not a normal hobby for a young woman.
And at the same time, Ellie had a strange feeling that he understood. She felt that he was a kindred spirit when it came to the love of animals. If he was, indeed the sort of man who could truly enjoy spending time with animals, maybe they have more in common than she anticipated.
“Yes, I managed to help her. I can’t say that I healed her necessarily, but I gave her the freedom from her misfortune. Anyway, she was able to fly away freely after that,” she said.
“That is quite a relief. You did her a kindness, I can see. I must confess that I am very impressed. I have never heard of a young lady rescuing a bird like that. Most of the women I know would be terrified to touch a bird, let alone help one,” he said.
“I find that the vast majority of my fears consist of being indoors, whereas so many young women fear the outside instead,” she replied.
He laughed and nodded in agreement.
“I think that sums it up quite well. It is good that you are willing to boldly enjoy going outside. I fear that too many people miss the chance to breathe in the fresh air. It is much easier for men, who come and go as we please, but I know a great many women who are stuck in the parlor or the drawing room, just stitching and gossiping,” he said, a hint of disgust in his tone.
“Yes, I have noticed that as well. And I have seen it a great deal. I have often thought that many of the problems in the world could be solved with men and women simply going outside to indulge in the beauty of it. If we are always cooped up inside four walls, we shall never ha
ve an understanding of the world around us,” Ellie said.
Ellie was speaking of her rather personal thoughts and feelings, but she knew that they existed on a wider level. She understood that all throughout England, and London in particular, there were those who suffered the bonds of their circumstances. They were slaves of their stations and there was nothing Ellie could do about it. There was no way she could help them, just as there was no way she could help herself.
It was a terrible place to be.
“That is quite true,” he replied, as if her words struck him somehow.
They both paused and Ellie thought that Mr. Potts might make himself ready to leave, but instead he spoke up again.
“You know, I do not often meet like-minded people. It is refreshing to meet someone who has a similar love of animals and the outdoors. I know that we do not know one another well, but it is nice to meet someone who will take the time to rescue a bird with an injured wing,” he said.
Their conversation did not consist of very much that was interesting. It was simple and focused purely on what had just taken place in their lives in the moments before meeting.
Of course, she wanted to ask him a great many questions. She wanted to know more about him and his family and the life that he led.
She also wanted to know if she would ever see him again. After all, it was not a common occurrence to stumble upon someone like this. It was a welcome change from her daily life and Ellie wanted to indulge in that.
She got the sense from Mr. Potts that he would have been more than happy to stay and talk with her for a while longer as well. She could not quite comprehend why, but she felt as though he also had questions.
Of course, he was probably wondering why she was there at the house. It was a dilapidated old cottage to most people. She had hinted that it had once been her home, but she had told him nothing more and she still saw the question in his eyes when he glanced over to the cottage a few more times as they spoke.
“Are you fond of horses?” he asked, out of the blue.
“Most definitely. I have not had an opportunity to ride in nearly a year, but I used to love them very much,” Ellie said, thinking back to the rides she would take with her family and how badly she missed those days.
“In that case, we must ride together sometime,” he said, before his expression froze, as if stunned by what he had just dared to suggest.
Ellie smiled, unable to help herself. She could hardly believe that he had just said something so bold. Although it was clear that they were intrigued by one another, she still would not have anticipated Mr. Potts to be quite so shocking in coming out with anything like that. There was no reason at all for him to suggest it.
“Mr. Potts, I do think that is a wonderful suggestion. As I am certain you know, it would be rather difficult for me to convince my guardians to make such an allowance without you speaking to them first, but I do appreciate the offer,” she said, as innocently as possible.
“Yes, yes. Of course. That was quite a careless thing for me to say. You must know that I have the utmost respect for propriety and society. I only mentioned it because I thought that it would be quite nice to see more of you since we have interests in common, but I recognize that I ought to have made my suggestion quite differently than I did,” he said, laughing nervously.
There was something deeply charming about Mr. Potts, even in the midst of his error in speech. Ellie wondered if she really would ever have the chance to spend more time with him and for the two of them to go riding together.
Almost instantly, she began to think about this man and how he might be the one with whom she could spend her future. What if she was able to escape the plans of her aunt? What if she could push beyond those silly expectations to see her end up with Wendell Carruthers?
Even though it was foolish, she found herself dreaming about the possibilities. There had to be a bright future ahead because there was no hope for anything good if she couldn’t think that it existed. If she found herself growing weary of the life which she lived, maybe meeting this man, this lovely Mr. Potts, was exactly what she needed to brighten up the dreams that she had for her life ahead.
“Miss Windsor, I wonder if you might do me the honor of telling me more about yourself?” he asked, patiently, as if he wanted to start fresh and move past the awkwardness of his previous remark.
Ellie was lost to those deep blue eyes of his. She found herself entirely captivated. As he spoke, his mouth did the most intriguing little movements. She found every detail of him to be fascinating.
Was it only because she so rarely interacted with men that she was interested in this one? That was certainly the most logical explanation. There was no other reason why she would find this man as interesting as she did.
The fact that he was attractive was simply another benefit. It was another reason why she could stare at him in wonder.
“Miss Windsor?” he asked again, breaking her from her distraction.
“Oh! Yes. Of course. Well, more about me? There is not much to say, really. I am just a young woman who lives nearby. I live with my aunt, uncle, and my cousin. They are good people,” she said, pushing away the sadness that she always felt in regard to them.
The last thing she wanted to do was be honest with Mr. Potts and come to find that he knew her aunt and uncle and would go and tell them what she had said. Or, what if he was a bad man and he went and hurt them for treating her poorly?
In general, however, Ellie stayed quiet about these things because she was a private person and didn’t want to overwhelm anyone with her problems. She also did not wish to speak ill of her aunt and uncle because they had done so much on her behalf and she wanted to remain grateful to them no matter the cost to herself.
“I am glad to hear that they are good people, but what happened to your own mother and father?” he asked.
Ellie was surprised all over again. She couldn’t understand this man. Why was he asking her that question? He ought to have known that it was hardly appropriate for their first-time meeting. She had no desire to answer it and, for a moment, she flashed with an unexpected anger.
“Mr. Potts, I apologize, but I think that I should like to speak about something else,” she said, as gently as she could.
He appeared to understand immediately.
“Certainly, Miss Windsor. I should not have asked that question. I am curious about you, I have to confess. That is why I seem to be a bumbling mess today. You must forgive me for I am not normally like this. As it happens, I was just not quite expecting you,” he said.
“And I was not expecting you,” she replied.
For another long moment, their eyes met and Ellie wondered if this was what it felt like to fall in love in an instant upon meeting someone. Was it possible? Did she really hold such feeling for someone she did not know and had simply stumbled upon in that moment?
It was ridiculous. She was ridiculous. At least, that was what everyone else would say. Even Katherine, who was a romantic in her own right, would think that Ellie was being foolish for wondering if she had just fallen in love with a man she met in that moment.
Ellie also knew that the time was ticking away, and she had already been out for too long. She had to get back to the home and get inside before Aunt Glenda and Katherine returned.
“Forgive me, Mr. Potts, but I just realized the time. I must get home. I do hope that we meet again,” she said, picking up her skirts to rush away.
“But…but shall we meet? When shall I see you again?” Mr. Potts asked.
