“Well, perhaps you should not enjoy it so much, and I wouldn’t tease you!”
Amelia threw her hands up in despair. “Oh, I cannot bear it! Will you not tell me?”
“No, no, of course I will.” Marianne lowered her voice slightly. Ruth took a tumble from her horse, and none other than Troy Ferguson came to her rescue!”
“Troy?” Amelia drew back in surprise. “But what was he doing out on such a dark and stormy night? For Ruth to do that is no surprise, but such a reserved, responsible, minister, it seems a bit unusual.”
Marianne smiled. “Apparently he likes to take walks in the rain and in the dark. He calls it the “Scottish way”. But that’s not the important part! You and I have both noticed Ruth’s attention to him these many months, but he has not given her the least bit of notice.”
Amelia nodded in agreement. “Poor girl. I had such hopes for another match happening in our part of the world, but it appears he is not interested. But it looks as though she has plenty of other willing suitors around Brechin land.”
“Well!” Marianne’s eyes widened along with her grin. “Last night, there was something between the two of them. I could feel it. He asked if he could make amends, and I suggested he help Ruth with the May Day preparations, since she will be too injured to handle it all herself.”
Marianne sat back and crossed her arms, satisfied with herself.
Amelia’s mouth opened in surprise. “Marianne Fraser, you are turning into quite the little matchmaker. So? Did he agree?”
“He did.”
Amelia clapped her hands. “Well, then we’ll have work to do!”
“You’re leaving soon, remember?” Marianne retorted.
“Ah yes. So, that means you will need to take over for me in my stead once I am gone! But there is plenty to do up until the festival.”
“Well, the best part about it is, Amelia, Ruth looked so happy for the first time in such a long time. She genuinely seemed excited about working with him, and she hasn’t been looking forward to planning the event at all.”
Amelia beamed. “What excellent news, Marianne! Perhaps, in the end, she will find a way to be contented and stay in Scotland, if not in Brechin?”
Marianne sighed. “I can only hope. I don’t know if I could bear losing her after the loss of my mother and the estrangement from my father.”
Amelia placed a hand on Marianne’s. “I know, Marianne, but you know us women. If we feel that we are being bound, we fight even harder to be free. Do not push too hard, but we will see if we can work behind the scenes to orchestrate a match.”
“I suppose we will.”
* * *
Ruth, equipped with a sling from the doctor, felt that she was healthy enough to go for a restorative walk. Being stuck inside was never one of her preferences, and so she asked the maid to assist her with a plaid and tied it in front of her chest before setting off. It was a beautiful, Spring day, and since William’s house was closer to the many other village homes and businesses, she could easily walk towards her friends whenever she pleased.
Ruth thought about last night as she walked toward the baker’s home, a half an hour’s walk. The baker was a kind woman, around Marianne’s age, who greatly enjoyed Ruth’s youthful company. And, it didn’t hurt that she would allow Ruth to sample any of the fresh breads that were baked that morning. Last night after Troy had left so abruptly, Ruth sat thinking about why he would act so strangely. Marianne had approached her on the sofa, beaming with pride at her quick thinking.
Ruth couldn’t help but smile. She looked up at William, slightly embarrassed, and he threw up his hands, and said, “I will leave. Sisters need to discuss male matters. Too bad I cannot be around to defend any of them.”
The girls laughed, and Ruth said, “Thank you, Marianne.”
Marianne laid a hand on Ruth’s shoulder and said, “Rest now, dear sister. We can discuss it more later.”
Ruth continued on towards the village, the view of the green hills still stark against the blue of the sky. She closed her eyes and let the sweet breeze caress her face. She allowed dreamy thoughts of Troy to fill her mind. The shape of his large shoulders as he crouched at her side, his soft fingertips as they touched her skin, and his nervous smile as he tried not to enjoy her joking overly much.
“The man is an utter infuriating mystery! One moment he’s loving and intimate; then another moment he is cold and distant!” She huffed into the empty air at his changing attitude and her new situation.
She was disappointed with her injury since it was her drawing arm that was injured, unfortunately. But she held tightly to the spine of a book about navigation from the Kinnaird Castle’s library. Jamie and Amelia had often allowed her to explore and choose books to her heart’s delight. She had been trying her best to educate herself in the subjects her father would never have approved of: science, mathematics, history. She even thought about studying Latin, but there hadn’t been enough resources at her fingertips in the Kinnaird Castle library.
Navigation and mapmaking were her true passions, and if she couldn’t draw, then reading would have to suffice until her arm healed. She planned to stop by the bakery that morning for a little sample of bread, talk to Robyn for a few minutes, and then find a comfortable place among the meadow grasses to read in the morning sun.
Robyn spotted her from a few meters away and stood in the doorway of her stone hut. “Ahoy! I’ve got a treat for ye today, lass! Come!”
Ruth smiled at Robyn’s motioning arms and tried to quicken her pace as the fresh smell of newly baked bread filled her nose. She entered into the small hut to find Robyn red-faced with hair falling out of her bun in front of the stone oven.
Robyn placed her hands on her hips and stared down at the wooden table in front of her laden with baked goods that she would soon place outside for villagers to purchase.
“Come, lass. Try one of the sweet rolls.” Robyn looked up and saw Ruth’s sling. “Good God, what has happened, Ruth? Have ye been wrestling with wolves?”
Ruth laughed. “No, but that does sound like me, does it not?” She sat at a nearby chair and lifted a sweet roll from the table, breathing it in deeply before taking a large bite. The fluffy bread nearly melted in her mouth, and she closed her eyes.
“Heavens, Robyn, you are like an angel. Everything of yours tastes wonderful. You would have made a fortune in London.”
Robyn lifted her hands. “Nae, the hills and valleys of Brechin are good enough fer me. So, tell me, what happened tae yer arm?”
“Ah yes, I’d nearly forgotten. ‘Tis so easy to forget something so frustrating. I was riding last evening before the sun went down, and a rainstorm suddenly came upon me.”
“Och, ‘twas a bad one. It nearly rattled the shingles from me roof.”
“Yes, and it came so suddenly, I had not time to ride back fast enough before it began pouring out of the sky. Emerald was suddenly frightened and bucked me from her back.”
“Aye?” Robyn whistled through her teeth. “Yer a dangerous woman, always getting yerself intae trouble. What scared Emerald?”
Ruth coughed slightly, before continuing. Robyn knew a little something of Ruth’s interest in Troy, and so she felt a little embarrassed in telling her.
“Troy Ferguson is the culprit, I’m afraid. He was walking at night, and in such a storm, and Emerald, of course, did not expect a human figure to appear out of nowhere.” She took another bite of her roll.
Robyn smirked. “Aye, and so did the minister take ye up in his arms and rescue ye?”
Ruth rolled her eyes in mock frustration but felt a little shiver of excitement at the thought. “Well, yes. I had fallen unconscious, and he carried me back to Marianne and William. Then he helped discover the problem with my arm once I awoke.”
“Very interesting for a minister tae play such a romantic hero as well as walk around so late at night. I’ll warrant that man has plenty of secrets he is not telling us folks.”
Rut
h smiled. “Yes, it is interesting. He said he walks in the rain as a habit but did not fully explain why. And, Marianne has recruited him to assist me with the May Day preparations.”
Robyn’s eyes opened wide, and she grinned. “Truly? Well, lass, ye can sink yer claws intae him now. Ye’d be the envy of all the single women in the clan. ‘Tis not right for a minister tae be sae good-looking. Makes a woman think unholy thoughts in the church.” She chuckled.
That’s why Ruth liked Robyn so much. She was free, unencumbered, and had made her own way in the world. She was experienced with men, worldly, and she knew how to defend herself. Marianne was loving and kind, but she was so desperate to protect Ruth after the loss of their family, that she became more motherly, instead of sisterly. That was another reason Ruth felt like she couldn’t explain all of her feelings to her.
She simply nodded and smiled at Robyn’s statement. True, he was the sought-after bachelor of the area by all of the young women. Why should he notice her?
She shrugged and polished off the last bite of the roll. “I will not be clutching onto any man any time soon, you can be assured of that, Robyn. After the festival, I will hopefully be off on some adventure.” She stood preparing to leave.
Robyn nodded and chuckled. “Och, yes, this adventure ye’ve nearly ripped me ear off telling me about. Well, be sure tae say goodbye before ye leave. And maybe try tae catch a kiss from him as well.” She winked.
Ruth felt herself blushing. She loved how Robyn supported her dream of departure and excitement, but she didn’t want her friend or anyone to know how much she was interested in Troy and excited about working with him. These feelings would not do for a future adventuress such as herself, and she would not let a man, albeit an achingly handsome and mysterious one, upset her plans. But there was no harm in dreaming about him from time to time. She scoffed at Robyn’s suggestion.
“And become a minister’s conquest? Doesn’t quite suit me, does it?” And she left a laughing Robyn behind her as she left the hut to head to the open meadow near the woods.
Robyn yelled after her, “Nae, ye could make a conquest of him yerself!” And the laughter continued. Ruth smiled at the thought. She liked the idea of a man becoming a woman’s lover, a woman’s conquest. It was always the other way around, and women were seen as only objects of pleasure to be toyed with and used. But, alas, it was most likely not to ever be viewed in such a way.
A half an hour later, Ruth had chosen one of her favorite spots to read where her imagination could really come alive. The meadow grasses were tall and slightly hid her from view, and she felt a freedom there that she couldn’t feel so close to home. She sighed and sat slightly back, laying against a tree stump. She opened her book. She was reading about Hadley’s octant and was fascinated at how man had helped create ways to travel the world and discover new and exciting things. She so wished that she could be taught how to use one. She smirked at the thought, and she rubbed her fingers over the image on the page. Her father would have had a heart attack at such a thing. A woman learning mathematics? Never! He probably believed it was against the Bible as well, but Ruth refused to believe in a God that would reduce half of his creation to little more than broodmares and elevate the other half as though they were mini gods.
She sighed and slid down onto her back and laid the book down at her side, open. She closed her eyes against the sun and was absorbed in a daydream about telling her Father of her new job as navigator on a sailing ship when she heard the crunch of grass nearby, heard a surprised sound, and felt someone tumble on top of her.
Chapter Four
Ruth winced slightly. But the person had managed to miss her arm in their fall. “Pardon me! You really must watch where you’re going!” she said annoyed.
The figure raised up; hands placed on either side of her body. “I am so sorry,” he began, and then he caught her eyes. “Ruth!”
Ruth smiled at the familiar handsome face, all anger at the intrusion drained from her voice. “Troy. What an interesting way to greet a lady. I suppose both Emerald and I must be on the watch for you in the wilds.”
Troy coughed, embarrassed. “Och, lass. I am so sorry. Have I hurt ye?”
He looked apologetic, but he made no move to adjust his position. He remained atop her, looking down at her face, and Ruth could smell his scent. Strangely enough, it smelled like fresh rain and musk. His eyes lingered on her, and she felt a satisfaction at his unconscious appraisal of her face.
She replied, her lips curving up into a slight smile. “No, but you may want to get up. ‘Tis most unsuitable for a minister to be found in such a... position,” she teased.
Troy moved quickly. “Och, yes, of course. Ye are quite correct. He moved to her side and sat next to her, and Ruth appreciated the fact that he hadn’t hurried away. Perhaps he didn’t loathe her after all?
She sat up as well, brushing off the grasses from her skirts. She moved to grab the book and lay it in front of them.
Troy rubbed his hands through his hair and searched for what to say next. Oddly enough, his mind had been full of Ruth as he walked through the meadow. He had just been to the bakery to discuss the next round of communion wafers for the upcoming Sunday, and Robyn had mentioned casually that Ruth Browne had been in and had wandered off into the meadow to read.
Without thinking, Troy’s body had moved him towards the meadow, hoping but not hoping to bump into her. But he hadn’t meant literally. The stormy night of her fall off of Emerald and the moment they’d shared on the sofa, both of them dripping wet, had stuck with him. He couldn’t get the picture of her out of his mind. Her peaceful face, her soft skin, and her sweet, lavender scent was partly what had made him hurry away that evening and try to push away the longing that he felt in his heart, and the familiar heat he felt in his breeches.
Now he had fallen right on top of her, and the position had put all sorts of things in his mind that he didn’t want to think about. A minister shouldn’t think about them, but he felt weak as he stared down at her soft brown eyes, turned up lips, and knowing glance. He couldn’t help but take a peek at her thin yet curvaceous body. She had a sensuality, which she seemed so unconscious of, and that made her all the more desirable.
He decided to change the subject once he felt his cock slightly harden. He glanced at the book in front of them. It was one on navigation, and it piqued his interest. He looked at her quizzically. “You are reading this?” He reached forward to pick up the book and found the page she had been looking at. “Hadley’s Octant,” he whispered, a tool he had known well and used many times.
Ruth ignored the angry twinge she felt at his surprised look. She wanted to assume he had the best of intentions in his questioning. This man who she had looked up to for so long could not be as bad as the rest of them. “Yes. Yes, I am. I have quite an interest in navigation and maps.”
He smiled, still looking at the page. “Och, yes. Ye had discussed yer desire for travel, but I had not thought yer interests would reach as far as this. ‘Tis most unusual for a…”
He paused, hesitating over his words. Ruth’s rage built as she filled in the end of that sentence for him. “...for a woman, you mean?” She paused, her breath quickening. “Are we so useless that we cannot read subjects that interest us?” Troy turned to find a red-faced Ruth, beginning to stand up as she spoke the words.
He stuttered, surprised at her heated reaction. “I only meant that I have not met many women who would do such reading.”
Ruth brushed off her skirts again and grabbed the book from him, her anger filling her. “Please. Do not dissemble. ‘Tis most unmasculine. Stand by your words and your viewpoints, which I admit, are most incongruous to my own, but do not fear. You certainly stand with the other men and many women of the world who have little belief in the strength of women’s bodies or minds.”
Troy’s mind rushed for a way to calm her. He didn’t mean that women were useless and weak. It had been a simple comment made out of stupidity.
He had not seen Ruth in such a state before. He stood as well and faced her. “Ruth, please, do not…”
“Ah, how soon you have begun to command me, oh, man.” She did a mock bow in irritation. “Now I have seen your true colors and feelings. You are just as bad as the rest of them! And a minister, no less!” She gripped the book tightly in her one arm. “We may need to work together to prepare for the festival, and you may decline now if you so desire, but do not expect any kindness from me any longer. You have lost my respect, Mr. Ferguson. I had thought you a different kind of man.”
Ruth flipped her hair as she turned abruptly away and rushed off as best she could in a sling and holding a book. Troy froze, shocked by what had just happened. His fists clenched at his sides, and he couldn’t speak for a few moments as he tried to catch up with her words and allow the sting of them to pass.
Capturing The Reluctant Highlander (Lasses 0f The Kinnaird Castle Book 3) Page 3
