She stood in her chamber and shook her head.
“Silly, silly Ruth. What are you doing?”
She would not allow herself to have such strange feelings for the man intended for her sister.
It just was not right. Love, or whatever this was, would not sneak up on her in such a manner? Would it?
Chapter 14
“She is a smart young woman, if peculiar,” Jack said as they watched Lady Ruth dash away from the window.
He wondered what brought on her sudden departure and at once feared he’d once again done something to make her uncomfortable.
“Rotham?” Jack’s voice pierced his thoughts and he turned to find him examining his face with a keen eye. His usually pale face was still flushed from the ride, leaving red blotches on his skin.
Kenneth rubbed his chin, feeling the coarse stubble underneath his fingers. He was fond of the way he looked with a hint of facial hair, although it was not considered fashionable and his mother had been sure to tell him this repeatedly during dinner the previous day.
“She is. I find her quite an interesting character. She certainly is knowledgeable in an array of subjects and her mind – it is almost as if she retains everything she sees and hears.”
The two carried on walking through the courtyard.
“It seems you have spent some time conversing with her.” There was an undertone of amusement in Jack’s voice.
“Yesterday, and for a little while before that. She and I had quite the spirited conversation about music when…” He stopped, anger flooding him again at his cousin’s behavior. “Lawrence made quite the fool of himself I am afraid, and he spoke to her in a most uncouth manner. She was terribly alarmed. I saw myself compelled to plant a facer on him.”
Jack let out a laugh so booming it drew the attention of two passing maids.
“By Jove! Kenneth Cragshade, you do surprise me. The young lady seems to have made quite the impression on you. And yet, it seems your mother is settled on the sister for a wife?”
The two young men strutted across the garden toward the lake, intending on viewing the cygnets. Ever since the unfortunate death of the female swan, Kenneth found himself protective of the young animals and wanted to make sure they were at least not made orphans – or worse.
“I simply do not like to see her ill-treated due to her appearance. I was most upset with myself for allowing the shock of it to overwhelm me, not once but multiple times. Seeing Lawrence talk to her as though she were a character fit for a sideshow enraged me…”
He paused as they sat on a bench, watching the male swan circling the lake with his young. There was something he’d not yet shared with his friend, something that bothered him more than he was willing to admit. “I had a dream about her last night. It was troubling.”
Jack raised his eyebrow. “Trouble? In what way?”
Kenneth shook his head and leaned back, crossing his arms behind his back. “We danced at a ball.”
“Dancing? Very troubling, indeed. Outright scandalous, I declare! Next, you will tell me the two of you dined together,” Jack jested, jabbing an elbow in Kenneth’s ribcage. Kenneth blinked at his friend in mild irritation before carrying on.
“It was! Not the dancing, of course. Although I will confess that my dream state self is a rather better dancer than I could ever hope to be. No. It was because she had no scar. Her face was clear, untouched by fire.”
Jack shrugged. “I do not find it strange nor troubling. In fact, it makes perfect sense to me.”
“How so?”
Jack turned, placing his right leg over the other, his feet bopping up and down. His wavy hair swayed slightly in the late-morning breeze. Off in the distance, Kenneth noticed the fluffy white clouds turning dark, a sign of a storm lay in their future.
“It is because you know her now. You see her for the person she is, having conversed with her. So, in your dream, she appears as she would be without the scar. At least I imagine it is the case.”
“I wonder then why I dreamt of her, not her sister.”
Jack just looked at him, mischief lighting up his eyes.
“Come now, Rotham. The answer to this question is before you clear as day, is it not?”
Kenneth tilted his head to one side, confused. “It is not. I do not understand what it is you are implying.”