“It’s nice to see him smile again after all that trouble at the manor.” Mrs Hibbet’s comment dragged Rose from her reverie. “Happen it will all change again if you leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere just yet.” Rose gave a weak chuckle merely to mask the lie that had fallen easily from her lips. She had to go to The Talbot Inn. How could she not visit Oliver and Nicole?
“That’s what Dr Taylor said. You’re not to go anywhere but your bed.” Mrs Hibbet put her hand to her chest. “Now there’s a man committed to his work. He was backwards and forwards between here and The Talbot Inn all day yesterday. Thanks to him that poor girl from the manor will be right as rain in a day or two.”
“Yesterday? But the fire was last night.”
“Last night?” Mrs Hibbet frowned. “No, dear. You slept the whole day yesterday. Dr Taylor came and examined you, although his lordship insisted I was present for the most part. Oh, you won’t remember. You didn’t open your eyes once. Dr Taylor said the body knows when it needs to heal.” She caught her breath. “He wanted you to drink the tonic, but the bottle was already empty.”
Empty?
Rose’s gaze shot to the night stand. The brown bottle stood in the same place. Perhaps she had downed the contents. She slowed her breathing, paused and reflected as to whether she felt different. No. If anything, the restorative had given her a new lease of energy.
But to miss one whole day?
“I should get up. I can’t stay in bed.” Rose kicked the coverlet off before Mrs Hibbet could protest, and swung her legs to the floor. “Besides, after breathing in so much smoke, I could do with a stroll outdoors.”
Mrs Hibbet put her hands on her hips. “Bed is the best place for you, dear.”
“Please, Mrs Hibbet.” After spending six months locked in the manor, the last thing she wanted was to remain indoors. “I don’t want to be cooped up in here, not today.”
“Oh, the doctor will be none too happy when he hears about it.” The woman sighed. “But I suppose a walk won’t do you any harm.”
Rose jumped up and clutched Mrs Hibbet’s hands. “Thank you.”
“Mind you wear a cloak now. And keep out of t
he woods. His lordship’s ridden to Abberton and won’t be back for an hour or more.”
“An hour is all I need.” Then again, it would take thirty minutes walking at a fast pace to get to The Talbot Inn.
“Mind you get back before his lordship. Else I’ve no choice but to tell him you’ve gone.”
The journey to The Talbot Inn took a little longer than Rose expected. By the time she reached the cobbled courtyard she’d rubbed another blister on her toe. Still, the slight tingling was overshadowed by the pounding of her heart. During the last two years, she’d dreamed of seeing her brother again, of ruffling his ebony locks and hugging him until he could hardly breathe. A thousand miles had stood between her and her dream. Now, the only thing preventing a reunion was an oak door and a flight of stairs.
But the sudden rush of excitement gave way to doubt.
It mattered not that a patron might recognise her, not with Oliver in residence. And yet something stopped her stepping forward. She stared up at the inn’s stone facade, could almost feel her brother’s presence behind the leaded glass window.
Realisation dawned.
If she entered the building, there were only two possible outcomes. Oliver would take her home to London, so pleased to see her that he’d not care where she’d been the last few days. Or he would insist on hearing her tale. Demand Lord Farleigh offer marriage.
But what if she went back to Everleigh and hid there for a few more days? No one knew her identity. No one cared for a maid’s reputation. And it would give her more time with Christian. Help her make sense of the strange fluttering in her heart whenever he came near.
She paced back and forth, tapping her fingers on her lips, hoping it would help her reach a decision.
An image of Christian flooded her vision. He sat slumped in the chair, his head buried in his hands as he tried to make sense of her lies and deceit. At some point, she would have to tell him the truth. Was it not better to hear it from her lips? Did the children not need an explanation, too?
With one last glance at the upstairs windows of the inn, she stepped back until out on the lane. It took every ounce of strength she possessed to walk away. But the invisible thread tying her to Everleigh proved hard to ignore.
Head down she hurried along the road, ignoring the carts and carriages passing by on their way to the city. At the crossroads, she turned left towards Everleigh. Lost in her thoughts, she failed to see the rider approaching until the horse slowed to a trot and stopped beside her.
“Rose?”
She looked up, directly into the handsome face of Dr Taylor. Noting the cut of his coat and the height of his top hat, the doctor clearly kept abreast of the latest fashions.
“It is you.” The doctor raised a critical brow. “Did I not confine you to your bed?”