The Last Eligible Bachelor - Ashtyn Newbold Page 0,34
own gain, but if she hadn’t, then I would not have had this opportunity to help the Roberts family in this small way. I would not have had a chance to see Bibury in the spring.
Too many emotions swirled around my heart. Any moment now, I would let them show. Coming to Bibury had already begun to change me. For the first time in months, I felt deeply. My heart seemed to be stirring, unfolding its wings and awakening from dormancy. I felt free to be whoever I wished to be, whoever any situation called for. I could speak when I wished, wear what I wished, smile and laugh and sleep as long as I wanted.
But I was remembering just how similar it had been being a lady and being a maid. There were expectations to both roles, and consequences for not following them.
I bid Mrs. Roberts farewell before walking out the front door, starting back on the narrow dirt path that led away from the small house. The sun had already traveled much higher in the sky, a faint glow peeking through the clouds. Jessie walked beside me, squinting at something in the distance. “Is that...?”
I followed her gaze, my jaw dropping. Atop his horse, riding up the path toward where we stood, was Mr. Hill. I searched frantically for a place to hide. Had he already seen me? My heart thudded as I pulled Jessie around the side of the Roberts’ house, pressing my back against it. As fragile as the architecture seemed, I hoped my weight wouldn’t damage it further.
The sound of the horse’s breathing and heavy hoofbeats came closer, and I kept my lips pressed together in silence. If Mr. Hill passed without glancing to either side, then he would miss us entirely. But how could I trust that he would stare straight ahead? Tapping Jessie’s arm, I motioned behind us, where the ground sloped downward toward a row of trees. She seemed to decipher my meaning, starting down the slope ahead of me. I followed, glancing back just as Mr. Hill and his horse came into view. Distracted as I was, I didn’t see the mud.
My foot slipped out from under me and I let out a screech. I caught a handful of grass as I fell, but the force of my fall was too strong to be stopped by a few blades of grass. I slid halfway down the slope before stopping myself on Jessie’s ankles. She fell forward to her hands and knees, and I rolled twice before landing in a puddle at the base of the hill. I looked up at Jessie, my face and dress splattered in mud, her clothing only in slightly better condition.
Mr. Hill had likely heard my first screech already, so I clamped my mouth shut. Dragging myself from the ground, I wiped off as many clumps of mud as possible from my skirts before walking forward to help Jessie to her feet. How could I walk back to Winslow House like this? Although, with my hair in disarray and my clothes unpresentable, I felt much more myself—much more like a maid. Miss Downsfield would never be so ungainly as to slide down a muddy slope and land in a puddle. My cheeks burned as I listened for the horse.
Only when I extended my hand to help Jessie up did I notice the way her features twisted in pain. Her breathing was quick as she shifted her weight to one side, pulling up her skirts slightly to examine her right leg. “Tillie,” she whispered through gritted teeth. Her brow scrunched as another sharp pain seemed to strike her. “I’ve hurt my ankle.”
Chapter 11
“What?” I dropped to my knees, sending another splatter of mud up my skirts. My heart pounded as I followed her gaze to her lower leg.
She bit her lip, nodding fast. “I don’t think I can stand. Do you think it be broken?”
My heart pounded with dread. “Oh, Jessie.” I touched her arm, helping her sit up straight. “I slipped first. It’s my fault.”
The hoofbeats grew louder. For Jessie’s sake, I couldn’t ignore them. Putting aside my pride, I hurried to my feet, climbing up the slope several steps until I could see Mr. Hill on his horse just beyond the path that led to the Roberts’ house. My brow furrowed in confusion as he dismounted and started toward the door. Whatever had brought him here would have to wait.