“Leave it, Octavia,” Fredrick ordered.
“But I feel—”
He cut her off again. “You don’t get to feel anything about whatIhave gone through. WhatIhave seen. It is enough to ruin any sane man.”
“I am here if you want to talk about it.”
“I don’t.”
Octavia knew she should drop it but she had one more thing she wanted to say. “You may think you are alone, but you aren’t.”
Fredrick clenched his jaw. “I know you are trying to help, but there is no helping me. And I refuse to burden you with what I was forced to do as a soldier. That wouldn’t be fair of me.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but Fredrick spoke first. “We should be heading back,” he said.
Octavia wasn’t quite ready to leave. “What if we talk about something else?” she asked. “Could we stay for a few more moments?”
Her brother looked as if he were going to refuse her, but to her surprise, he replied, “Very well. What else would you care to discuss?”
She decided to ask the first question that came to her mind. “What if I got a miniature horse as a pet?”
“A miniature horse?”
Octavia nodded. “Yes, I saw one at the fair and they are absolutely adorable. And we would be in good company because I was told that the Prince Regent has been gifted many over the years.”
With a shake of his head, Fredrick asked, “Why not a dog? Or a cat?”
“A cat is for a spinster,” Octavia replied. “At least that is what my dear friend Esther told me. But I am not opposed to a dog and a miniature horse.”
Before Fredrick could respond to her, Octavia saw two familiar riders in the distance and she put her hand up in greeting to acknowledge Lord and Lady Rushcliffe.
Enid reined in her horse a short distance away and smiled. “Good morning,” she said. “What a pleasant surprise to see you both here.”
“It is, considering I needed to speak to Fredrick anyways,” Lord Rushcliffe stated as he came to a stop next to his wife.
Fredrick tipped his head. “Rushcliffe,” he said. “You may speak plainly, if you would like. Octavia is familiar with the situation.”
Lord Rushcliffe didn’t hesitate as he shared, “I made some inquiries and I discovered that Lord William left a gambling hall a few hours before the carriage was tampered with.”
“Did you happen to learn where he went after the gambling hall?” Fredrick pressed.
“According to my sources, he claimed he was going home, but no one can confirm his whereabouts,” Lord Rushcliffe replied.
Octavia spoke up. “So it is entirely probable that Lord William had something to do with the carriage accident.”
“Yes, but we do not know for certain,” Lord Rushcliffe responded. “Furthermore, Lord Kendal seems to be respected amongst his peers and he hasn’t made any enemies in the House of Lords.”
Fredrick considered Lord Rushcliffe’s words before saying, “That is my understanding as well, making it more likely that Lord William is behind this.”
Enid met Octavia’s gaze. “It is far too early to be discussing such unpleasant things,” she said.
“Perhaps you can call on me later and we can discuss the weather,” Octavia joked.
With a laugh, Enid responded, “I would be happy to call upon you, but I do not wish to discuss the weather.”
“I shall be looking forward to it,” Octavia said.
Lord Rushcliffe turned to address his wife. “We should hurry if we want to be there when Marigold wakes up.”
