Bloom

Judgements

"Great Scott! What happened to your arms?" Hugh asked as he pulled away from Adeline, now noticing the horrible scratches the tree branches had given her.

"Oh," she pulled away, dipping her head in embarrassment, "I was riding quite fast and several branches got in the way."

"Ah, do you need something to wipe off the little bits of dried blood?" Before she could even reply, he was already reaching into his pail and pulling out a wash cloth. "The rain'll wet it for us," he added upon seeing the look on Adeline's face.

"What have you got in that trusty pail of yours? It seems that any problem you come across, you just pull something out of that pail and your problem is solved." She said as he gently washed off the blood, taking extra care on her left arm.

"I have almost everything in my pail. I carry it with me always and pride myself on being prepared," Hugh smirked at her as he picked up his pail, the two continuing their journey. "And, my good friend, Peter, is a doctor. He lives up in Nebraska somewhere but he has family in Missouri so whenever one of them is ill, he rides down here immediately. In fact I was just on an errand for him, actually, when I saw your horse there." He nodded to Charlotte.

"There's a person living in the forest, on our property?" Hugh glanced at her warily before answering.

"Yes..."

"I can't believe it! I have lived here my entire life and gone into the forest nearly every day and never known someone has been living there."

"Oh Adeline," something inside of her fluttered at the sound of her name being spoken by him, "That person does not want to be found so I am sure they hid every time they heard you playing in the forest."

"Are they feeling less under the weather?"

"Oh yes, quite better. They should be better in just a few days."

"I have never heard of a doctor in these parts. Does Peter only tend to his family?"

Hugh scuffed his heel against the drying earth before he replied. "Yes," he exhaled loudly, "and just barely scraping by because of it."

"Well why doesn't he become an actual doctor? That way he can help more people?"

"Because you have to be rich to become an actual doctor," he spat bitterly. Adeline felt her stomach drop out from within her, as though someone had opened a trap door and she had fallen through it.

"What did you say?"

"Adeline, I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes, you did! What did we do to you? Why do you hate the wealthier?" At this question, Hugh's eyes flashed as he looked away from her.

"Because you think you're better than everyone else, always looking down on others. If someone isn't like you then you immediately put them down, excluding them, so that your precious image stays in tact. " Adeline's temper flared at his judgmental words.

"You don't know anything! Not every wealthy person acts as you say."

"But most of them do! You might not," his eyes briefly glanced at her, something passing over his brown eyes before he glanced away, "but there are many people, probably your own family, that act as I have said." Adeline huffed, knowing that he was not wrong there.

"When you meet them, please don't judge them. Please be polite."

"Meet? I am not meeting your family! They will think the worst of me and judge me just like I would have judged them." At that moment the two exited the forest and were met with a hysterical looking Emmanuel.

"Why Miss Adeline, where have you been? Your father is in an absolute frenzy searching for you and we was about to call upon the police! And who are you?" Emmanuel glared accusingly at Hugh, looking pointedly at his empty left sleeve and rusted pail. "Did he hurt you, Miss Adeline?" His eyes flashed. "Is that why you were gone so long?"

"No! I was actually injured because I fell off of Charlotte and he gave me a sling for me arm, see," she gestured at the sling and Emmanuel glanced at the piece of fabric with scorning eyes.

"We'll let your father be the judge of his innocence." He gave Hugh one last glare before Emmanuel walked back to the house, calling to Adeline's father that he had found her.

"Leave," she murmured to Hugh, gently nudging him in his arm, "my father will not believe me if I say you didn't harm me," Adeline took a shaky breath, "he never believes me." Hugh glanced down at her before answering.

"Running away would be cowardly," they raised their heads at the sound of Adeline's father's yelling.

"Please, I don't want him to hurt you." She blushed furiously for saying such a idiotic thing to him. Hugh's lips again had a battle as to whether smile or not. Adeline was thankful that he didn't.

"I have always wanted to meet a wealthy family," he nodded toward her house, "and I suppose I am going to get my chance right now."