Rushbrooke End (Book 4)

Chapter 4

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win."

― Mahatma Gandhi

"Lady Thorpe, Lady Thorpe!" Someone, a man, was calling her name from far off and Lilly struggled to open her eyes. It was as if weights had been tied down onto her eyes. She struggled to open them, a blurry world of cold and white coming into view.

And then the obscure outline of a face.

"Lord Grimshaw," she said thickly, her eyes opening more readily now.

"Lady Thorpe are you all right?" He asked helping her into a sitting position.

"I think so," Lilly sat up fully to find the Earl was crouched next to her, his horse behind him, tethered to a tree.
"Are you dizzy?"

"Yes a little bit, I think I'll be all right."

"Please allow me to escort you back to Cole Hall when you're ready."

"Thank you, I should be heading back. What time is it?"

"Twenty to two," he helped her to her feet, "are you all right to walk?"

"Yes, I'm recovered, just a bit dizzy."

"I imagine your head hurts quite a bit, did you slip?"

"Yes, I should've been more careful," Lilly leant against a tree as Lord Grimshaw untied his horse. Her head indeed was throbbing with a dull pain and she winced as she felt the small bump at the back of her head.

"All right, let's go," he offered his arm to her and they set off, his horse trailing behind, the reins gripped loosely in Lord Grimshaw's hands.

"Thank you," Lilly spoke after a moment of silence had passed. "Please do not mention this to my brother. If he finds out something else has happened to me then he'll never let me leave the house alone."

"I won't say anything, but please do be careful, I would not want anything unfortunate to happen to you." He smiled in a manner that sent chills down Lilly's spine and she wasn't sure what they were caused by.

"Yes, well, er," she struggled to make conversation, his hand on her back and the pounding in her head doing nothing to aid her. "Will you be staying at Rushbrooke for Christmas?" She finally managed to ask.

"Yes, it will be my first Christmas there in seven years."

"Where did you spend your last Christmas?"

"I've been in Ireland for the past three years and before that I was in Prague."
"Forgive me for asking but what do you do in the countries you visit?"

"I study there, believe it or not."

Well that was unexpected, but Lilly was intrigued. "What do you study?"
"Different things depending on where I am. In France I was studying philosophy."

"I heard you studied abroad when you were younger, is that true?"

"It is, my father saw it fit to send me abroad for my education."
Lilly tried to say something clever but she could come up with nothing and they walked in silence for a few moments.

"May I ask why you were in that grove?" Lord Grimshaw asked finally.

"I was going for a walk," Lilly replied cautiously, unwilling to reveal that she had been intending to visit him.

"Thank goodness I found you then," he spoke with a hint of sardonic pleasure in his voice and Lilly straightened; suddenly his arm felt much to close to her.