She did not expect him to apologize. It was a surprise to hear him sound so…genuine, and she greatly appreciated the sentiment.
Not enough to erase every ounce of pettiness from her veins.
“Yes, you should have. Although, I cannot say I am not surprised that you weren’t.”
He pursed his lips and nodded. “That’s fair. Still… the apology stands. Do not feel too bad; it was not your fault.”
She huffed, wishing she could erase the entire day from her memories.
“I should have been more careful. I should have noticed that the stirrup had weakened.”
Silas quickly shook his head, the urgency in his movements telling her that there was more to this than she had thought.
“You could not have known. The saddle had been fine since you had begun using it. And although you have been in charge of training Scar for days now, it is not your responsibility to ensure that his equipment and accessories are in good shape.”
She gritted her teeth and sat up immediately. “Are you trying to blame Simon? It wasn’t –”
“No, I am not. A new saddle was made for you two days after you started to train Scar. It should not have broken like that. I checked it and noticed that there were signs of it being tampered with greatly. Because you did not know what to look for, everything seemed fine. If the stirrup had not broken, the saddle itself would have broken apart from Scar while you were riding him – especially if he had begun to run.”
A chill filled her bones, and she clutched at her skirts, anxious to know the answer but too scared to ask the question she needed to voice in order to receive it.
Still, her curiosity outweighed the fear, and she voiced,
“Are you saying –”
“Yes. This was no accident. It was sabotage.”
Chapter Twelve
“Well, everything looks much better, my lady. You have done exceptionally well, allowing yourself to heal.” Mr. Bennett commented in approval as he put away his tools.
Agnes sighed in relief and put her foot down, thankful that he was able to confirm what she had been telling the entire household for over a day now.
“It was not difficult – given that everyone seemed to be against my efforts to do anything other than sit or lay down,” she grumbled with a pout.
“It was all for the best, as you have healed up quite nicely. It seems you were in very good care.” The physician smiled at her kindly.
The lady thought about her caregivers and how they had been overly willing to shower her with attention and assistance and blushed as one particular person stood out amongst the others.
Silas had been an unexpected nurse during her time incapacitated. After they had spoken about the issue over the saddle, he had produced a small container from his pocket and offered it up to her. She had stared at the item and then at him in confusion, lips twitching in amusement when he sighed and said,
“For your ankle. It will help relieve some of the pain or discomfort.”
She shook her head and said, “I was already prescribed something for the pain. I’ll be fine –”
“Trust me, this will grant you relief faster.”
Reluctantly, she had nodded and held her hand out, expecting him to hand it over, surprised when he pulled his hand back and stated.
“Let me do it.”
“What?” she squawked, blushing deeply.
“I’ll apply it for you. If you will let me.”
She paused, not wanting to refuse his offer but unsure if she could stand him touching her. At the end of the day, she could not bring herself to say no, nodding again slowly. He nodded back and settled down at the foot of her bed next to her injured ankle.
“I’ll be gentle,” he promised, opening the container and coating a finger in the salve.