"Don't take this the wrong way Lady Pauline, but are you some sort of masochist?" The doctor asked the next day.
Halt lay in the back of a medical wagon heading for Pauline's family home.
"I'm sure we will be fine" Pauline said.
"Suit yourselves... keep him laying down for as long as you can at least another day or two but no excessive movement for at least a couple weeks no more than a walk no internal organs were damaged but the muscles have been and they will need to heal" the doctor said.
"Thank you doctor" she said accepting the small parcel of salves and bandages from him.
Halt to his relief was put up in the guest house rather than the main house giving him a bit of space from Pauline's 'delightful' aunt. And he did behave for a couple days for no other reason than a hopefully quicker recovery. He had been very quiet and it seemed every time Pauline tried to spend time with Halt she was called away for on reason or another which she attributed to her Aunts doing.
A few days into Halt's stay Pauline went early to see him. She saw Gretchen on the way there preparing cups of tea for the family for breakfast.
"Good morning Gretchen" Pauline greeted "I'll go ahead and take my tea now if you don't mind and a cup of coffee as well if you don't mind."
"Not at all my Lady" Gretchen said with a smile "are you enjoying having your betrothed so close?"
"I would enjoy it more if I could be near him for more than two minutes at a time" Pauline said.
Gretchen looked down at the tray "what do you know?" Pauline asked knowing what the young woman's avoided eye contact meant by now.
"Well my lady it's just... Your aunt has us all on edge. Every time she sees you going to be with him she sends one of us after you" Gretchen said "worried he might take advantage of you or some excuse" Gretchen said.
Pauline rolled her eyes and sat down "I haven't even been able to tell him I loved him and he hasn't even kissed me yet Gretchen I doubt that much can happen to quickly."
Michael clattered from the back, when the women both looked at him he held up his hands "I'm not hearing any of this."
Gretchen sat across from her friend "do you want him to kiss you?" She asked eagerly.
"Oh lords know I do" Pauline admitted reddening. She wasn't normally so emotional but something about Halt just made her want to settle by a nice warm fire in his arms.
"Gods beards then grab him by the face and do it then! You both have lips don't ya?!" Michael said setting the tea kettle down. Both women looked at him surprised.
"What happened to hearing nothing of this?" Gretchen asked.
"Anything to give that old bat something to talk about during her foot bath than her cats" he said quite tired of hearing about Aunt Georgiana's fascination with her prized fur balls. He pointed at Gretchen "Gretchen have you seen Pauline this morning?"
"She's right" Gretchen started but at Michaels head shaking she realized what he was doing she stopped "haven't seen hide nor hair."
Michael held out his hands and nodded "neither have I, I believe I heard she was headed to the garden."
Pauline smiled "thank you both" she said and hurried off quickly.
Pauline hurried out of the kitchen leaving the coffee and tea behind and slammed strait into none other than her mother.
"And where do you think you are off to this early" she said with a knowing grin.
"Mother you know I have barely spent any time with Halt, Aunt Georgiana has seen to that" Pauline said.
"I know I'm sorry my dear she is a little bitter still" her mother said.
"A little?" Pauline said.
"Don't be Cross dear, I was just coming to fetch you I've seen to it that she is distracted a few hours so that you can have a bit of time with Halt ...I still expect you to be honorable however" her mother added the last knowing she didn't need to but that's what mothers do.
"Mother!..." Pauline said reddening "what did you do to her?"
"Are you concerned with that or spending time wit your fiancé?" Her mother said.
Pauline hugged her and started off again.
"Pauline" her mother said.
"Yes mother?" Pauline added
"Don't take Michaels advice... let him come to you. It's a bit more romantic and you don't want to frighten the poor man" her mother said with a smile.
"How much of that conversation did you hear?" Pauline asked mortified.
"Enough to know that you have good friends" her mother said with a wave as she went to fetch her morning tea.
Her mother seemed to trust Halt a good bit more than her father and Aunt did and Pauline wasn't sure why, she had even seemed to favor him over the other suitors and had no suspicion over his work or position even seeming to understand the Ranger lifestyle at times. She would fret over that later for now she was just excited to finally have some peaceful time with Halt.