Chapter 7

Uhhh" the old man's rough groan awakened them both from the lull.

"Oh" Ava turned back to the accident victim.

"Are you all right, sir?" The man leaned back behind her, trapped her with his strong hands. His breath brushed her neck, soothing her damp skin and his warmth surrounded her. His tanned hand was rough and muscular. His shirt sleeves were folded up to his elbow. Seemed like he was a working country man. A farmer or a blacksmith possibly.

"I'm okay" the old man snorted in annoyance "My right legs just hurt a little."

Ava felt a gentle pat on her shoulder and she turned her head back swiftly. "Excuse me, miss" He bestowed her the most dazzling smile, Ava didn't know which one brighter, the sunshine or his smile. "Do you mind moving a little, I need to see his injury..."

"Oh..." She blushed, then moved aside. "Of course."

The young man checked the old man thoroughly, meanwhile, Ava made a sideways glance secretly. The man looked like he knew what he was doing. He wore a white casual shirt along with brown vest, a khaki colored trousers and high boots, a country classic style.

The old man groaned again. "Is he all right?" Ava looked at the old man with concern. "Supposed to be." He skimmed his hand to the man's injured leg. "Nothing's broken. It's just a sprain possibly. Let me help you on your feet, sir."

"I can do it!" He jerked off his hand abruptly, seemed irritated with his offer. "I've suffered much worse injuries than this. Aaarggghhh!!!" He fell back, failed at the first attempt to get himself to stand.

"I have no doubt, sir. I can see you are sort of a fighter, a soldier maybe?"

Seemed like the young man's clever approach had lifted his pride, because his sullen expression softened, his eyes gleamed.

"Indeed. During the restoration. You certainly have an eye, young man."

"Salute to you, sir. I've always admired the patriots. You have given all your life protecting people like me. Now when you're in need, I'll be glad to give back, though it's very little and meaningless compared to your service."

The old man's resistance loosened and he let the young man lifted him up with an easy pull. When the young man stood up right before her, Ava was stunned by his unusual height. He was a large man, tall and muscular.

He let his shirt unbuttoned just above his chest, where a thin mass of golden curls escaped. His rebellious long hair and his bristles made him looked ruggedly handsome and masculine.

"Well..." he grinned at her with a mischievous shine in his eyes. "Seems like my hands are full now. I'm afraid you must help with the rest." He cocked his head, motioning to the donkey and the cart along with the scattered planks on the road.

"Oh..." Ava's mouth gaped open at the sight of the terrible mess. When she glanced back at him again, his hazel eyes gleaming with laughter.

"I'm just joking. How would you fix such a mess alone? I'm going to put you, sir, in your cart. And if you don't mind, miss, can you help with the donkey? That friendly creature seemed quite easy to handle."

"My planks!" The old man suddenly exclaimed. "I've been working on them for hours..."

"Don't worry about that, sir. I'll get you the new ones tomorrow."

"No way!" the old man grumbled.

"There's only one cart, sir. Tell me, is it you or the planks I should carry home?"

The old man muttered some complaints, but finally agreed. Ava watched in fascination. The way he handled things with a delightful touch of humor was really amusing. And he never knew a man who had the wit. Obviously he was good with people, yet he was sincere. A cold, calculating man like Roger would never bother to help a poor war veteran like this.

As they carried the old man home, she was glad he was walking in front of her, so she could have full access to see the dashing stranger without worrying of getting caught.

He had tied the bridle to the cart, using it to pull the cart behind him.

Admiring his solid back and broad shoulders, Ava noticed that despite his large, well-built figure, he was flexible indeed. The way he moved with such an ease reminded her of a tiger. But he was no savage creature at all, from the way he held the old man firmly but gently before he put him in the broken cart, made certain every single move didn't cause more pain. He was not just clever with words and good with people. He was gentle and thoughtful. He was thorough.

Before long, they arrived at a small wooden cottage. Ava tied the donkey to the fence swiftly and followed him into the house. There was no room, the whole of the house had been simplified to be one big bedroom, a rather small bedroom compared to hers in her father's houses. There was a wooden table with only one chair to the right side, a bed at the end of the room, and a cupboard in the right corner. All were shabby and worn out. As he laid the old man on his bed, Ava poured some water from a jug to a used tin cup.

Seemed like the old man was living alone here, so it must be his cup. She handed the cup to him, and he drank thirstily, finished the drink with one long swallow.

"Now I shall go and find a doctor. Do you mind staying here a little longer, miss?"

"Never mind, I'll take care of him."

"Great. By the way, we've had a short yet pleasant journey together, but I haven't known your name. What should I call you, miss ...?"

"Ava..." she had been very careful not to mention her last name to anyone here. Although Polly said the society in this country was limited and there was no chance this country man knew about the nobility, she would better not taking any risk.

He raised his brow. It was not common for a new acquaintances to call each other with given name, especially between men and women. She paused for a while, then confirmed

"Just Ava."

He stared at her, amused. Then finally he replied

"An enchanting name. It serves you very well."

She felt her cheeks warmed. "And what should I call you, sir?"

"Magnus" A playful sparks flashed in his eyes when he mentioned his name.

"Just Magnus."

Ava didn't know what to say. He was teasing her, but she could hardly blame him because she was the first one who refused to mention her last name.

The old man cleared his throat behind them.

Quickly he addressed him with an apologetic tone.

"Pardon me, sir. I should have introduced myself to you first. My bad. Now that you know our names, what should we call you?"

"Captain John Ballard, at your service." The old man spoke proudly.

Magnus gave him a low bow. "Very well, Captain. Looking forward to talk to you later. Now I shall go and call the doctor."

Meanwhile, Ava had a little talk with the captain. Although he was a stern guy by nature, he was friendly with her. The captain lived alone in this country after retiring from the army. He had no family left, he had never got married. He simply lived all by himself. Ava promised to visit him tomorrow and brought him a cup of broth and some food.

It didn't take long for Magnus to bring the doctor. Soon the captain was taken care of. As he mentioned before, there was no broken bone, the sprain was quite severe but nothing serious. With a little care, after a few days, the captain would be back to normal. The doctor didn't stay long, before he left, Ava saw Magnus paid for the service.

Magnus stared at a sword hanging on the wall just beside the table.

"Marvelous" he murmured, couldn't take his eyes off the sword.

Captain Ballard was sitting on the bed with his leg bandaged.

"Do you practice swordplay, young man?"

"Since I was a little boy I guess..." he ran his fingers along the sheath in fascination. "I can never stop ever since."

"I can show you some move if you like."

"Really, sir? Are you good at it?"

"The best." The captain bragged bluntly.

"I trained every man recruited for His Majesty's Private Army."

"Seriously? Then you must be very good."

"You can try me after I'm done with this." The old man grumbled at his wounded leg.

Magnus turned to the captain with outright curiousity.

"If you're that good, sir. Why you couldn't save yourself from a mad horse? A swordman has to be quick."

"I had to save my planks, and my cart!" The captain exclaimed.

"Really?" Magnus burst into laughter, he crossed his arms across his chest in a relaxed manner and leaned his back to the table.

"All right, I've lost more than half my speed, and I'm getting old. But I still got some move." The old man muttered.

"We'll see." Magnus grinned.

"Careful, young man. I might consider it a challenge."

Amazed with the ease between the two, Ava watched in amusement. Suddenly she remembered she had been leaving home for too long. She grasped her basket on the table quickly.

"Excuse me, sir. I should be leaving now. See you tomorrow, sir." She nodded awkwardly to the captain, fully awared that the handsome young man was staring at her. She hurried to the doorway.

"Wait, miss." The deep voice made her heart stop. "I will walk you home."

He walked beside her along the road and she dared not to look at him directly, neither to start a conversation. From the corner of her eye, she could see that the man was studying her in silent. She didn't feel this way when they were carrying the captain before. Now that she was left alone with him, it felt awkward.

"So, are you new here, miss?" Finally he broke the silence.

"Yes, I've just moved here last week. How do you know?"

"I've been here all my life, and never seen anyone or anything quite like you. I would have noticed long ago, if this little town had something really worth seeing."