Arthur wasn’t a superstitious man, but seeing Matilda walk down the path he swore fate had something against him. Again at first glance he mistook her for a servant as she lugged the laundry basket through the garden. He immediately stood up and respectfully bowed his head as any Gentleman would. His instinct was to make a teasing remark on Wakehurst firing all their servants, but instead he bit his tongue. 

[b]“Miss Farr ...”[/b]

He paused. What was he meant to say, ‘hello, how have you been’? He had acted like a fool that night and he didn’t have the guts to say anything about it.

[b]“Let me take that, I can’t allow someone with a sprained ankle to be hanging out the laundry,[/b]” he said without thinking. He took the basket from her hands and stood there feeling like an idiot. [i]What am I doing?[/i] he thought.