handsome bay hacks. Puzzled Marianne looked at John.
‘Good heavens! Who else is joining our outing? Are we to expect the entire Grierson family to arrive at any moment?’
‘No, miss. I am, of course, accompanying you. The other horses are for Sam, who has to lead Lady Arabella’s mount.’
‘Leading it? Am I to believe that as Lady Arabella is not here in person she has arranged for a phantom to ride alongside us?’
She heard Emily giggling at the absurdity of her comment. ‘We are to rendezvous with Arabella on the far side of the green. She is travelling in her carriage from Great Bromley.’
‘Let me understand this correctly, Emily. Lady Arabella wishes to ride with us but we have to meet her at Great Bentley?’ Emily nodded her smile fading. ‘She is being driven to this point?’ Emily nodded a second time. ‘Does Lord Hawksmith not keep horses at his establishment?’
This was a question Emily could answer. ‘Of course he does, silly. But Arabella is not allowed to ride outside the grounds of Bromley Park.’
Marianne turned away not wishing her horrified expression to be seen. John’s face was equally concerned. Before they had time to discuss the implication of providing a mount for someone who had been forbidden to ride in public, her guardian arrived in a flurry of scattered gravel and stamping hooves.
Expertly he calmed his chestnut stallion and swung one leg casually across the horse’s neck, smiling benevolently down at the assembled group.
‘Morning, my dears. It appears I am to have a double delight! Two lovely companions instead of one.’
‘You are to be even more rewarded, sir; we are to collect a third, Lady Arabella, at Great Bentley.’ Marianne paused, unable to decide if she should tell him the rest. For all his bonhomie, she believed she detected a certain rigidity in his pose.
He raised his eyebrows and stared at the extra horse now held by a mounted groom. ‘I had no idea Lord Hawksmith had closed his stables. No matter—it is not my affair.’ Not allowing a reply he sat back in the saddle and rammed his boot loudly into his dangling stirrup-iron. ‘If you will get mounted, my dears, we shall depart. Lucifer here does not take kindly to delays.’
Marianne and Emily hurried to their mounts and were thrown up by the waiting grooms. Emily’s pretty bay mare arched her neck and pricked her ears, eager to be away. Sultan, still being unavailable, Marianne found herself this time on the bay Billy had ridden from Upton Manor. She had ridden him once before and knew him to be lively.
The cavalcade trotted down the drive, Sir Theodore leading the way, sensibly keeping to the grass verge and avoiding the many potholes. Marianne dropped back, allowing Emily to ride behind her guardian. She indicated that John should come beside her.
‘John, this is an unmitigated disaster. How dare Lady Arabella involve us in her disobedience?’
‘Too late to repine, miss, there’s little we can do apart from pray Lord and Lady Hawksmith do not get to hear of it.’
‘It’s not them I am concerned about. I think I may have underestimated Sir Theodore. Did you not detect his displeasure at being obliged to escort this circus?’
John frowned and then his face creased and he nodded towards the tall man conversing with Miss Grierson. ‘Not him, miss. He is more concerned with a cut of his coat than anything else. Look at him doing the pretty—does he look perturbed?’
Marianne was obliged to admit that he did not. ‘I hope you are correct. I have no wish to fallout with my guardian. This would be laid at my door, you can be sure of that.’
The short distance along leafy lanes to Great Bentley was soon accomplished and she recognized, as soon as they arrived, the smart barouche pulled up in the cobbled yard of The Lion.
Emily nudged her mare forward. ‘I do hope we have not kept you waiting, Arabella. See, I have brought Peggy for you. She is prettily behaved and will be
‘Good heavens! Who else is joining our outing? Are we to expect the entire Grierson family to arrive at any moment?’
‘No, miss. I am, of course, accompanying you. The other horses are for Sam, who has to lead Lady Arabella’s mount.’
‘Leading it? Am I to believe that as Lady Arabella is not here in person she has arranged for a phantom to ride alongside us?’
She heard Emily giggling at the absurdity of her comment. ‘We are to rendezvous with Arabella on the far side of the green. She is travelling in her carriage from Great Bromley.’
‘Let me understand this correctly, Emily. Lady Arabella wishes to ride with us but we have to meet her at Great Bentley?’ Emily nodded her smile fading. ‘She is being driven to this point?’ Emily nodded a second time. ‘Does Lord Hawksmith not keep horses at his establishment?’
This was a question Emily could answer. ‘Of course he does, silly. But Arabella is not allowed to ride outside the grounds of Bromley Park.’
Marianne turned away not wishing her horrified expression to be seen. John’s face was equally concerned. Before they had time to discuss the implication of providing a mount for someone who had been forbidden to ride in public, her guardian arrived in a flurry of scattered gravel and stamping hooves.
Expertly he calmed his chestnut stallion and swung one leg casually across the horse’s neck, smiling benevolently down at the assembled group.
‘Morning, my dears. It appears I am to have a double delight! Two lovely companions instead of one.’
‘You are to be even more rewarded, sir; we are to collect a third, Lady Arabella, at Great Bentley.’ Marianne paused, unable to decide if she should tell him the rest. For all his bonhomie, she believed she detected a certain rigidity in his pose.
He raised his eyebrows and stared at the extra horse now held by a mounted groom. ‘I had no idea Lord Hawksmith had closed his stables. No matter—it is not my affair.’ Not allowing a reply he sat back in the saddle and rammed his boot loudly into his dangling stirrup-iron. ‘If you will get mounted, my dears, we shall depart. Lucifer here does not take kindly to delays.’
Marianne and Emily hurried to their mounts and were thrown up by the waiting grooms. Emily’s pretty bay mare arched her neck and pricked her ears, eager to be away. Sultan, still being unavailable, Marianne found herself this time on the bay Billy had ridden from Upton Manor. She had ridden him once before and knew him to be lively.
The cavalcade trotted down the drive, Sir Theodore leading the way, sensibly keeping to the grass verge and avoiding the many potholes. Marianne dropped back, allowing Emily to ride behind her guardian. She indicated that John should come beside her.
‘John, this is an unmitigated disaster. How dare Lady Arabella involve us in her disobedience?’
‘Too late to repine, miss, there’s little we can do apart from pray Lord and Lady Hawksmith do not get to hear of it.’
‘It’s not them I am concerned about. I think I may have underestimated Sir Theodore. Did you not detect his displeasure at being obliged to escort this circus?’
John frowned and then his face creased and he nodded towards the tall man conversing with Miss Grierson. ‘Not him, miss. He is more concerned with a cut of his coat than anything else. Look at him doing the pretty—does he look perturbed?’
Marianne was obliged to admit that he did not. ‘I hope you are correct. I have no wish to fallout with my guardian. This would be laid at my door, you can be sure of that.’
The short distance along leafy lanes to Great Bentley was soon accomplished and she recognized, as soon as they arrived, the smart barouche pulled up in the cobbled yard of The Lion.
Emily nudged her mare forward. ‘I do hope we have not kept you waiting, Arabella. See, I have brought Peggy for you. She is prettily behaved and will be
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