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Edmund touched her shaking wrist. “What is it, dearest?”
She didn’t want to speak the words and they stammered out of her mouth. “My Mama… is gravely ill. She has succumbed to a terrible fever… quite delirious. Papa has told me to go there in all haste. They fear she will not survive the night.” At the last words, her voice broke and tears trickled down her cheeks. “I must go, now.” The piece of paper began to
slip between her fingers.
Edmund retrieved the letter from her hand and put a comforting arm about her shoulder. “I will order up the carriage.”
“Sir,” said the exhausted horseman, waiting patiently a few feet away. “The turnpike is barely passable. The storm has washed most of it away. The tops of the moor are especially bad. I fear any wheels would become stuck in the mud. My own ride struggled on the horse path.”
Edmund fetched out coins from his pocket and paid the messenger, instructing him to seek out the kitchens for warm food.
“I must go,” repeated Alice, ignoring the warnings of the courier. Her mother needed her!
Edmund frowned. “It is not possible by coach.”
“Then I shall ride,” said Alice with increasing determination. She had to find a way to reach her mother. “My lessons are over. I can take my mare over the Peaks myself.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he retorted quickly. “That fit young man could barely cope. You do not have the strength to make such a journey. You could easily be thrown by the horse.”
“It is not far,” She turned to face her husband. “Ten miles by the most direct route. I can ride such a distance.” She knew she lied. The distance seemed enormous and beyond anything she had ridden previously. How she wished she could fly immediately to her mama’s bedside.
“No, Alice.” He shook his head as she paced up and down the entrance hall. “I must keep you safe—”
“My mother is dying!” Halting, she glared at him disbelief. “Do you not understand? I have to be with her. She needs me and you cannot stop me—”
“I can and I will.” He reached out to grab her arm, snatching her against him. His grey eyes, piercing and stern, ensnared her along with his restraining grip. “Your well-being is everything to me. You will not go on your own. I shall ride you over the Peaks to your mother.”
Alice froze in her struggling. “But you said the carriage—”
His unyielding hold slackened. “You will sit before me on my steed and I shall take us together. You are light and my horse is strong. It won’t be as fast as on your own horse, but I will be able to control him better and we can take a more direct route than the turnpike.” He let her go, his hand dropping to his side.
Alice gawped in disbelief. “You will take me?”
“I never said you shouldn’t go. Of course I shall take you. I am your husband and it is my duty to bring you safely to your ailing mother.”
She had misjudged him and had believed he would not allow her to leave. Her impatience had not served her well. She melted into his arms for a moment, knowing he intended to keep her safe and the cocoon he created around her made her realise the journey scared her terribly. Regardless of her riding skills, she could not have done the journey alone. She roused herself, pushing away from his embrace. “We must go now. Please, make no more delay.” She headed to the door.
Edmund took her hand and squeezed it. The touch stopped her in her tracks. She feared he was about to change his mind and force her to stay.
“You cannot go like that. You will need to change your clothes.” With a tug, he led her towards the marble staircase, calling for his servants as he moved.
At the bottom step, he gave instructions for his horse to be saddled up and made ready for them.
In the bedroom, she removed her gown and petticoat, wondering what clothes would be suitable for riding. Edmund entered the room holding a pair of riding breeches.
“These I wore as a boy. They should fit you.” Edmund held out the thick breeches.
She looked at the clothes with astonishment—men’s clothing!
“Alice, you will have to ride astride the horse,” he explained.
“Oh. I’ve not done that before.” She held the breeches to her waist. They looked strange and she wondered what it would feel like to have so much fabric between her legs.
She left her shift on, tucking it into the generous waist and the corset remained to support her bosom. Over the top, she wore one of Edmund’s shirts and then a spencer jacket, buttoned up with a scarf. In the valley, the summer warmth remained, but up at the top of the Peaks, in the rain and mist, it would be cold.
By the time they were ready to leave, the rain had turned to drizzle and seemed close to stopping. No blue sky to be seen, but lighter clouds had replaced the dark oppressive ones.
Edmund helped Alice into the saddle, sitting her forward, he then swung up and over to sit behind her.
