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He nickered, and she patted him, accepting the apology with a laugh. “Why don’t we go for that ride?”
The huge horse rocked his head up and down as if he’d understood her perfectly. In spite of her sister’s disparaging comments this afternoon, Victoria was convinced that he had. What did Amelia know, anyway? She hated horses and made fun of the Romani who’d taught her so much. Far more than anyone knew.
Taking down her light saddle, she fitted it to Primero’s back. It was no more than a slip of padded leather compared to a proper one, but she was more comfortable with it, and she knew he liked it better as well.
Without bothering to lead him out first, she hooked a boot in the stirrup and expertly swung herself up. “Hah!” she cried, leaning against his neck.
The horse shot out of the stables with Victoria clinging to his back, and Julius swore as the great beast tore down the path, scattering great clods of earth behind him.
She’d ridden right past without even seeing him.
He had left his carriage and circled back on foot, hoping to find a way to speak with her in private. He’d witnessed her climb down the oak from afar and had followed her to the stables only to miss her, thanks to a gardener he’d had to hide from at the last moment.
The last thing he needed was to be discovered chasing after the wrong Lennox sister.
Still cursing under his breath, he made to borrow a horse. If he hurried, he might catch up.
Once mounted, he followed the well-worn track towards the wood. He slowed on passing beneath its eaves, lest his horse misstep in the gloom. When he at last ascended up out of the valley, he was greeted by a sweeping vista of low, grass-covered hills.
Victoria was nowhere in sight.
He rode on for a while, hoping. At last, a ripple of familiar laughter was carried back to him on the wind. Cresting the next rise, he looked down and caught his breath.
Primero streaked across the valley at what seemed an impossible speed for so large an animal, his powerful haunches bunching and lengthening as he ate up the terrain. Victoria rode astride on his great back, her hair whipping behind her like a long, black banner. She’d let him have his head, and he ran free of all restraint.
Julius watched them approach one of the low stone walls that riddled the hills, and his heart stopped beating. Just as he was about to shout a warning, Primero sailed gracefully over the obstacle, clearing it by at least a foot and thundering down on the other side. A triumphant whoop of joy erupted from his rider as he slowed to a trot.
The wind gusted, and Primero snorted, lifting his proud head and turning towards the hilltop where Julius stood in awe. Even as Victoria spied him, her mount pawed the earth and neighed a challenge. She leaned down, taking a moment to calm him before urging him forward.
As they climbed the slope towards him, Julius marked how she guided her mount purely by the pressure of her knees, flowing with the giant beast’s movements as if they were one creature. She held no reins, and her saddle was hardly more than a piece of leather.
Like the Romani, she required neither bit nor bridle to control him.
When she stopped alongside him, he saw that her face was wet with tears. He dismounted, waiting as she swung her leg over and slid to the ground.
“Victoria, I—” He took a deep breath and tried not to sound furious. He was unsuccessful. “Did you completely lose all sense today? I was practically on the verge of challenging my best friend to pistols at dawn over that bit with the rose. I knew to expect some sort of theatrical declaration, but not that.”
Her smoky eyes chilled to winter rain, and her voice whipped out like a blade. “That was not my idea. After the disaster in the stables, I pressured him to act quickly to repair the damage. We did not have time to plan, and
I had no way of predicting his actions. I guess when he saw the roses, he thought it the best way for him to truly convince Amelia of his intent without actually laying hands on me. I had no choice but to accept it. Had I refused, she would have known we were lying. He didn’t really mean anything by it. You should have seen him afterward. He was—”
“Yes, I know,” he said. “He told me. I stopped him after we left the grounds. I rather lost my temper, I’m afraid.”
Her eyes widened. “You didn’t…”
“No. But it was a near thing. You should have heard him trying to explain himself.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’m honest enough to admit I’ve made a right muck of things. I should have just gone to your father and asked for you from the start.”
“That would have been far a worse disaster.” Her eyes lit with mischief. “On the bright side, Amelia was completely livid.”
Her grin was infectious, and he found himself laughing. “She was beside herself. You really enjoy tweaking her nose, don’t you?”
She attempted to look contrite, to no effect. He knew better. “I can’t help it,” she said. “She really is a terrible busybody and meddles in everything I do. The only real freedom I have is here, riding my horses—and now she’s trying to take that away. Everyone already thinks me an eccentric, and now she’s telling people that I’m mad and that I talk to horses.”
It was hard for him not to smile. “But you do talk to horses.”
She glared.
“And I don’t think you mad for it,” he added, moving closer. “Even if I did, well…perhaps I’m the sort of fellow who finds a little madness intriguing.”
