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“I’ll manage. At least I’ll finally have a chance to redeem myself in her eyes.”
“If you survive the ordeal and still wish to become my brother-in-law, I shall do my best to aid you in persuading her to accept your offer,” she told him. “If not, I know several ladies of excellent character who would jump at the chance to have such a fine husband.”
Laughing, he caught up her hand and kissed it. “My lady, it has been a pleasure playing the decoy. That said, I sincerely pray that I shall never again be asked to do so.”
“Likewise,” she murmured back, catching sight of her sister staring at them from across the field with hard, angry eyes. Withy would be fortunate if he was still breathing by the time they returned.
Once everyone was mounted, the hounds and terriers were brought out amid a cacophony of excited barking. With a blast of the huntsman’s horn, the dogs were released by the whippers-in, and they were off. The riders at the forefront dashed ahead, taking the First Field position with Victoria, Julius, and Withington among them.
Withington stayed near her at first and pretended to have difficulty with his mount, falling behind. When they reached the stone wall dividing the parkland from the pastures, he was far behind her.
Victoria and Primero jumped the wall. Before she reached the crest of the hill beyond it, she turned and watched as Withington dug in his heels and hauled back on the reins. Silvertail reared, and his rider slid to the ground, landing on his rump in a most undignified manner. Withington rose and dusted himself off, but then began hopping up and down on one foot just as Amelia appeared. Her sister slowed and halted beside him, dismounting.
Perfect. As hostess, Amelia had no choice but to stop and render assistance.
Grinning, Victoria turned Primero and urged him on.
AFTER RIDING A while amid the crowd, Victoria slowly fell back behind the rest of the riders in their group, followed soon after by Julius. At the first turn that put them out of sight of those following, she veered off into the trees with him close on her heels. Immediately, she hitched up her skirt and swung a leg over the pommel to sit astride.
Quickly but carefully she picked her way down the narrow game trail leading through a half-mile-wide strip of forest to the open downs. Reaching the edge of the wood, she gave Primero his head, and they raced across the slope toward rolling hills riddled with low stone walls.
Leaning over her mount’s neck, Victoria tucked her knees, reveling in the free wind that snatched her hat away to send it flying. Venturing a look behind her, she laughed—Julius was struggling to keep up.
“Good boy, Primero,” she murmured. Taking pity on her intended, she slowed just enough to let him catch up.
The pair rode in companionable silence for nearly an hour, keeping an easy pace, until at last a dense knot of trees appeared in a sheltered dip in the landscape.
Stopping on the crest above, Victoria checked first to be certain there was no smoke rising from the dell. Though she’d never before encountered anyone here, she didn’t believe in taking foolish chances.
As they progressed down into the valley, a tiny cottage was revealed. Nestled amid the gnarled and twisted trees, the little hut stood, its thatched roof in a sad state of disrepair. Still, it was better than no shelter at all.
Victoria dismounted, unhooked her saddlebags, and immediately went in. The door opened with much protest. She would need to repair the hinges soon, or there would be no door. The room was dank and gloomy, making her miss the wind and sunlight. Heading straight for the fireplace, she snatched the tinderbox from the low stone mantel.
“Here, let me.” Julius took it from her chilled hands.
Victoria watched as he knelt and took in the pile of shavings and kindling she’d laid in the hearth the last time she’d been here, the wood stacked to the side, and the neatly swept floor. His eyes moved to the makeshift curtains at the window and the chipped cup filled with dried flowers sitting on the rickety old table.
“Did you do all of this yourself?”
Victoria smiled and opened a small wooden chest, drawing from it several old woolen blankets, two worn quilts, and a handful of candles. “No one else knows of this place. If they did, I imagine there would be people here. I have never seen anyone.” She spread the blankets on the floor near the hearth as he struck a spark and nursed the tiny flame into a small, warming blaze.
There was no bed in the cottage. The wooden frame had been broken long ago and most of it used for firewood. The remaining pieces she had used to shore up the wall on one side.
She took a small, dented kettle down from a hook by the hearth. The frost had been on the ground when they’d left Richmond Manor, and she was chilled to the bone from their long ride. “I’ll fetch us some water. I’ve some tea in my saddlebags. No cream or sugar, mind you, but at least it’ll be hot.”
He nodded. “Be careful.”
The stream was icy cold, and the sky between the branches above looked heavy with the threat of snow. She hoped she hadn’t made a mistake in bringing them so far. Eight miles wasn’t a great distance, but bad weather would make the ride back extremely difficult, if not impossible.
They were far from any help. The nearest village was another five or six miles due east, and there was not enough firewood to last more than a night. The food in her saddlebags was meager fare indeed as well—no more than a small loaf, some cheese, and a flask of wine. She’d foolishly only prepared for a few hours’ absence.
Cursing quietly, she stopped to pick up several more branches of dry wood on the way back to the cottage, just in case. When she arrived, she smiled to see Julius outside with another armload of wood himself. He dumped it by the door and went back to Handel, removed his saddlebags, and carried them inside.
Following, she saw that he, too, had brought provisions.
He pulled an additional woolen blanket out of his bag. “I didn’t know what the conditions would be like. It’s still fairly early in the spring, so I thought it best to be prepared for anything.”
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