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“Certainly not, you absurd boy,” Sir Jasper answered on a chuckle.
His lordship burst out laughing and poured himself another glass of wine before taking a seat and a piece of bread.
Sir Jasper saw his brother in the doorway drop a kiss on his young bride’s lips and pat her rump as he entered the library. “Gentlemen, my wife tells me that we shall observe early country hours for dinner tonight.”
“Excellent, scamp,” remarked his brother as Lewis went directly to him and put an affectionate hand on his shoulder.
“You look road weary, Jasper … why not go up and take a nap before dinner?” Lewis said.
“I am not quite that old, youngster.” Jasper laughed. “Tell me about your day. What have you and Freddy been up to?”
Freddy answered, with a great deal of excitement making him move about, “Zounds, but, you will never credit
it. Before we went to the stables we took a walk near the woods bordering the property and came upon the Forest ponies. Clever little beasts. Small, but strong in the works, full of sport. Prime, I say, simply prime.”
His uncle frowned. “I would prefer it for now, Freddy, if you would stay away from the woods.”
“Forest ponies—prime?” Sir Jasper laughed. “Deuced ugly, if you ask me.” He turned to his younger brother. “Lewis, never say you mean to breed a New Forest mare to that splendid American of yours?”
Lewis laughed. “Now, now, Jasper, don’t look down your hawk nose at our ponies. Splendid horses, and they make famous good hunters here in the New Forest. They know enough to stay away from the bogs for one thing and can manage through the trees with great agility.”
“Bah! There isn’t a one I would care to take to hunt the Quorn,” Sir Jasper said with a shake of his head.
“Well, but you are wrong. They have heart and make excellent jumpers. I was in a sight of trouble as Caldwell and I got separated from the huntsman and the pack once last season. There the two of us were with four or five hounds that ran a false scent. The ground on the north end is boggy—you can’t make it out until it is too late. Well, thought it was only mud you know and took my little Blackie, a Forest Pony, right into it against his will. He tried awfully not to go forward, but I made him. Slurped us right up to his knees. I stood in my stirrups to take my weight off, and damn if Blackie didn’t pull himself right out with his fores. Something to see. Got those fores on solid ground, and strong little prime he was … heard that slop suck at him, but out he got. I stayed off his back, and he was able to pull us both to safety. Caldwell came up behind to see it and immediately gave me an order for one of my new foals. What do you say to that?”
Sir Jasper mumbled unintelligibly for a moment, but his lordship laughed and raised his glass of wine in a salute. “Here then, to the new breed you have created.” He turned to his nephew and said, “So I take it that you both had a splendid but otherwise uneventful day?”
“Aye,” Freddy said grinning. “I did stop by at Moorely, but Serena wasn’t at home.”
“I see,” was all his lordship said.
“No, it is a wonder that her uncle allows her to careen over the countryside unattended, when there are who knows what lurking about,” Sir Jasper remarked.
“Careening about the countryside?” His lordship leaned forward. “What can you mean?”
“Well, Freddy said she wasn’t home … and I did see her not thirty minutes ago, on Bolder Road. I simply assumed she was on her way to the rectory.”
“To the rectory?” His lordship now stood up. “Whatever for?”
Sir Jasper frowned. “Now how should I know that?”
“Perhaps she was visiting Eustace?” Lewis suggested. “Though don’t know why she should want to. Prosy fellow.”
“No, no.” His lordship paced a moment. “She wouldn’t visit Eustace. We bumped into him in town earlier today, and he said something about having business to discharge.”
“Well, what then was she doing?” Freddy asked.
“I tell you what,” Sir Jasper said. “Her uncle needs to draw in the reins … at least for now.”
“Ha!” Freddy laughed at this. “I’d like to see you try that. Not biddable, you know.”
“Is she not?” returned his uncle, quietly, a soft smile lingering about his lips. “Is she not?”
~ Fifteen ~
JOE REED WORE knit dark gloves with exposed fingertips, and he used his nails to play with his grizzled beard. He looked down at the old woolen gloves cut off at the knuckles and sighed heavily. His nails were dirty and jagged, much like the man he had become. He had chosen this way of life because he had not been able to find another way to survive. He couldn’t read, he couldn’t hold any but the most menial of jobs, and those didn’t make him enough blunt to even eat properly. Thus, he had turned to a life of crime. It wasn’t easier than the farming he had at first attempted to take on, but it paid better and more often.
Lulworth Tavern afforded him a dark corner, and he sat back and studied the small man seated across the square table from him. He glanced at the dimly lit galley, leaned forward, and said in a low, angry voice, “Oi tell ye this fancy cove giving us orders means to bob us a trick in the end. Oi want to know why we ain’t dividing up the rig now. Oi ask ye, why? Oi don’t loike it. Oi think he needs watching, what say ye?”
