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Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Iam not going to give you chance to escape today,” Hermione muttered as she stared out of the window. She was already dressed, even though the sun had barely begun to peak above the cliff edge that hung out over the ocean. “I know you will. You will run from here as soon as you get chance.”
Her mumblings proved true. A few minutes later, a figure appeared out of the front door. Despite the fact it was still too grey to see his face, Hermione could tell by the outline of his figure that it was Antony. He was striding around the house, either heading in the direction of the garden or the stable.
Hermione pushed away from the window and hurried out of her chamber. She had asked the maid that morning to help her into the Pomona green dress that Antony had purchased for her. Now, she took hold of the green skirt in her hand, enabling her to run down the stairs and straight out of the front door.
Outside, the wind that was whistling off the ocean and buffeting up the clifftops jolted her. She had to fight the wind chill and the force as she ran around the house, heading straight for where she had seen Antony escape too. When she reached the stable, she could only hear sounds at first of a horse being prepared.
“Quickly, Graham, please,” Antony said. “I want to be gone within a few minutes.”
“Of course, Your Grace,” the groom said in reply. Hermione craned her neck to see the groom was an elderly man. She half wondered if he had taken the place of the former groom that ran off with Antony’s last betrothed. The groom turned with the saddle in his hands, spotted her and bowed. “Oh, Your Grace. Good morning to you.”
“Good morning.” Hermione’s return of the pleasantry made Antony’s head snap toward her. He was standing beside a large chestnut horse with one hand on the reins that were threaded around the steed’s nose. His face was a perfect picture of anger, seeing that she had found him. “Your Grace,” she said, turning to approach him. “May I accompany you on your ride?”
“No.” The answer was curt and short. “Graham, where is that saddle?”
“Coming, Your Grace.” Graham hurried over with the saddle and rushed to put it in place.
“Please?” Hermione asked, standing in the way of the horse.
“Out of the way! This horse is a skittish one, and I wouldn’t want you to get injured,” Antony said off handedly.
“So, you do still care?” Her words made him turn sharply away from her.
“Graham? Is the saddle buckled yet?”
“Nearly.”
“He’s working as quickly as he can,” Hermione said, stepping forward.
“I know that,” Antony said, keeping his eyes firmly away from her. “Are we done?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Graham said.
“I am not done,” Hermione pleaded, reaching out toward him, but Antony moved easily away from her grasp. He pulled himself up onto the steed and urged the horse out of the stable. “Wait. Please?” Yet, Antony didn’t even bother replying to her this time.
Once he was a few strides beyond the stable, he kicked his heels and urged the steed into a gallop. Hermione was breathing deeply as she stared after him.I will not let you escape me now.
“Graham?” She turned to the groom. “Do you think you could prepare a horse for me please?”
“Of course. With just as much urgency and speed?” the elderly man asked with a smile.
“Yes, please!” Hermione helped the groom to prepare a smaller mare than the steed Antony had taken.
“This one is faster, Your Grace,” Graham said as he helped her up into the saddle. “Nimble and agile. You might be able to catch up to the Duke with her.”
“Thank you,” Hermione offered a sad sort of smile before she urged the mare out of the stable and galloped away. She took the same path Antony had taken, galloping across the grass that banked along the side of the cliff.
As the sun rose higher and higher, it was starting to reflect off the ocean with a bright yellow light. It would be some time yet before others were up, at the house or in the town, but the sun aided her path. With the new light, she could see Antony’s horse far ahead of her and track the path he took.
He first cantered across the clifftops before turning down a valley and taking a slow bank down toward the edge of Lyme Regis town. Hermione followed him exactly, jumping a fence at the end of the field in order to try and gain some ground on him.
When he reached the town, she was catching up with him. They both rode through the streets along the side of the town which were still empty of people. She followed him all the way until she saw where his horse turned. It was right to the water’s edge and along the beach where he had first taken her to see the fossils.
She pulled her horse up to the edge of the beach at the same time he did. He looked back at her, clearly angered to see she had followed. They both threaded their reins around a hitching rack at the end of the sand, then Antony took off, hurrying across the beach away from her.
“Your Grace? Your Grace!” she shouted after him, realizing this was where she was going to struggle.
