Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
One week, six days, and a race of honour until the wedding
‘A re those not Alexander’s horses? And phaeton, too?’ Aurelia demanded, her eyes narrowing.
Phoebe felt a brief moment of satisfaction. Let Aurelia think what she wanted, she could hardly expect Phoebe to borrow a farm gig, when everyone knew she owned one of the fastest lightweight phaetons in Bath.
‘The Damerels are generous!’ she nodded coldly.
‘A race, in the name of freedom, reliant on a borrowed phaeton?’ Aurelia muttered scornfully.
‘A race, in the name of freedom, won on a borrowed phaeton!’ Phoebe retorted.
Aurelia stared, before turning her horses about.
‘It’s no matter to me, anyway. Let’s get this done. I have a wedding-dress fitting this morning…’
‘Wait,’ Phoebe demanded, as she drew alongside Aurelia’s lightly sprung equipage. ‘Tell me, why did you really want to meet me?’
Aurelia stared for a second before tipping her head back and laughing.
‘La, what a simpleton you are!’ She exhaled when she could, a curious smile spreading across her face. ‘You know, I’ve endured stories about you all my life. Your papa’s exploits, his charms, his loss of fortune, his fall from grace, and of course, my personal favourite, his swift marriage to the rich heiress, which broke my mother’s heart. So, when Alexander mentioned his chance encounter with one of their offspring on the Bristol Road – fighting a highwayman, no less! – and how he’d never met a pluckier or more courageous girl…’ She paused, her eyes glinting as Phoebe felt the last piece of the jigsaw fall into place. ‘Well, you can imagine his tale, while excessively diverting , didn’t exactly fill me with the same excitement.’
‘You see, I know your kind, Phoebe. You’re as able as any gentleman, but are denied the same education. So instead, you read a few pamphlets, listen to a few speeches, and think yourself the first feminist in Regency England! Well, trust me, you aren’t! We all want more! But when the rules are set, we have to win by wit and stealth instead.’
‘Rules are only set if you allow them to be!’ Phoebe threw in, conscious the horses were straining. ‘And change doesn’t come from hiding the fact we’re just as curious and capable as our brothers. I’ve said it before, we want the same things! And you can’t hold me responsible for something that happened to your mother thirty years ago.’
Aurelia rolled her eyes.
‘Don’t worry, I’m not that churlish!’ she scoffed. ‘But I did promise myself I would never let any man affect me in the same way.’
Phoebe stared as a strange smile crept across Aurelia’s face.
‘Don’t think I haven’t seen the way you are with the viscount, your eyes as round as the moon. You’re in love with him! It’s as plain as a pikestaff! And in truth, I care not, because it only proves that for all your silly talk of adventuring and equality you’re no better than any of us! At least I’m honest – I’m a lady in a gentleman’s world, playing the game a whole lot better than you!’
Phoebe stared, white-lipped. ‘Well, I’d rather try and change the world, than hold myself in so low a regard that I must pay an actress for help – all while hoping drink and snuff get there first!’ she accused.
It was a wild guess, but entirely correct, judging by the look on Aurelia’s face.
‘As for the rest, let’s let the race decide, shall we?’
‘With pleasure!’ Aurelia snapped, her chestnuts springing forward.
Seconds later, both phaetons were bolting along the bridge at breakneck speed, their surroundings already a blur. Instinctively, Phoebe leaned low over the reins and whispered to her team.
‘Nice and steady!’ she encouraged the greys, watching the way they flicked their ears in response. She gritted her teeth, she was an experienced horsewoman, but even she was in awe of the way they seemed to understand. Effortlessly, they flew over the bridge and into Great Pulteney Street, a long avenue with impressive townhouses, pediments and Corinthian pilasters – and if she was vaguely aware of movement behind the occasional window, she was way past caring.
‘ Keep a firm hand, don’t let them have their heads too soon… ’
She could almost hear Fred’s voice as she kept the lightest touch on her team, keeping them in check as Aurelia overtook with a triumphant glance. She drew a steadying breath, there were still the Sydney Gardens to navigate, and she had no wish to lose a wheel, or lame a horse.
Carefully, she adjusted the reins and focused on the road ahead, the argument echoing through her head. How dare Aurelia suggest she held any kind of torch for the viscount; it was inconceivable, and beyond comprehension. She’d done nothing but detest him since the very first day they met, and he’d proceeded to interfere and irritate beyond all reason.
‘You’re in love with him! It’s as plain as a pikestaff! And in truth, I care not, because it only proves that for all your silly talk of adventuring and equality you’re no better than any of us…’
The words dug under her skin as Aurelia leaned forward and, with a sudden flash, lay a whip about her horses’ sweaty flanks. They responded immediately, lengthening their lead, while Phoebe inhaled sharply and held the greys firm.
‘I have never betrayed your confidence except in frank admiration of a young woman who appeared unafraid of anything.’
She’d assumed he’d been mocking her, but what if he was actually being honest?
Phoebe swallowed, memories of their many encounters fluttering through her head, like pages from a book she hadn’t read carefully enough. Blood surged to her temples. She’d been so riled by the viscount’s continued interference that she hadn’t stopped to consider if he’d been sincere at any point. She’d been aware of the friction between them, of some inexplicable draw, but real care or feelings?
‘ When I care, I care too much.’
Squeezing the reins, she turned into Sydney Road, which ran the perimeter of the pleasure gardens. This morning, they were glistening in the dawn sun, and Phoebe felt the greys leap forward enthusiastically.
‘Steady,’ she muttered beneath her breath.
Aurelia was a fair distance ahead now, her fair hair streaming out beneath her riding hat.
‘More tortoise, less hare,’ Phoebe added, wishing Josephine was there to share her moment of inspiration.
The greys flicked their ears as though in understanding, which was also precisely the moment she became aware that someone was in pursuit.
Scowling, she craned her neck to spot not one, but two figures, riding as though their lives depended on it, and a flare of anger tore through her as she recognised her eldest brother’s inelegant seat.
‘Of all the pompous, overbearing brothers in the world!’ she groaned, shaking out her reins. ‘Forget the tortoise, it’s hare-time!’
The greys seemed only too delighted to forget a fable they’d never read, and given a long rein at last, leapt forward with new energy.
‘You really are magnificent creatures,’ she murmured as the distance between herself and Aurelia closed dramatically. Within moments, she was close enough to see the gleam in her opponent’s eyes whenever she glanced back, yet their pursuers were gaining, too.
‘If Thomas catches us, it will be game over and no mistake,’ she whispered into the horses’ sensitive ears. ‘I’ll have to marry the earl, the captain will be arrested, and you two will have to take Aurelia shopping every day!’
Their ears twitched again, and even though there were tiny specks of foam on their flanks, they lengthened their stride, narrowing the gap again.
‘Thank you,’ Phoebe whispered gratefully.
It was just as they rounded the top of the gardens that Phoebe finally drew adjacent to Aurelia, and one glance was enough to see her chestnuts were tiring. There was foam around their mouths and bridle bits, while one seemed to have developed an uneven stride.
‘Your mare!’ Phoebe yelled, all thoughts of the race receding. ‘Slacken your pace, you’ll injure her!’ she warned.
Aurelia’s only response was to extend her whip with a loud crack that reverberated through Phoebe’s bones. Scowling deeply, she whispered to the greys again and with a final effort, they pulled forward in front of Aurelia’s gleaming white phaeton. But Phoebe felt no jubilation, her only consideration was for Aurelia’s struggling mare. She knew only too well there was a breaking point with horses, and if Aurelia pushed her team too far, they might not finish the race at all.
Rapidly, she racked her brains as one of the smaller entrances to the Sydney Gardens appeared just ahead. There was no way Aurelia would throw the race for a horse, and if she stopped, Aurelia would consider she’d won. But the narrower side path would force them both to slow their horses through the gardens to the Sydney Hotel finish line – if the angle of the entrance didn’t overturn them first.
Summoning all her courage, she took the greys wide.
‘Last one to the hotel forfeits fifty pounds!’ she yelled back, before beginning to turn.
All her focus was on holding the greys steady, yet as she swung through the gates with barely an inch to spare, she could sense the panic on Aurelia’s face, and the shock on her brother’s too, just a short distance behind.
‘Almost as well as a man, wouldn’t you say, Thomas?’ she muttered, holding her team tight as they thundered down the side path.
It was only when she dared breathe again, that a sickening crunch filled the air. Instantly, she knew it was the sound of metal meeting stone, and a shudder passed through her as she glanced back. Aurelia’s phaeton had become irretrievably embroiled with one of the park’s metal gateposts and, as she jumped down and sprinted to the healthy mare’s head, Phoebe saw exactly what she intended to do. She may have spared the injured mare a laming, but Aurelia would never let a wrecked phaeton stand in her way. She was going to complete the race on horseback.
Gritting her teeth, Phoebe pulled in her reins, and then she, too, was jumping down from her perch, and running to her team. They whinnied and stamped in confusion, but there was no time to lose. Aurelia was already on a bench, and preparing to climb, bareback, onto her good mare, while Phoebe’s brothers were just visible beyond the entrance.
From this vantage she could see the expressions on their faces, and it was all the motivation she needed. Swiftly, she loosened the freshest grey, who whinnied in excitement as Phoebe tucked up her skirts. Then, with one swift jump, she was astride his back. It was a manoeuvre that had earned her many a scolding at Knightswood, and briefly, she hoped Thomas was watching.
‘Too late,’ Aurelia shouted as she galloped past, her riding habit billowing out behind her like a cloak.
‘Phoebe, I order you to stop!’ Thomas bellowed.
‘Oh, go to the devil!’ Phoebe yelled, squeezing tightly and leaning low over the grey’s ears.
He was warm, but not spent, and moments later, they were chasing Aurelia along the canal path and towards a small ornamental bridge. Phoebe hadn’t ridden bareback in a while, and as she yanked off her restrictive skirt, she was grateful she’d had the forethought to wear pantalettes underneath.
‘I think we may need a diversion,’ she muttered, tossing the skirt to one side as they galloped over a bridge, conscious her brothers were only seconds behind.
Veering away from the main path, Phoebe guided her willing grey along the scenic canal route and soon enough, they were passing the exact spot where Matilda had fallen. She inhaled as a memory darted though her.
‘What is perhaps less understandable, is your theft of a horse while under the influence, again…’
She flushed, despite everything. Could she really believe such a man actually cared for her?And could she really have cared for him too, all along?
It was just a few words, unravelling weeks of confusion. Yet in this much, Aurelia seemed to be right, and now Phoebe was going to marry his brother.
Because of a world built by men.
She closed her eyes briefly. She could still do one heroic thing before it all caught up.
Leaning low, she and the grey thundered up the bank overlooking the canal. The grass was dewy, but her ride nimble, and soon enough they were winding past the low-hanging apple tree, and onto the bridle path that had witnessed her fall from grace so many weeks before. And if it felt like fate had played a hand in bringing her back, she wasted no time dwelling on it. Instead, she only patted the grey’s flank, as a faint shout went up behind them.
‘I’d say they’ve lost our trail,’ she said triumphantly, ‘and now we stand a chance!’
She urged the grey forward again, and this time she held nothing back. They had precious seconds to make up, and it seemed as though they grew wings along the beaten track, until the bushes disappeared and they were, finally, sprinting across the main lawn with the Temple of Minerva on the right, and the familiar facade of the Sydney Hotel straight ahead.
Which was when she noticed two new important things.
The first was Aurelia, forcing her exhausted horse across the middle of the dewy lawn, a look of grim intent pinned to her face, and the second was two figures, stripped to their waists, in front of the hotel.
A dart of fear reached through Phoebe, as she urged her loyal grey into one final sprint.
Had her brothers got there before her? Had the law caught up with Captain Elliot before they’d had a chance to escape? How could she stop them?
It was only as they flew up the final rise, with Phoebe fully contemplating throwing herself at her husband-to-be with violent protestations of love, that the identity of the figures became clear.
And her fear sharpened.
The duellist’s faces were stony, their bodies tense, and their arms rigid with concentration. A hundred different scenarios jettisoned through Phoebe’s head yet there was no time to think; it was all her fault, and somehow she had to stop them.
‘Wait! Please wait!’ she yelled, swinging her leg over her mare’s sweaty back and dropping to the ground as they reached the crest of the lawn.
Then she was aware of the captain looking up, the ground flying beneath her, and of the viscount, cursing profanely, as he threw his blade down.
Before a bruising impact, a strained shout, and everything went black.