Chapter Fourteen
That afternoon
Ashlyn had to admit that Elizabeth had been right about buying the riding habits.
When Ashlyn had objected, Elizabeth refused to waver.
“Don’t be silly. We’ll need them in Hyde Park.
” Madame Trousseau had thought the olive-green velvet would be lovely for Ashlyn.
It brought out the red undertones in her burnished-brown hair—a feature her father had always praised, especially when the warmer tones showed through.
“Yer dear grandmother would love seeing her Scottish heritage peeking through in her beautiful granddaughter’s hair.
She had no doubt you’d have the temperament.
She told me you’d be independent, loyal, smart, and quick-witted, and she was right. ”
Just thinking of Papa’s words made her miss him and her mother more than she’d imagined. She wondered what he’d say if he found out what she and Elizabeth had gotten into. No, Elizabeth got us into this. She left me no choice.
But was that the truth? Ashlyn could have stayed in London until her aunt and uncle arrived. At most, they were a few weeks behind her and Elizabeth. It had been Ashlyn’s choice to attend the house party.
So, the blame is mine. Even if there had been no reasoning with Elizabeth, I had control of my own actions.
As Ashlyn and Gabriel neared the stable, she noticed that the rain had ushered in colder temperatures, making the riding habit and matching leather gloves perfect for the day.
Alice had declared she looked perfect for her outing.
Ashlyn wore her hair with soft curls framing her face, and the rest gathered into a braided chignon at the back of her head.
The dark beaver top hat with an olive-green plume trailing behind added the perfect amount of elegance and practicality to the ensemble.
“Let me check on the horses,” Gabriel said, walking toward the ostler.
She glanced around, taking in the expansive stable. There must have been a dozen stalls for horses. The stable hands were running around with feeding pails, and she imagined most were full.
She looked in Gabriel’s direction and saw him deeply engaged in a conversation with Mr. Grimes, both pointing toward the back of the stable.
A moment later, he returned. “Mr. Grimes suggested that you choose your mount, since neither of us knows your preferences. From what you’ve told me, you are probably an experienced horsewoman.
We have several well-tempered geldings and a mare with a mind of her own.
My mother enjoys riding and often chooses her.
Do you know what type of horse you’d like to ride? ”
“What are their names?” Ashlyn asked, walking beside him as they entered the stall.
“Ah! That’s the first time anyone has ever asked for the horse’s name before choosing a mount,” he said, smiling.
“Truly? This might sound odd, but it’s been my experience that horses acquire their names due to a feeling or image they inspire in their owner,” she said brightly.
“For example, my horse’s name is Piper because of the way she walks.
She prances in an almost musical fashion when we trot. I immediately thought of the name.”
“If you say so,” he said with a crooked smile. “Although Piper sounds like a good name for your horse.”
“You’re laughing at me,” she said, good-naturedly.
“No. Well…maybe. But perhaps it’s because I find conversation with you so engaging and refreshing,” he said. After a momentary pause, he added, “Perhaps that sounded too forward, and if it does, I apologize. However, I enjoy spending time with you.”
“Ahem,” she said, with a playful nod toward the horses.
“Yes. Right. The horses.” He cleared his throat. “This large white gelding’s name is Lightning. Don’t let his size fool you. He is very fast,” Gabriel said, and then grimaced. “I suppose the name Lightning goes to your point.”
She smiled.
They moved to the next stall. “This spirited mare is named Zephyr.” They walked to the corner of the stable, and Gabriel pointed out a mottled brown gelding. “This is Spirit.”
“They all sound wonderful, but I immediately liked Lightning,” she decided. “His eyes were so warm and welcoming.”
“He’s fast,” Gabriel added.
“Yes, there’s that. What did you name your horse?” she asked.
He flashed a grin. “Demon.”
Laughter lit her eyes. “I’d imagine he’s fast as well,” she said. “And sly, too, if his name suggests anything more about him.”
“Yes. He is. Are you suggesting a race?”
“No. But I’m suggesting I can keep up with you,” she teased.
“No shy miss here,” he mused. “Lightning it is. I’ll have Mr. Grimes saddle him up.”
“Could I ask one more favor?”
“Certainly,” he replied.
She bit her bottom lip and looked up at him. “Would it be permissible for me to ride astride? I’d prefer it so much to the sidesaddle.”
He didn’t look alarmed at her question.
“I’m not riding out in public, and it’s so much nicer to ride astride.” Why should men have all the advantages? she reasoned.
“I don’t see why not. My sister used to do the same thing,” he said. “I’ll instruct Grimes.”
“Was Lightning her horse?” she asked tentatively.
He looked at her for a moment before giving her his dimpled smile. “He was. How did you know?”
“Just a feeling, I suppose,” she said.
“Undeniably, Lightning hasn’t gotten the attention he used to.
He’s still a relatively young gelding with a lot of potential.
My sister would love that you chose him.
Despite his name, he is a gentle horse, and she loved him tremendously,” Gabriel said.
“And he adored Olivia. As it happens, Demon likes Lightning. Olivia and I used to ride—and race—when she visited.” His eyes held an unmistakable fondness for his sister.
Once Ashlyn mounted Lightning and nudged him into a canter, it felt like they became the perfect team.
Effortlessly, they took off toward the hillier grounds, following a well-worn path.
She gave him his head and let him determine the speed he was comfortable with.
There was ample space for the two horses to ride side by side, while the footman followed at a discreet distance behind.
It was a good thing that Alice had secured her hat with extra pins, she thought, or it might have fallen from her head.
The ground was bumpy, and they dodged many fallen tree limbs.
They rode in companionable silence for about thirty minutes.
Ashlyn assumed the pause was to give her a brief break from riding Lightning to allow Gabriel to ask her how she and the horse were getting along.
She was pleased with her choice of mount.
The path wound through a small orchard, filled with ripe red apples, where they finally stopped. “I’ve never seen trees this full of apples!” Ashlyn exclaimed. “But then, I’ve never ridden through an apple orchard.”
“Apples have always been Demon’s favorite treat, and this has always been his favorite stop.” Gabriel allowed his black stallion to pick apples from the trees and eat them as they wandered through the trees. “Not too many, Demon,” he scolded the beast. “We still have a ride ahead of us.”
“Demon is so tall. He barely has to reach to pull the better apples out of the trees,” she said, laughing.
Ashlyn reached out and plucked a juicy red apple from a low-hanging branch.
Leaning over her horse, she handed it to Lightning, who happily accepted it.
“This must be one of his favorite places, too.”
“For both of them, I assure you,” Gabriel said. “But there’s more that I’d like to show you. Let’s keep heading up the hill.”
They journeyed to the top of the next hill. Gabriel dismounted and signaled for the footman to help him. The footman took Demon’s and Lightning’s reins, holding them while Gabriel helped Ashlyn down.
“I’ll tie the horses over there,” the footman said, pointing to a low rock wall sitting beneath a tall maple tree, which would provide shade and green grass for the horses. And it was far enough away to afford his master privacy for their discussion.
“Thank you, Harold,” Gabriel said, untying the picnic basket and blanket from his horse. Carrying the basket, he led her to an opening in the hedgerows that grew around the edge of the hill. “Is this satisfactory?”
“It’s lovely,” Ashlyn marveled, standing behind a hedgerow and looking out over a patchwork of land.
As she looked over the hedgerows, she could hear him spreading the picnic quilt across the grassy knoll behind her.
She noticed the large variety of land spread out before her.
There were wooded areas, tenant farms, meadows filled with grasses and flowers, a pond, the apple orchard she had ridden through earlier, and green pastures.
The manor home was a speck on the horizon, something she was barely able to discern from where they were.
“The way the landscape keeps changing…It looks like a quilt. I’ve never seen anything like this. ”
“That’s a wonderful description. I’m glad you like it. For several reasons, this is one of my favorite places on the estate.”
She briefly wondered if they had anything to do with his former fiancée, and an unfamiliar pang of jealousy rippled through her.
But she couldn’t deny her attraction to him, and the thought of his caring for another unsettled her.
She had no right to feel that way, but she couldn’t deny them either.
“I’ve been coming here most of my life,” he continued. “I carved my initials on the other side of the tree over there.
“I had a favorite spot on Papa’s property and did something similar to a tree there. It seemed important at the time, although the reason for it escapes me now.”
“I’m dying to know what Mrs. Fitz packed for us,” Gabriel said. “Are you hungry?”
Ashlyn chuckled. “I’ve been hoping not to embarrass myself by having you hear my stomach growl. I think I spent more time talking at breakfast than eating.”