Chapter Nineteen
Winnie climbed into the saddle with the help of a groom, aware that Lex’s admiring gaze was pinned on her.
Madame Gris had designed a riding habit that broke with convention, with a split skirt that modestly covered Winnie’s legs, allowing her to ride astride.
Her grandmother was a traditionalist in dress, but her mother had been ahead of her time fashion-wise.
Like her mother, Winnie did not ride sidesaddle; she preferred to ride astride the horse, like her male counterparts.
With Winnie’s input, Madame Gris had created a hunter-green fitted coat that mimicked a man’s military redcoat and was extended with a short skirt to provide a semblance of modesty.
The high collar and front were decorated with gold braiding.
Her red mane was contained in a net and pinned beneath her top hat, and she knew she presented well atop the magnificent gray gelding Basil had chosen for her to ride.
“You do not ride sidesaddle, Edwina?” asked Arabella.
“No. My mother rode astride, and she and my father taught me the same. She considered the sidesaddle position to be restrictive and uncomfortable. Besides, there is no reason a woman cannot ride as well as a man.” Winnie smiled.
“And I will add, there are undoubtedly many things that a woman is capable of that we refrain from because of social censure. It’s all a bunch of poppycock meant to keep us in our proper place, and I will have none of it, nor will I submit to such abusive notions—excepting, of course, what is the purview of the fairer sex. ”
“You are bold, indeed.” Arabella nodded. “I find your point of view to be refreshing and inspiring. I would love to ride astride my mount. Your mother is a sensible woman.”
“To my deepest sorrow, we lost her, my father, and my brother during the cholera epidemic two years ago,” Winnie whispered, tears brimming in her eyes.
“Oh, I am truly sorry.” Arabella’s voice trembled with compassion. “What a terrible loss for you and the dowager baroness.”
“Yes, it was and still is. I doubt I will ever get over losing them.”
Edwina’s expression of pain was more than Lex could bear, and he interjected to change the subject and bring her back to the wonderful day that lay ahead.
It seemed he would go to any end to make her smile.
It occurred to him that when she smiled at him, the day was even brighter, as was the future.
“I would never limit a lady’s capabilities, so long as she is safe,” he said. “How you sit that horse tells me any concerns I might harbor are unwarranted. And I am full of admiration.”
Edwina gave him a flirtatious smile. “I’m glad, my lord, that you see things my way.”
She had returned to him from the sadness of loss, and he grinned with satisfaction.
Basil, astride a magnificent black stallion named Dante, addressed the handler of the dogs. “Let them loose, James. I’m anxious to begin.”
“Yes, m’lord. The hounds are as ready as you to start the chase.” James gave the signal, and the dogs were released. They ran ahead barking and yelping, happy to be set free.
“We ride!” cried Basil, and the riders took off briskly.
They rode around the lake and followed a tree-lined path to an open cross-country field.
Lex followed Edwina, admiring her horsemanship and the ease with which she rode.
He’d never dreamed he’d find a woman who enjoyed riding as much as he.
It was one more reason to believe they were meant to be together.
Arabella, Tess, Basil, and the others cantered ahead.
Charles, feeling a bit under the weather, had bowed out from participating in the hunt and kept company with Elliot, who was happily ensconced in the library.
The dogs ran around a low hedge, their snouts skimming the ground as they searched for a scent.
They must have found something, because they dashed around the hedge, flying across the field toward a stand of trees.
The riding party directed their mounts straight for the hedge, all jumping and clearing the obstacle with ease.
Lex was invigorated and thrilled to see Edwina execute the jump perfectly. She was a splendid vision when she rose from the saddle into a two-point position.
Of course, what was even more glorious was that lush, round derriere that he itched to squeeze again.
The hounds were ferocious in their pursuit.
The riders followed entering the wooded area tightly packed together in a group; their laughter echoed off the tree trunks in a musical percussion that accompanied the horses’ hooves pounding the ground.
Rays of sunshine cast intermittent beams through the foliage, brightening the way through the shadows.
They broke from the copse of trees into a pasture where cattle grazed.
The cows raised their heads, eyeing the disruptors of their peaceful feast, and mooed their disapproval.
Alarmed, the herd trotted out of the way of the hounds that frantically gave chase to the fox.
“Tallyho!” cried Basil, seeing the tail of the red fox as it caught the sunlight when the frightened creature fled across the field.
A broader and higher hedge loomed ahead, and beyond it another stand of trees.
The fox skirted the hedge, and the hounds gave pursuit, running into the shadows of the wooded grove.
Those who rode ahead cleared the hedge, their horses’ hooves brushing the top, sending sticks and leaves into the air.
Lex heard Edwina cry out. He was just a few strides behind her, but he could not catch up to her in time.
Something had spooked her mount, perhaps from the flying debris.
The horse skittered to a halt at the foot of a fallen tree trunk, causing her to fly head over heels and hit the log with a loud thump.
“Dear God, Edwina, my darling!” Lex leaped from his horse, his heart pounding as if it too might take flight.
She was unconscious, eyes closed, the rise and fall of her chest barely visible.
He gently lifted her head, silently praying she was uninjured.
“Speak to me, my love.” He unbuttoned her jacket and loosened her blouse.
Placing his ear to her chest, he sighed with relief when he heard her steady heartbeat.
He gently checked her wrists, arms, legs, and ankles, all of which appeared in working order.
He cleansed a small trickle of blood from a cut on her forehead.
He stared at her beside himself with concern, then something on her décolleté drew his gaze.
At first, he thought it was a smudge of dirt, but with closer inspection, he realized it was a beauty mark in the shape of a heart.
His mind reeled as he tried to recall where he’d seen this birthmark before.
And then, in a flash, he remembered.
Good God! It can’t be!
But even as he tried to deny the truth to himself, the memory came to life in his mind. The beautiful smile that graced the Lace Bandit’s lips when she teased him on the day of the robbery.
“How kind of you to worry over my safety, good sir. If you would please bring the pouch to me, you can be on your way.”
He recalled the moment he’d caught a glimpse of her magnificent bosom when she bent to retrieve the sack of coins.
There was no time to consider what he now knew to be the truth. Besides, he was too worried to care. His heart was torn in two, and he was worried that the woman he loved might not recover. He quickly rebuttoned her shirt. “Dear God, my love, come back to me.”
The other riders had doubled back and arrived a few moments later, gathering around them.
“How is she?” Basil jumped from his horse and ran to their side. Lord Waverly, dismounting came running.
“Unconscious, and her head is bleeding,” Lex said, his voice raspy. “I was just checking for any broken bones, but there seem to be no other injuries other than her head wound.”
“Lord Waverly, can you ride ahead and alert the household and have them fetch the doctor? And tell him to hurry,” Basil said over his shoulder in a calm tone. Basil was always calm in emergencies; it was one of the things that Lex admired about his friend.
Tess ran up to them and knelt beside Lex and Edwina. Lifting the hem of her skirt, she swiftly tore off a section of her shift and then handed it to Lex. “We can use this as a bandage to stem the bleeding, but not too tight Lex we don’t want to apply any painful pressure.”
Lex nodded as he wrapped the cloth around Edwina’s head with his sister’s help.
He glanced up and saw a look of unguarded admiration and awe on Basil’s face as he watched Tess tend to Edwina.
When they got through this misfortune, he would thank them both.
While he’d already given Basil his blessing, he knew without a doubt that his best friend was completely in love with his sister and would devote his life to adoring her and making her happy.
Please, God, give me the chance to do that for Edwina…
“We need to get her back to the house, now,” he said when his sister finished tying a small knot in the cloth.
“Lex, climb onto your horse, and I’ll lift Edwina up to you,” Basil said.
Lex stood with Edwina in his arms and carefully handed her to his friend while he got onto Prancer. Basil then gently handed Edwina back to him, and they did their best to make her comfortable against his chest.
He rode back with Tess riding on one side and Basil on the other. They traveled at a slower pace than the others, given that Lex did not want to jostle Edwina’s head and cause any further injury.
Cradling her against his chest, he recalled another accident he’d witnessed years ago. An older gentleman on another hunt had fallen from his horse and injured his head, never to awaken.
Lex’s chest constricted as he pushed the horrific memory away.
“Stay with me, my love. Please stay with me.” He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and prayed that she would awaken from her fall. She was young and strong. She would get through this. She had to.
Whether she was the Lace Bandit or not, it didn’t matter. Not when her life hung in the balance. He could not lose her. Not when he’d only just found her.
“I refuse to lose you, my love,” he whispered against her ear as he continued to pray for her to wake up.