Chapter 9
Nine
Somewhat to Aurelia’s surprise, her mother readily agreed once she understood Lady Ophelia was to accompany the two girls.
It was described to her as a pleasure trip for the purpose of sighting wild pegasi, and she didn’t even question Aurelia’s uncharacteristic desire to go traipsing up hills and sleeping in makeshift tents.
But when Aurelia caught her casting a speculative look between the Earl and her daughter, she thought she understood her mother’s ready acquiescence.
Her heart sank. Her mother was going to be disappointed when she learned that the Earl had no personal interest in Aurelia.
She couldn’t break the news to her yet, though, or she might withdraw her consent.
Even with the rough conditions of the trip, Aurelia had no doubt the younger house guests would all have wished to accompany them if given the choice.
So she wasn’t surprised Danton kept the planning quiet.
When the remaining guests realized their hosts had disappeared, someone would have to give them an explanation.
And Aurelia could only imagine the protests that would then ensue.
But thankfully she wouldn’t be around to hear them.
When the travel group gathered in a secluded side garden on the mountain side of the manor, she discovered the solution to the problem of the other house guests.
At first, she thought she was seeing double and blinked several times.
But no matter how many times she blinked, there remained two Lady Ophelias.
“Our other aunt has arrived just in time,” Phoebe said with a wicked twinkle in her eyes at Aurelia’s confusion.
“I’m not saying my husband was pleased to spare me,” the older lady—identical in appearance to Lady Ophelia—pronounced in stern tones. “But I hope I know my duty to the head of the family.” She nodded at her nephew.
Danton laughed and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m overwhelmed by your affection, Aunt Calliope.”
“That’s as may be.” She narrowed her eyes at him, but Aurelia caught the softening of her expression. She was no more immune to her nephew’s charm than anyone else.
“It could be worse, Calliope,” Lady Ophelia said briskly. “You could be the one hiking up mountains.”
“We’re not intending to go as far as the actual mountains,” Danton protested, but she ignored him.
“That might be, and then it might not,” Lady Calliope said in almost the exact same tone as her sister. “But in my experience, nothing ever goes to plan. Unless I have it in hand personally, of course.”
“Of course,” Danton said gravely, clearly trying to swallow a laugh.
Aurelia no longer wondered how the redoubtable Lady Calliope would manage the guests in their absence. She didn’t think many of them would dare kick up a fuss in the face of the noble woman’s authority.
Before it seemed possible that everything could be arranged, they were filing out of the estate gardens and into a carriage. She, Phoebe, Danton, and Lady Ophelia were to ride together while the servants followed in an open cart.
“We’ll take the carriage as far as we can,” Danton explained, “and then camp. Tomorrow we’ll travel onward on horseback.” He didn’t add the words aloud, but she could hear them anyway. The rest of them would be riding regular horses, but he would be on a mount with wings.
Danton spent the drive telling Aurelia more about pegasi, and Echo in particular.
His theory was that the more she knew, the more help she could be.
Aurelia herself was still unconvinced she would be any help at all, and she held herself back during the conversation.
It didn’t help that Danton had never looked as attractive as when he was alight with passion, talking about a subject he loved.
Occasionally she caught a look that suggested he had noticed her withdrawal, but he didn’t mention it or push her in any way, and she was grateful.
Lady Ophelia barely participated, offering only occasional astringent comments, and Aurelia eventually asked in a tentative manner how the older lady would feel if a pegasus herd was established at Windward.
“I’m told they’re intelligent creatures.” Lady Ophelia continued her embroidery without pause, although Aurelia had no idea how she was able to embroider in a bouncing carriage. “It’s the humans that worry me.”
“Which humans?” she asked, fascinated.
“The ones who’ll come to see them. You mark my words.” She jabbed the needle into the cloth with extra force. “Once there’s a flock outside the gates of the royal palace, they’ll be swarming us to see them.”
Danton laughed. “I think you’re exaggerating the situation, Aunt.”
“Am I?” She peered at him, her expression sour. “That’s the optimism of youth, that is. Just wait until you’re my age, and you’ll see the world as it is, instead of as you wish it to be.”
“But where would be the fun in that?” Phoebe asked with perfect innocence, and Aurelia hid a smile.
“We might have some visitors,” Danton acknowledged. “But if they bother you so very much Aunt, I’ll bar the gates and refuse them all entry.”
“Humph. We’ll see about that.” She speared the needle into the cloth again as if wielding a sword against her enemies.
“I’m certain the only reason the king is even considering giving us permission is because our estate is so remote, as well as being right by the mountains.” Danton directed his comment at Aurelia rather than his aunt. “Few will want to travel so far for a mere look at a pegasus.”
“Is that why you sometimes fly a royal pegasus around the capital?” Aurelia asked, sudden understanding hitting her. “So people have the chance to see them.”
He shrugged. “I just think they’re magnificent creatures. I grew up with pegasi on my doorstep, but not everyone is so fortunate.”
The insight lingered with Aurelia as they made camp, the men from the estate doing most of the work. She had thought she needed to guard herself from Danton’s charming smiles, but there was so much more to him beneath them. It only made the job of shoring up her heart even more difficult.
She slept fitfully on the mat provided for her, Phoebe and Fable curled up on the next mat over and appearing to sleep much better than she did. Was she about to meet wild pegasi? She wasn’t entirely sure if the idea scared or thrilled her.
The next morning, she eyed the indistinct mountain paths from horseback, her horse prancing in place as it picked up on her unease.
“Did you bring maps from the manor?” she asked Danton, who was still on foot.
He grinned over at her. “There’s no need for that when we have Fable with us.” He glanced toward the oncaryx. “Would you oblige?”
Fable made a chirruping sound and promptly became a book. Aurelia shook her head.
“I will never stop being amazed by that,” she muttered.
Phoebe tossed the book toward Danton’s horse, and Aurelia sucked in a breath as he only just caught it.
“Don’t worry.” Phoebe urged her horse up beside Aurelia’s. “He’s indestructible in his book form, remember?” She grinned. “You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve spilled on his pages.”
Before Danton could open the book, the beating of wings sounded above them, far too large for any bird. Aurelia looked quickly upward in time to see a chestnut stallion descending toward them, enormous wings spread wide.
Surely they hadn’t found a herd already!
But Danton called a glad greeting to the pegasus, and she realized the truth. Echo had found them.
He landed with a thump right in front of Danton, and the Earl threw his arms around the chestnut neck.
For a moment Danton murmured quietly, his moments of silence the only sign of Echo’s replies.
Aurelia wished she could hear him, but his words were heard in Danton’s head, not with his ears. Eavesdropping was impossible.
Soon enough, Danton swung himself onto Echo’s back, not using a saddle or bridle but taking the book with him. He opened it, examined the pages, and murmured something else to Echo. Finally he called the order to ride out, and the rest of them formed into a single line behind him.
The rest of the day passed as they rode higher into the foothills, with Danton sometimes taking wing to scout the way ahead.
“He could travel much faster and further on his own,” she murmured. “He could find a wild herd in no time if he didn’t have us slowing him down.”
“But could he get them to talk to him?” Phoebe asked. “And how long would convincing them take?” She grinned. “My brother likes eating and sleeping on something other than the hard ground as much as the next person. And if he wants any kind of comforts with him, he can’t take them on Echo’s back.”
When they finally stopped at a stretch of ground flat enough to make camp, Danton seemed in good spirits.
“If we had to go all the way into the true mountains to find the first herd, we’d be riding for days,” he said. “Thankfully the wild pegasus herds populate the foothills as well as the mountains. And from what Echo reports, at least one herd is close by.”
Aurelia kept a close eye on the sky as the evening progressed, but she saw no sign of equine forms or of any winged creature larger than a bird.
“Aren’t there griffins in these mountains as well?” she finally thought to ask.
“Yes, but not in this region,” Danton replied. “I’ve never seen one near here. If you hear large wings, that will be a pegasus.”
He grinned, clearly excited at the possibility of meeting a wild herd, despite his own bond with Echo and his frequent visits to the royal herd. But no herd appeared before nightfall, and Aurelia had to sleep for a second night on the mat without having seen the object of their journey.
But when she emerged from her tent the next morning—the first to rise after another poor night’s sleep—she made it only a single step before freezing. Mere feet away from her stood an elegant bay mare. The creature turned at Aurelia’s appearance, and the two stood staring at each other.