Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Alice allowed herself the rare luxury of staying in bed until far later than usual the following morning.
They had returned from the ball in the early hours, and she had very nearly fallen asleep in the carriage - only the knowledge that Anthony sat opposite her, potentially witnessing her snoring, had kept her awake.
The weather was chilly but dry and crisp, with a watery sun fighting its way through the clouds and Alice dressed eagerly in her riding habit looking forward to blowing away some of the lingering cobwebs of the previous evening by getting out for their ride.
She noticed Anthony gave her a wide berth as she mounted Rosalind. She could hardly blame him after her undignified dismount on their last ride.
They set off towards Hyde Park again.
“Do you like London?” Anthony asked as they trotted through the park gates.
“Honestly, not very much,” admitted Alice. “I feel rather like a fish out of water and I miss the space and clean air of the country. Being able to ride here definitely helps though, seeing the grass and the trees . . . You probably think I am terribly provincial…”
“Not at all. I also prefer the country,” said Anthony.
“Really?” asked Alice, forgetting to hide her surprise.
“Yes, I come to London when I must, but I am always glad to return home to my estate.”
“I would not have expected that of you.”
Anthony shrugged. “Perhaps you do not know me quite as well as you think you do.” He offered her a small smile. “I can show you a more secluded part of the park where you can gallop properly, if you wish.”
“That would be wonderful,” Alice said immediately.
They turned off the main thoroughfare onto narrower paths.The trees grew denser, and the sounds of the fashionable crowd on Rotten Row faded away.
“You can imagine you are in the countryside,” exclaimed Alice happily as she followed Anthony.
“Hyde Park covers nearly four hundred acres so there are plenty of surprisingly private parts if you know where to look,” Anthony said.
All of a sudden, Alice became acutely aware that they were quite alone. No grooms, no other riders. She was by herself with a well-known rake with only the trees for company. Should she be concerned? She glanced over at Anthony and saw he was watching her.
“Is something the matter?” he asked, concern written on his face.
“No, of course not,” she answered brightly. She was being ridiculous. Anthony may have his faults, but she could trust him, she realised. He would never do anything to hurt her. She was not quite sure why she now knew this, but found she was absolutely certain it was true. She was safe with him.
“Let us race!” she cried and set off at a gallop before Anthony had a chance to work out what was going on.
“Cheat!” she heard him cry out, laughter in his voice, as he urged his horse into pursuit. But as Alice not only had a head start but was also deciding where the race ended, he really did not stand a chance.
“Do you have time to go riding again tomorrow?” Alice found herself asking as they returned to her aunt’s house later, her cheeks pink from the cold air and exercise.
“Certainly,” replied Anthony, raising his eyebrows. “I believe your aunt mentioned she has morning calls to make, so shall we go after breakfasting?”
“That would be lovely. And you need not look so shocked,” Alice commented.
“Alice Fairfax is suggesting we spend more time together. You can understand if this is a little unexpected.”
“I like to ride,” said Alice simply. She congratulated herself as she dismounted from Rosalind with considerably more grace than on the last occasion she had attempted it.
She handed the reins to the groom who stood waiting with a nod of thanks.
“I shall see you later,” Alice said to Anthony over her shoulder and she made her way into the house.
Alice smiled to herself as she removed her cloak.
That was a much smoother exit. Though she was as perplexed as Anthony was to find herself wanting to go out with him again, even after having such a nice time.
Of course, she reasoned, in London going with Anthony was the only option for her really if she wanted to go riding.
If she was in the country and free to ride whenever she wanted, there was no way she would have suggested another outing.
And, she had to admit, it was very kind of him to buy a horse for her to use.
It would be rude not to ride her after he had gone to so much trouble…
Though surely he had not really purchased a horse solely for her use…
He had probably got Rosalind now so that she could try her out and check it was safe for any ladies he wanted to take riding in the future.
Maybe he kept a selection of horses so he always had one the right size for the ladies he entertained.
Yes, that would be it. Pleased she had solved that little mystery, she made her way upstairs to get changed.
Anthony arrived promptly to pick her up for their ride the next morning.
“I need to visit my house to check on the renovations being done there after we have finished our ride. If we take the horses back there, my carriage can return you to your aunt’s house if you would rather not wait for me.”
“I do not mind waiting for you,” Alice said. She was surprised by how curious she was to see Anthony’s London home.
They took advantage of the good weather and rode for a couple of hours before Anthony led them to a mews behind a very impressive house.
A high brick wall at the end of Anthony’s garden meant that Alice could not get much of a look at his home, however much she craned her neck.
She had never really given much thought to where he lived before, assuming it was a typical bachelor’s pad she supposed, but now she found she was strangely fascinated by the place.
What was his home like? Had he decorated it?
She was sure she had heard that it had been passed down through the generations of his family so maybe he had not done anything to it…
Or perhaps that was what the work he was having done on his house was about… He was now making it to his taste.
Even just from what Alice could make out from the back, it was huge and made even Aunt Jane’s home seem almost ordinary.
They dismounted in front of the stables.
“Would you like some tea in the drawing room while you wait?” Anthony asked.
“Actually, could I stay out here and brush Rosalind down? I want her to be used to me.”
“Certainly. Her stall is number four. Just come in as soon as you are finished,” said Anthony, with a little smile. He beckoned to a groom who hurried over to take his horse’s reins from him.
“Miss Fairfax will look after Rosalind,” he explained. “Please be available if she needs anything.”
The groom nodded and led Anthony’s horse to his stall at the far end of the mews.
“Enjoy yourself,” Anthony said with a wink which made Alice blush.
Alice watched him walk down the mews to go round to the front door of his house before she turned her attention to her horse.
She led Rosalind into her stall and removed her saddle and bridle, hanging them up on hooks on the wall, and reached for a brush. She stopped for a moment and glanced around the stall. It was nowhere near as clean as she would like and obviously had not been cleaned out that morning.
“Do you have everything you need, miss?” asked the groom Anthony had spoken to.
“Was this stall cleaned out this morning?” Alice asked.
“I am afraid not, miss. The stable boys are ill, but I will ensure they are done as soon as possible.”
“That is fine,” said Alice. “If you could just point me in the direction of a shovel, I shall get started.”
The groom’s eyes widened. “Um…” he began.
“Do not be concerned,” Alice said, sensing his discomfort. “I am quite happy to do it and am wanting the mare to get accustomed to me.”
The groom nodded and hurried away.
Alice continued brushing down Rosalind, talking to the horse as she did so.
Eventually the groom returned with a shovel, brush, and wheelbarrow.
She was almost certain he had been gone far longer than he needed to be.
She suspected he had been discussing the peculiar young lady who requested to be allowed to clean up horse manure.
Any embarrassment she felt was quickly over once the very polite groom took his leave and she was alone with Rosalind again.
She swiftly got to work cleaning out Rosalind’s stall and soon its floor was sweetly smelling of the fresh hay she had spread over it.
She looked over at the next stall . . . That was in a similar state to how Rosalind’s had been.
It was not terrible by any means, and it was certainly a lot cleaner than some other stables she had seen, but . . .
Time passed in a blur as Alice worked her way along the stalls, making friends with their inhabitants as she did so. She was deep in conversation with a bay gelding when a tap on her shoulder made her jump.
She spun around to find Anthony watching her with amusement. “Did you have to do that?” she exclaimed.
“My apologies.” It was clear he was attempting not to laugh. “I would have thought you might have heard me coming.”
“Well, I did not,” Alice said grumpily.
“I see you have been keeping my horses company.”
Alice felt her face burn. She had worked her way down the whole row of stalls. She cleared her throat. “I may have become carried away…”
“Not at all. The horses are very grateful, I am sure.” His eyes sparkled with amusement.
“Though my servants may never recover from the shock of you demanding a shovel.” Sensing her embarrassment, he quickly added, “They are merely not used to young ladies who take as keen an interest in everything equestrian as you do.”
“I do hope I have not kept you waiting,” she managed to say.
“Not at all,” Anthony said, graciously. “I merely thought I ought to check how you were getting on.”