Page 62 of An Innocent Bride for the Duke

The grey stallion was a fine, high-spirited and energetic horse although not one that everyone could handle. Although they had not ridden together, Louisa knew that Benedict had taken Thunder out frequently in his time at Rosemere and the grooms reported him to be an excellent rider.

As my future husband, the grooms are bound to tell me that, but he can obviously keep his seat at least, and send the horse in the right direction…

“You must all stay together,” Lady Esher instructed them sternly as they younger people began to move towards the door to ready themselves for their outing. “

“The weather has not been quite that bad, Aunt Beatrice,” Louisa reassured her. “There will be some mud, but the rain has not been heavy enough to do any real damage to the paths, or create any major obstacles. We will ride safely too.”

“I am not only thinking of accidents, Louisa,” replied her aunt. “I am not entirely sure that you should be riding out alone with His Grace before the wedding, under the circumstances.”

“We will not be alone,” said Benedict swiftly, as Louisa flushed self-consciously. “We are riding out with Seraphine and Damien and all is perfectly proper, Lady Esher. If you are thinking of a certain gentlemen taking exception to seeing us, he ought not to spying on Rosemere and Damien and I would be happy to…explain this to him again if necessary.”

“Stay together,” Lady Esher repeated herself, looking to each of them in turn without adding anything further on this subject. “I shall expect to see you all back for tea.”

“Here is a carrot for you, Storm,” Louisa said, patting her mare’s side and then stroking her mane as the horse chomped the vegetable.

The first of the party dressed and ready for riding, Louisa had hurried down to the stables to visit her mare alone before the others emerged from their rooms.

“I brought two because I haven’t seen you for a few days,” she continued . “Just think, soon your foal will be here and we must choose a name. It will be the last horse I name at Rosemere, I suppose…”

This was another thought that would have brought tears to Louisa’s eyes in the first days after her betrothal but now brought only a peculiar bittersweet pang.

“The head groom believes Storm’s foal will come before the wedding, if not before the engagement party,” said Benedict’s voice and Louisa swiveled around, wondering how long he had been standing there and listening.

How handsome he looked in his riding clothes and boots! But where were Seraphine and Damien?

“We may have to wait a few more minutes for the Duke and Duchess of Wexford,” Benedict told her with a knowing smile. “I passed their suite on my way out and did not have the impression that they would be dressed quickly.”

“I see,” Louisa replied, turning back to Storm in order to easily avert her eyes, understanding very well what was being implied and knowing it would be unwise to pursue this particular conversation if she wished to retain her composure. “Well, it will take some time to get the horses saddled anyway. There is no rush.”

If I cannot speak to Benedict of such things without blushing and saying nonsensical things, what will I ever do after we are married and he takes me to his bed..?

As they stood there, Thunder was led past them from his stall, the stallion stopping to rub noses with Storm. The two horses whinnied, as though in conversation and both Louisa and Benedict laughed.

“Yes, your foal is almost here, Thunder,” said the duke. “You know it, don’t you?”

The stallion neighed in apparent answer, much to everyone’s amusement.

“I think he does, Your Grace,” remarked the young groom with a grin, patting the animal on the shoulder and encouraging him to move along again. “Good boy. I’ll walk Thunder around the paddock a few times before I try to saddle him. He’s been a bit fretful indoors and you know how much energy he has.”

Louisa and Benedict both nodded and the grey stallion was led outside. On the other side of the yard, some groundsmen were carrying pieces of wood, metal and other materials out from the sheds to a cart, likely for repairs to some outhouse structures showing damage after the rain. Idly, Louisa wondered whether it would be the roof of the old folly, or some of the gamekeeper’s buildings…

A loud crash brought her back to herself with a gasp, as one of the groundsmen lost his footing on the muddied path and a load of wood and metal clanged loudly down onto the cobblestones. Louisa was not the only one startled by the noise.

Out in the paddock, the excitable grey stallion had leapt and jerked away from the groom and was now bolting across the paddock at great speed, as the youth ran yelling after him.

“Oh no!” Louisa exclaimed, temporarily forgetting everything else and rushing out of the stables.

Without a rider, Thunder was the kind of horse who might easily jump the paddock fence and go racing halfway across the countryside before he stopped. The poor creature might be lost for days and even do himself an injury. What on earth could Louisa do? Then, she realized that someone else had already perceived the same danger.

The Duke of Northwick sprinted purposefully along the outside of the paddock, although Louisa doubted anything or anyone could stop Thunder from bolting now. To her astonishment, the duke vaulted onto a fence post at the end of the paddock and from there, leapt onto the horse’s back. Quickly stilling Thunder’s bucking, Benedict brought the unsaddled animal to a halt and swung him around to trot back across the paddock.

“I’d better take him around a few turns,” he called to Louisa and the relieved groom. “That noise gave him quite a fright and he was agitated enough already.”

“Thank God!” Louisa murmured as the groom whistled his admiration for the feat they had witnessed. “Poor Thunder!”

“I’ve never seen a gentleman ride bareback like that,” the young man said in awe, “nor perform such tricks. I’d break my neck if I even tried… I shouldn’t be surprised if the Duke of Northwick was the best rider in England, Lady Louisa.”

“Nor should I,” she marveled. “I’ve never seen anything like that, except at a circus…”