Page 59 of Drowned in the Pleasure of a Devilish Baron
She had only one last obstacle to look out for, and that was Mr. James. She needed him out of the stables so she could take her horse and be gone before anyone noticed she was missing. At last, after a stretch of interminably long minutes, she saw him head to the back of the house, whistling as he walked.
She did not waste a moment. Boots in hand, she crept in stockinged feet down the stairs, pausing at the top to listen and look, and through the front hallway. She was nearly at the door when she heard Rebecca’s voice.
“… to mend for the lady…”
Her heart leapt into her throat, and the shaking in her hands intensified. It sounded as if she were coming this way! She fled into the drawing room, ducking behind the open door, and prayed that Rebecca would not enter and close the door.
She held her breath as she heard her lady’s maid enter the drawing room. Through the space between the door and the wall, she watched her lift the basket with scraps of thread and material and search for something. She matched a piece with whatever she was holding and then, without ever glancing at the door at all, left.
Sarah listened to her footsteps retreat down the hall, and then waited a few seconds longer to be safe. When she heard nothing, she ran, silently, breathlessly, out of the house and to the stables.
“Nut?” she whispered, looking for the boy. There was no answer.
I’ll just have to do it myself.
She went to her horse’s stall. But Piper was old, and slow besides. She hesitated, and then looked at John’s horse. His was much quicker, but also taller. She stared up at him uncertainly.
There was one other advantage to taking John’s horse, Acer. As he’d just been ridden not so very long ago, he was still saddled.
Can I do such a thing? Do I dare ride astride like a man when anyone could see me?
But the road between her house and Felix’s was seldom traveled by anyone besides her family and Felix himself. It was such a short ride, she was sure she could make it in no time. There was a stepping block she used to mount Piper. She took Acer’s reins and led him over to the stepping block. Her fingers felt cold as she looked up at the tall, gleaming stallion, and she swallowed hard.
“I can do this,” she said to herself. And she knew she could. She thought back to her days as a child, when her father had let her ride astride in front of him. The memory made her smile, as did the memory of his strong hands, patiently guiding her. She took a deep breath. “I can do this.” And she mounted Acer.
Her skirt stretched across the back of her calves, but she was able to adjust it so that it wasn’t too uncomfortable. It was lucky that her skirts were so loose. She gripped the reins tightly, nodded to herself, and spurred Acer forward.
The courtyard was empty, still no sign of anyone. She kept Acer to a walk as they went down the drive, sending quick, furtive looks over her shoulder and wishing there were a way to muffle the clopping sounds of his hoof beats as they walked. At last, they reached the end of the drive. Still no sign of anyone at the door. The road stretched in front of her, with Felix at the other end. Steadying herself in the saddle, and rather enjoying the freedom of riding astride as opposed to sidesaddle, she pressed in her heels.
Acer was a tall steed, a specimen of fine ability and speed. They could barely afford his upkeep and had to sell a plot of land to purchase him, but Lady Marlow had insisted that John have the finest horse possible.
“Appearance, my dear, is everything. Show the world your status atop a finer horse, and one day your status may actually reflect it,” she had said knowingly, the day Acer had been delivered to them.
To Sarah, so much money spent on one horse had seemed foolish and shortsighted. Now that she was riding him, however, and as he was truly meant to be ridden, astride and in a hurry, she could appreciate the fineness of him. She leaned forward, the wind whipping her hair out of her bun, and felt a sense of freedom that she had not experienced since she was a small child, since her father had been alive.
She urged him forward, and they moved from a brisk trot into a smoother canter. There was no one on the road as far as the eye could see, no sounds but for the three clip sounds of Acer’s hooves beating the ground. Though her heart was twisted at the thought of what Felix might be going through, though her fear for the future was so real it took her breath away, in this moment, she allowed herself to feel nothing but the air whipping past her and the lightness of the ride.
“Let’s see what you can do, shall we?” she asked, a grin spreading across her face as she urged him to pick up speed. Acer’s pace lengthened gladly, immediately—this was a horse who wanted to run. They moved smoothly into a full gallop, Sarah bringing her head low above the horse’s shining neck, holding tightly to the reins.
The land shot past them as they flew down the road. Acer’s gait was so smooth it seemed as if his hoofs did not touch the ground, as they sailed smoothly down the road.
Sarah could not help herself from letting out a wild, whooping yell of delight as she rode. The sound disappeared across the empty land around her and she threw her head back in laughter. The wind tugged the ribbon from her hair and sent it flying far behind her, her hair tumbling loose and streaming behind her in the wind.
If Mother could see me now…
She was flying, she was free. She was on her way to Felix.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Though he had not asked him to, Leonard had followed Felix into the cottage. Mercifully, he remained silent until they entered the cottage and were seated in the drawing room, where a fire crackled cheerfully in stark contrast to the mood of the room.
“The farmers said a fire? How—?”
“There’s something I have to show you.” Felix said, his voice flat. “But first, we’ll need a drink.”
Leonard’s toe tapped quickly as they waited in silence. Across from him, Felix’s face held no emotion, a slate wiped clean by disappointment and heartbreak.
Felix waited until they had both been served a glass of wine, liquid he looked at hopelessly now, when just a few days before it had sparkled with heady promise, until he pulled out the letters and handed all three to Leonard. Leonard’s face darkened as he slowly read through each of them, taking his time. Finally, he looked up and met Felix’s eyes.
