Page 47 of The Secret Love of a Gentleman
Caro kicked her heels and urged the horse into a gallop, then jumped the gate.
Rob did the same and jumped the gate behind her.
Then she was off, balanced over the saddle and letting the mare have its head, the horse’s hooves tossing up clods of grass and soil. He raced after her.
The advantage to riding through the parkland on which John’s deer herd grazed was that you could gallop for miles without encountering a wall, hedge or gate.
He did not race, but kept a pace with her, in case her mare hit a rabbit hole and came down. The air became denser, as the storm clouds darkened with that odd brown dirty colour that came before a lightning storm.
An unmistakable rumble of thunder shook the air. He hadn’t seen the lightning but it must have been there somewhere in the distance. It would be a death wish to keep the horses out in a lightning storm.
He leaned across and caught Caro’s reins for a moment, pulling on the leather strap to slow her horse as he slowed his. ‘We need to head to the woods. We can shelter there.’
With every second the sky looked angrier and more ominous.
Caro spun her mare around and hurtled towards the wood as fast as she had been riding in the other direction.
A sharp clap of thunder shook the sky; Caro’s horse whinnied and reared its head, stopping suddenly and stamping, throwing its head back, but Caro held her seat and calmed the mare with a pat or two on the neck. His horse became restless too, sidestepping nervously. The animals must be able to smell and feel the storm in the air, it was more than the sound that had come from a distance away.
Caro kicked her heels and was galloping towards the woods again.
‘Steady!’ he called. She didn’t ride any slower.
A bright light split the sky above them, stretching from behind them as the air vibrated with a deep growl.
He gripped his reins and held hard as the horse reared.
Caro held her horse firmly, slowing to a canter. He saw a muscle flicker in her animal’s neck. Another flash lit up the sky and forked towards the ground on their left. The thunder cracked a couple of moments later.
His horse thrust its head, pulling against the bit. ‘It’s fine, boy.’ Rob patted the animal’s neck.
Caro urged her horse back into a gallop. He did the same. They raced towards the wall. The quickest way into the woods was to jump the wall.
They were nearing the wall when the next flash came from their right. The thunder was fast on the back of it. It sounded as though the sky splintered. Both animals missed a stride, their forelegs landing out of rhythm, but he and Caro urged them on regardless, and Rob prayed there would be no thunder as they jumped.
A large drop of rain fell on his crown, then a second on his shoulder, and a third on his arm. Then there were too many to count. It was as though the rain had been shaken from the clouds, and now it poured down, drenching his hair and his clothing.
They had a dozen yards left to ride when the rain turned to hail. Sharp balls of ice dropped like stones, stinging and cold. He pressed ahead, lifting his stallion’s head and jumping the wall.
He looked over as he leaned back when his horse landed. Caro was a pace behind him and she flew over the wall in a perfect jump.
Four more strides and they reached the wood. He pulled his reins as Caro pulled hers, and the hail turned back to rain.
Her mare moved restlessly, fractious. ‘Jump down, Caro.’ Rob was nervous the animal would rear and unseat her.
His stallion sidestepped several times, just as agitated.
He lifted a leg over his saddle, while Caro slid off her side-saddle. They dropped to the ground at the same time, the rain hammering down on them.
A flash spread from the sky to the earth, and almost immediately the thunder shook with a deep roar. Caro’s mare reared up on its hindlegs. She fought to keep hold of the reins.
Rob reached across and gripped her hand to help her, let go of his own horse and caught the reins closer to the animal’s bit.
Caro released her hold and turned to settle his horse.
A sharp wind swept at the treetops, and the branches swayed, spooking the horses even more, while the rain continued.
He was soaked. His cotton shirt was translucent.
