Page 37 of The Burning Passion of a Fiery Lady
Her heart started to thud painfully in her chest. Dawn was slowly spreading over the sky; almost second by second, the horse and its rider were illuminating before her, growing larger and brighter.
She gasped. Yes, itwashim. It was Jasper. He was safe. And so was the horse.
She didn’t think. Quickly, she placed the lantern she was holding on the ground, picked up the hem of her nightdress, and ran to them.
He pulled up the horse, watching her, as she surged towards him. As soon as she was close enough, she threw her arms around the horse’s neck, nuzzling into the soft, velvety blackness of his coat. The horse nickered gently, nuzzling her back.
“Oh, Blitzen,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “I am so glad to see you, old friend.”
Jasper slid off the horse’s back, facing her. Her heart thudded harder still, as she stepped back, away from the horse, and turned to face him.
“You are safe,” she whispered, her eyes glimmering.
“I am,” he whispered back. “It took quite a while, but I have returned him to you.”
She nodded, so overcome with gratitude and joy that she simply couldn’t speak.
He took her hand gently in his. And then, side by side, they led the horse back to the stables in companionable silence, not even turning to look at each other, as the night fully lightened to day around them.
***
The next moments were all a blur. As Jasper led Blitzen safely to his stable, David came thundering into the yard with the last of the horses. Susannah’s heart leapt. Thor was among them, the black colt meekly following the apprentice, led by a rope.
“I will put on the kettle for tea,” declared Amy, smiling broadly. “I think that everyone deserves a well-earned rest! Please come to the kitchen as soon as you are ready. I shall have everything waiting.”
“Sounds grand,” said David, his eyes shining. “I shall just see to these horses, then I shall make my way there. Thank you, Mrs Lambert.”
“I think we are past that now, are we not, David Bragg?” said Amy slowly. “After these events, and the courage shown last night, you should call me by my name. I am Amy.”
David ducked his head bashfully. “Amy it is, then.”
Susannah smiled, drifting away from them towards the stable, where Jasper was still settling Blitzen.
He was talking softly to the horse, stroking it with a brush. He didn’t turn his head to her as she made her way into the stable, but she knew he was aware of her by the tension that seemed to shudder through him as she approached.
“Is he well?” she asked in a low voice. “He has not sustained any injury?”
Jasper shook his head. “He is weary after such a frenzied gallop through the hills, but he is unhurt.” He paused, putting down the brush and facing her. “There was a moment where I was concerned. He lost his footing, falling down an incline, but he has walked well since and ridden perfectly.”
Susannah sighed in relief. She really couldn’t ask for anything more. It could all have gone so differently. The horse could be dead, lying at the bottom of a hill, or lost to her entirely in the wild forest that bordered the estate.
“Thank you,” she whispered, a lump in her throat. “Thank you.”
He nodded, smiling faintly. “You are welcome, Susannah.”
“What happened?” she asked slowly.
He didn’t answer at first. He walked away from the horse, sitting down on a barrel in the corner of the stable. His face was tight with weariness, but he looked up at her, beckoning her to sit beside him.
She joined him, sitting close, just listening to him breathe for a while. Eventually, he wiped his face with his hands as if to wake himself up, turning to her.
“I was in bed when I heard the horses,” he said slowly. “They were galloping, almost thundering, and there was loud neighing as well. I got up straight away, just in time to see them running through the grounds, towards the hills …”
She nodded. “Yes, David told me.” She took a deep breath. “I was also told that the lock on the main gate had been deliberately broken to let the horses out. Is it true?”
“It is true,” he said solemnly. “Someone sabotaged the stables, Susannah. All the internal gates to the stables had been opened to let the horses out, as well.”
Her face tightened. “I could have lost them all …”
