Page 5 of The Burning Passion of a Fiery Lady
She smiled, her grey eyes alight. “Isn’t he? As soon as I saw him at the horse auction, I just had to have him.”
Without another word, she walked towards the colt, as if in a dream. Jasper put out a hand in warning, but she ignored it. The horse gazed at her warily, rearing up a little again, but she seemed unafraid. He couldn’t even discern a tiny quiver of nerves running through her.
She is intrigued and excited by his wildness, he thought.She has no fear.
He gazed at her, wondering idly what her history was. Had she always lived in this remote part of Shropshire? It was hard to tell by her accent. There might have been a hint of another area of Northern England, but it was faint, barely discernible. She had obviously lived here for a long time.
She turned to him as if she sensed his eyes on her. “Would you like to meet the other horses?”
He nodded, smiling. They drifted from the stable, approaching the other horses, one by one. She seemed calm and at ease until they got to the last one, when she flinched slightly, stepping back.
“That is Blitzen,” she said, in a strangled voice. “My late husband’s horse …”
Jasper approached the horse, whispering to it. It seemed tame and mild enough, letting him stroke it. As black as ink, fifteen hands high, its form was formidable. But as he continued to stroke it, it became slightly skittish, with nervous energy flowing through it.
He glanced back at the Widow Drake. She had paled and refused to look at the horse, gazing around the stable at anything but the beast. What had happened to make her have such a strong reaction to the horse? Or was it merely a reminder of her late husband, that brought back sweet memories of him, that tortured her?
“Thank you for the introductions,” he said, stepping back from the horse. “We will begin training of the colt in earnest tomorrow.” He paused. “We are going to find lodging in the local village and can be reached there if needed, in the meantime.”
“Whitmere?” she asked nodding. “It is a nice village, but very small. The amenities are scarce there. There is only a choice of two inns, and neither are the best.” Suddenly, she stopped, her grey eyes widening. “But why should you stay in the village when there is more than enough room here? The Willows is so large, and there are more than enough rooms to accommodate guests …”
Jasper stared at her. “Are you sure, Mrs Drake? We do not want to put you out at all.”
She waved a hand dismissively. “You are not putting me out, not in the least.” She smiled. “We have fine wine in the cellar, and my cook is one of the best in the countryside. I am sure you will be far more comfortable here than the local village; I do assure you.”
He was astonished at her candour and kindness. She was obviously as lovely in spirit as she was in looks.
He felt a stirring, deep within his loins, as he gazed at her. He hadn’t felt a stirring like this, towards a woman, in so long that it was almost alien to him; he almost didn’t recognise it. He had hoped that he would never feel it again, after what had happened, back home. He had prayed that he would never feel it again in his life.
Suddenly, he was deeply ashamed. She was a lovely woman to be sure, but she was a widow. One of the wealthiest widows in the country if reports were correct. And he had become a horse master; she would never look at him like that. He was far down the social ladder, now.
“Think about it,” she said slowly. “Would you like to go back to see the colt, while you do?”
He nodded, and they drifted back to the colt’s stable, stepping in, contemplating the beautiful animal again. He knew that the others were still behind them, but it was as if they were suddenly alone, with the horse. As if it were only the two of them in the entire world.
I shouldn’t stay here, he thought fiercely, as he gazed down at her.She is dangerous. She is making me feel things that I do not want to feel anymore.
She looked up at him, expectantly. He opened his mouth to refuse her kind offer. But all of a sudden, something else entirely was coming out.
“Thank you,” he said softly. “We would very much like to stay here, at The Willows.”
Chapter 3
A sudden, loud crack of thunder shook the stable, almost immediately after Jasper uttered his last words, accepting the invitation to stay at The Willows. Everyone jumped, and the colt suddenly reared up, spooked.
Before anyone could react, the startled horse flew through the open stable door. Everyone jumped back. The horse almost collided with David, before veering to the left, sprinting out of the stables.
Susannah didn’t stop to think. She ran out of the stables after the startled horse. She knew that it couldn’t escape; it had headed out of the front of the stables, into the circular corral. The gates to it were firmly closed. The colt couldn’t bolt into the wilderness.
The black horse was stomping wildly, almost breathing out steam through his nose. Susannah gazed around. The sky was an ominous grey; the storm had come up quickly. Soon, it would bucket rain. The horse had to be calmed and led back into its stable before that happened.
Without another thought, she approached the horse, which was still rearing, and wild-eyed.
“There, there, boy,” she said, in her calmest voice. “You are safe …”
The horse stopped rearing, settling down, but still wild-eyed. Slowly, she laid her hands on him, stroking him gently. She could feel him quivering; it was as if his flesh was crawling with it. A thin sheen of sweat had broken out over his coat, as well.
She kept stroking him, feeling the quivering slowly subside.
