Page 23 of The Burning Passion of a Fiery Lady
“Your other horses do not need much work,” he said, sitting down beside her. “They are basically well trained.”
She nodded. “Gilbert was a horseman. He spent a lot of time in these stables with them …” She trailed off, her grey eyes suddenly clouding over again.
There it was, again. The brief spell of forgetfulness was over. It was as if the spectre of her late husband had loomed suddenly between them once more. Would she ever be free of him?
“What was it like when you first came here?” he asked softly. “Were you happy here, for a little while, at least?”
She stiffened momentarily, staring at him. But then, she seemed to slump slightly as if some internal pressure was being released.
“I was very happy,” she replied slowly. “I loved the house and the estate. Gilbert was kind and loving, for probably a year or so. I missed my home and my parents, but that faded after a while. At that early stage, all that we seemed to need was each other.” She bit her lip. “It was a brief idyll. After that, nothing I did seemed to make him happy anymore. I tried so hard to figure it out, to be the perfect wife. I thought that if I only tried harder, the man that I had married would somehow return.”
“You never deserved that,” he whispered fiercely. “You are perfect, just the way that you are. The man was obviously a fool not to realise the gift that he had in his hands. If you were my wife …”
They stared hard at each other; the tension between them almost unbearable.
David approached, sitting down beside them. With difficulty, Jasper tore his eyes away from her, gazing at the younger man, who looked a little confused and uncomfortable. He had obviously sensed the intensity between them.
At that moment, they all turned as the housekeeper, Mrs Lambert, walked into the corral, carrying a large picnic basket. She was smiling broadly.
“I thought that you all might need some refreshment,” she called, holding the basket higher in her hands. “Cook has put together some goodies. We have cheese, onions, a good leg of ham, and bread. Who is hungry?”
They all laughed, the tension dispelled. He tried not to look at Susannah again, as a picnic blanket was spread out, and they hungrily devoured the contents of the basket. But he could sense her gaze on him from time to time, and he knew that the promise of what was between them would have to break, sooner rather than later. It was like a fever that was consuming them.
***
David and Mrs Lambert were chatting to each other, completely absorbed in their conversation, when Susannah turned to him, her eyes challenging.
“It is such a fine day,” she said slowly. “Would you like to saddle some horses and go for a quick ride before resuming work? I know a beautiful river that is close by. We can be there and back before David and Amy even know that we are gone.”
He looked surprised, gazing at her, almost stupefied. But she didn’t demur or lower her gaze. She just kept staring at him with that same intense look in her eyes.
“I think that is a fine idea, Mrs Drake,” he said slowly.
She nodded quickly, standing up. He did the same, following her into the stables. They chose two of the more sedate horses, leading them out the back gate, where the edge of the wilderness met the estate, before quickly mounting them.
“Follow me,” she called, spurring on the horse. Within a minute, she was off.
He watched her gallop away for a moment, completely lost in her beauty, the vision of her on horseback. Slowly, he smiled, before spurring his own horse on, following her into the woods.
Chapter 10
He almost couldn’t keep up with her as she galloped over the fields, entering the woods. She was bent low over the horse, her body guiding the animal. The hem of her gown had risen, and he could see the shape of her legs, gripping the flank of the horse tightly as she spurred it on, ever faster.
A sudden hardness assailed him at the sight of her. Her hair had come undone, with the movement, losing its pins again. It streamed behind her, looking like ribbons of red in the breeze. She looked wild, like a warrior woman riding into battle, free and unfettered.
This was the real Susannah, he thought, swallowing a painful lump which had formed in his throat. She was a wild spirit, a free and beautiful soul, who belonged in nature. She seemed to come into herself once again, out in this untamed wilderness. It was as if simply nothing could restrain her.
He wove amongst the trees, catching glimpses of her ahead of him. She was a skilled rider, ducking and diving through the thick forest as if it were second nature to her. She had obviously done this many times before and probably could have done it with her eyes closed.
He sighed, lost in her glory. It almost seemed a crime that such a wild spirit had to be constrained by the rules of society. She belonged here. And nothing, or nobody, had broken that spirit, despite all that she had endured. She was still there, deep down. Her real self that her brutal husband had never managed to sully.
He saw a river ahead, snaking through a valley. The water was a deep, pure blue, glistening like diamonds in the sunlight. She approached its banks, slowing down before dismounting. He grinned suddenly, spurring his own horse on. This must be the place that she was taking him to.
She was already leading her horse to the river to drink by the time he arrived. He dismounted, doing the same. She didn’t look at him as he approached. She was talking softly to the horse, encouraging it, as she stroked its flank.
“That was quite a ride,” he said slowly.
She turned and looked at him, then. Her face was flushed with the exercise, her skin glowing. Her eyes were bright, too.
