Page 36 of A Governess' Unbridled Passion
Leading the horse outside, the pair headed straight into the storm, but his only thoughts were for Alice.
What was she thinking?he asked himself as he galloped into the heavy rainfall that slashed against his body.
He had every confidence in his chosen horse. They’d got to know one another well in the short time he’d had to ride him. Caesar was strong and not one to shy away from the booming thunder that roared above their heads. Nor did he flinch at the flashes of brightness that lit up the skies. It was as if he understood his master’s urgency.
Already the highway was flooding with streams of running floodwater, but he trusted his horse to choose his footing well. Although he and the horse were covered in waterproofs, both were soddened. But both continued forward with the galloping pace while Phillip searched for any sign of Miss Alice.
His heart thumped as he spotted a horse coming towards them. Yes, there she is, his mind told him, and he felt a sense of utter relief. But it was to be short-lived; as he slowed down Caesar’s pace, he could see that the horse was riderless.
“Damn it!” he called out in frustration. “Where the hell is she?”
Ignoring the mare, he shook on the reins again, and Caesar sensed that he was to keep moving along the muddy dirt track. At least the mare hadn’t followed them, no doubt making its way back home. He didn’t have time to consider its safety.I have to find Alice; I have to find her.
A loud cracking noise sounded out, accompanied by the smell of sulphur. Behind him, a tree came crashing down. For the first time, Caesar became spooked, and the horse reared its front legs in fear.
“Whoa there, boy, whoa!” Phillip called out, struggling with the reins.
Caesar quickly settled down, and Phillip patted him, speaking to the horse to calm his nerves.
“There you go, boy. All’s well,” he called out over the noisy storm, patting Caesar’s neck as he continued to speak with him. “It is only a bit of rain, Caesar. We can do it, boy. Come on. There you go, there, there …”
Soon, both horse and man were off at a canter. He pushed Caesar hard, he knew it, but they had to find Alice. She could be hurt or lying in a ditch somewhere.
I have to find her …
Chapter 19
Alice stirred, and for a moment, she wondered where she was. Her body felt cold and shivery, and opening her eyes, she realised she was on the ground.
“What? Where am I?” she mumbled, feeling pain shoot up her back as she attempted to sit up.
She was sitting in the middle of a thick, sticky, muddy puddle, soaking wet from the rain pounding down all around her.
“My horse?” she called out. “Princess!” she tried to shout, but there was no sign of any horse.
Her body ached from head to toe as she forced herself up from the wet, cold floor. Peering down the road, it was hard to see anything because visibility was so poor. The heavy rain came down in sheets, and she was certain the horse was nowhere nearby. Her fuzzy mind became clearer, and parts of what had happened played out in her foggy memory.
Alice recalled why she was out in a storm in the first place and knew she needed to hurry; Lady Beatrice needed her. But as she tried to walk, she could only limp because her hips hurt. It must have been where she landed on the floor when Princess bolted at the storm’s noises.
“Oh dear, Princess, where have you got yourself?” she mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself to try and warm up.
She was so cold that her teeth chattered uncontrollably. If only she could walk better. If she could get moving, then she might warm up a little. But all she could manage was a limp, and even that gave her shooting pains every time she put her right foot on the floor. It would take a long time to get back to Haroth Hall.
The mud underfoot wasn’t easy to wade through, and her feet slid around, sending more shooting pains through her body. Again, she tried to recall what had happened now that she was no longer in shock.
One minute she’d been on Princess’s back, and they weren’t going fast because the mare was tired. The thunder, yes ... it had clashed right above their heads, and at the same time, the lightning had streaked across the sky. That was it ... it had frightened the horse, causing it to rear its front legs.
In her weakened state, she couldn’t hold on to the reins. The next thing she knew, she was waking up in a muddy puddle.
“I must have been knocked unconscious,” she told herself. Though that worried her the most, how long had she lain there? “Lady Beatrice?” she questioned under her breath. “I pray the physician has managed to get through to you.”
Trundling on, she took her time in putting one leg in front of the other. Her wet clothing felt heavy, and she paused to take a breath.
“If only it were not so cold,” she mumbled, continuing to trudge through the muddy trail.
A few times she almost tumbled, her feet sliding around in the sticky mud. Her vision blurred, no doubt because she’d banged her head. It was hard to tell if she was even still on the right trail. Streams of water dripped into her eyes, stinging as wet hair stuck to the skin on her face.
“Should I seek shelter under a tree?” she pondered. “I could stay there until the rain stops.”
