Page 30 of In the Prince's Bed
Katherine wouldn’t have believed what happened next if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes. Bending nearly to the ground, Alec snatched Molly before she hit, then flipped her up—up, mind you!—across his saddle as if she were no more than a blanket.
As Katherine watched in amazement, he shifted back up into the saddle from his seemingly impossible position at a right angle to the horse. Then he laid a hand on Molly’s back to steady her while he reined in. Despite the girl slung over his saddle pommel and the coach thundering past with its cursing coachman, Alec easily controlled his mount, guiding it to the side of the road as it slowed to a trot.
With Molly safe, Katherine galloped after the riderless pony. Thankfully, the little fellow was slowing of his own steam now that the pesky screaming rider had been removed. By the time she’d caught up with him, snagged his reins, and wheeled him and her own mount back around, Alec had halted his horse and was leaping off with the ease of a panther on cat feet.
As she cantered back toward him with the pony in tow, Katherine’s heart drummed madly in her ears, a delayed reaction to the near tragedy of a few seconds before. Yet Alec looked perfectly calm as he reached up to lift poor Molly off Beleza. Molly fell into his arms sobbing. When Katherine rode up, he was cradling her gently and murmuring soothing words while she cried into his shirt.
A crowd had formed around them, but it parted to allow Katherine through. While she guided her horse through the throng, all around her she heard offers of help and expressions of concern for the “poor miss” who’d had “quite a fright.”
“Cor, did you see that gentry cove ride?” some lad close by told his friend.
“Aye. I only seen riding like that at Astley’s Amphitheatre,” his friend said.
Her heart still hammering, Katherine reined in and leaped from her horse. As she approached, Alec was setting Molly on her feet. When the poor maid continued to sob, he dug a handkerchief out of his pocket for her.
Katherine tried to imagine Sydney offering a kitchen maid his handkerchief. For all his gallantry to Katherine and his poetry about lords finding love with lowly shepherdesses and milkmaids, Sydney was a pure aristocrat at heart.
Whereas Alec seemed to be one only in name. How many aristocrats rode likethat?If Alec hadn’t acted so swiftly—and had the riding skills to manage it—Katherine shuddered to think what might have happened.
A member of the Foot Patrol pushed through the crowd to speak to Alec, and Katherine hastened to Molly’s side.
“Oh, miss,” Molly gasped between sniffles, “I’m so sorry I ruined your outing. I swear I didn’t mean—”
“Hush now.” Katherine looped her arm about the girl’s trembling shoulders. “No more of that, dear. We’re just glad you’re unharmed.”
“I nearly fell off that pony!” Molly’s eyes were round as carriage wheels. “I might’ve been kilt if not for his lordship…”
When she trailed off with a worshipful look at Alec, who was still speaking to the officer, Katherine bit back a smile. Alec conquered hearts wherever he went, didn’t he? No doubt poor Molly would relive the daring rescue for days to come. As would Katherine. She couldn’t believe how close the girl had come to death.
The officer began to disperse the crowd, and Katherine squeezed the maid’s shoulders. “Molly, why did you tell Mama you could ride?”
Dropping her gaze to the ground, Molly twisted the handkerchief about in her shaky fingers. “Somebody had to go with you, miss, and your mother’s maid couldn’t be spared and…well…she said it didn’t matter if I could ride.” With a glance over to where Alec seemed absorbed in tending his horse, she lowered her voice. “Mrs. Merivale said to come home once I lost sight of you, so you and his lordship could be alone. She said something was bound to happen and then he’d have to make you his countess.”
Color flamed in Katherine’s face. Nor did it help when she saw Alec go still, apparently having heard every word. But when his shoulders began to shake with laughter, she scowled at his back. Eavesdropping rogue.
She would deal with Mama and her tactics later. “We’d better get you home now,” she told the maid.
“I’ll take her back.” Alec turned toward them. “She shouldn’t go alone, and I know you don’t want to miss the reading.”
“We’ll all go,” Katherine said firmly.
“Please, miss, don’t you do nothing like that!” Molly cried. “Your mother’ll have my hide if she knows I ruined your outing with his lordship.”
The officer walked up, having cleared the street of curious onlookers. “I can see the young miss home, if you like.”
Katherine hesitated, but she didn’t want Molly to get into trouble—unfairly or not, Mamawouldblame everything on her. Flashing the man a smile, she said, “We’d be most grateful.”
She fished in her reticule for a coin, but Alec was already taking care of it. He even arranged for a passing hackney to carry Molly and the officer back. Within minutes, they were headed off with the pony tied to the back of the carriage.
Alec faced her, his eyes dark with concern. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said, managing a game smile.
“Do you still want to attend the reading? We’d be late, but if we go now, we should arrive in time for most of it. That is, if you’re not too shaken.”
“To be honest, I could use something to calm me, and the reading would be perfect since it’s a less…er…adventurous sort of entertainment.”
With a laugh, he strode over to retrieve his fallen hat, which had been trampled beneath the crowd’s feet. He examined the flattened disc ruefully.
