Page 60 of Her Duke By Accident
“I can’t!” Lucy screamed.
“Calm down,” Alicia called out, trying to keep her voice level. “She can sense your nerves, Lucy.”
The girl snapped over to her, eyebrows bunched together angrily. “I don’t have any nerves! The horse just hates me!”
“Don’t be naive!”
“Naive?” Lucy repeated. “You have the most well-mannered horse in all of England!”
Alicia couldn’t stop the laugh from flying out. “Periwinkle is a mother, Lucy, she can’t help but be patient.”
“How can I ride when she won’t even calm down?”
“Relax,” Alicia cooed, “and try again. More calmly, this time.”
Lucy shot her a glare, but reached again, her fingertips just grazing Ginger’s snout before she huffed and neighed irritated. “You see,” Lucy said, “she just doesn’t like me.” She turned, eyeing Alicia’s horse. “Why don’t we have a trade?”
“Ginger is more your size, Lucy.”
“I can handle her!”
“When was the last time you rode a horse of this size?”
Lucy pouted her lips. “It won’t be any fun if I can’t settle my horse!”
“Ginger is too small for me.”
“She is not,” the girl argued. “It’ll be just like when you went riding as a child!”
Alicia smiled, a warmth filling her chest. “That is sweet, Lucy, even though I know you’re just trying to convince me of a trade.”
Lucy wiggled, a grin pulling on her lips. “Is it working?”
“I think it might be,” Alicia laughed. “Just this once, all right? But the moment you can’t handle a horse this size?—”
“I will tell you right away!” Lucy finished.
As Alicia went to take Ginger’s reins, the horse kept up her skittish attitude, slightly pulling towards the barn. She kept her hand on the horse’s neck, cooing and humming a melody to try and calm her down. While it seemed to work for a moment, as she climbed onto the horse, Ginger scooted and neighed impatiently.
“Well,” Alicia said through gritted teeth once she was firmly on, “I believe Ginger might not have been the best choice for a light walk around the estate.”
Lucy giggled gleefully as she easily saddled onto Periwinkle, her long locks flowing in the wind behind her. “Periwinkle is perfect, isn’t she?”
Alicia gave her a look.
“Thank you for switching, Alicia,” she said with a sweet smile. “Ginger doesn’t seem to be the worst.”
“You would’ve been complaining, I’m sure,” Alicia responded with a laugh as their horses walked beside each other. “And it looks as though Periwinkle’s presence eases her daughter.”
“Did you ever have your own horse?”
“No,” Alicia replied. “We had a few, ones for the carriage, and my father’s personal steed.”
“You can have your own here! I’m sure your papa would be so happy for you.”
Alicia sadly smiled. “I hope he would be.”
“What was it like? Growing up in Egerton?”
