Page 68

I don’t know anymore.

Fortunately, Alex seemed to have taken it for granted that she would agree with him. He glanced around, his gaze landing on the steep slope of the hill on the other side, flattening out into a smooth field. A tree trunk lay near the bottom of the hill, smooth and thick and begging to be jumped over.

Apparently, Alex thought the same thing.

“I bet I could jump over that,” he said, pointing at the trunk.

Daphne smiled to herself. “I bet you could. You’d better not, though. Your papa might worry.”

Alex wrinkled his nose. “He wouldn’t have to know.”

“Best to obey him, though, even if he’s not here,” Daphne said, patting his hand. “I tell you what, though—we could have a race.”

Alex’s face lit up. “A race? You and me?”

“Yes, you and me. The first one to the bottom of the hill wins, yes?”

He beamed, gathering the reins in his hands. “I’ll win for sure. And you better not let me win, because then it won’t count!”

Daphne laughed. “I have a very competitive older sister, as well as a competitive twin. Ineverlet anyone win.”

Alex grinned. “We shall see.”

“On my count, then. One… two… three… go!”

The horses leaped excitedly forward.

Daphne’s breath was stolen from her in a rush, her hair whipping backward from her shoulders and streaming out behind her like a banner. She leaned forward over the horse’s neck, the reins gathered in her hands, her legs pressed against the creature’s flanks.

I’d forgotten how marvelous it is to ride, to reallyride.

Cold air scraped down her throat and burned her lungs, needling away at any exposed flesh. It might have been cold if it wasn’t for her blood pumping so energetically, keeping her warm, sizzling underneath her skin.

Her worries fled away as if she’d left them at the top of the hill. Their speed was doubled on account of going downhill, or so it felt.

Alex, it turned out, was an excellent rider. His horse was neck-and-neck with Daphne’s, the creatures sweating, heads bobbing, each one trying to get the advantage. A quick sideways glance—that was all Daphne dared to risk—showed her that Alex wassmiling from ear to ear, clearly having the time of his life. He was sitting easily in his saddle, and it occurred to her that when he became an adult, he’d most likely be the best rider in the country. A flush of pride swept through her, even though he was not herson, even though she barely knew him.

He’s going to do wonderful things. And I’m going to help him do them.

As the slope began to even out, about a third of the way down, Daphne began to pull ahead, ever so slightly. She didn’tmeanto, it just seemed to be happening. Her horse was a little bigger than Alex’s and had a longer stride. The ground became a little rockier and less even, and Daphne felt a flash of fear that one of them would stumble. A fissure in the ground caused the two of them to part, Alex going to the left and Daphne to the right. She put on a burst of speed, concentrating more on the ground now than before.

The ground evened out… she’d made it. With a sigh of relief, she reined in her horse and turned around to see where Alex was.

He was still a little way up the hill, forced to slow down to pick his way across unforgiving terrain.

Sensible boy.

“I won, but we’ll have a rematch soon,” she called. “It was just bad luck for you. Otherwise, I think you might have won.”

“Never mind that,” Alex called back, grinning. “Watchthis, Daffie!”

He spurred his horse onwards, leaning forward over the saddle, and Daphne frowned.

“What am I watching? What are you…” she trailed off as she saw it.

The fallen log lay in Alex’s path, between her and him, and he was riding straight towards it with determination.

He’s going to jump.