Page 17 of A Lady’s Rules for Seaside Romance (The Harp & Thistle #3)
“To get used to being on a horse again, you’ll climb up to your saddle and then I’ll lead you around a few times.”
Resisting a grumble at starting this basic, he followed direction without complaint, knowing Anne wouldn’t change her mind about this.
Once Victor was settled, Anne began leading Pancake around the paddock.
“It’s important to always pay attention to your horse’s mood,” Anne began.
Victor stared down at the top of her hat as she walked beside them, holding a long rope like a leash.
“Their ears are the most telling. Ears to the side mean they’re relaxed.
Ears to the front, something has caught their attention, which means you should be on alert. ”
At the moment, Pancake’s ears were to the side.
“If their ears are back or flat, they are angry or upset. Both are concerning, and you need to be extremely cautious. Prepare for anything to happen. They might kick, buck, rear, or bolt. And the sheer size of them means they can easily throw you to the ground. That was how Bernard was killed.”
This comment caused Anne to become quiet.
After leading Victor and Pancake around the paddock for a bit, Victor took the reins on his own.
Anne told him how to use the reins, how to gently tap the horse with his heels.
After about an hour of lessons, Victor found himself feeling more confident and refamiliarized with his old childhood lessons.
Anne tested him a bit, making sure he knew how to stop the horse, increase speed, and lower speed.
“Would you like to try leaving the paddock for a bit?” Anne asked.
Victor looked out at the endless green that expanded beyond the paddock and felt a pull to it.
He looked down at Anne, who had to shield her eyes in the now-bright morning sun in order to look up at him.
He noted clouds were coming in, though, which would shield the sun and make the ride more pleasant. “I think I would like that.”
“Excellent. Let me grab Onyx.”
A few minutes later, the stablehands opened the gate and Victor followed Anne out to the field.
For the first few minutes, Victor was admittedly slightly nervous, but Pancake didn’t seem bothered the least. Onyx appeared rather happy to be out there, snorting and whinnying with joy.
As Victor was mostly focused on his first ride, there wasn’t much conversation.
After about half an hour, they found themselves on a hilltop.
They paused to give the horses a rest and were able to look out over the distant English Channel.
Pancake’s ears flicked and turned forward briefly but returned to the side.
Onyx, meanwhile, gnawed on grass.
“What do you all usually do in the summer?” Victor asked. “Do you generally stay at the house or go into town?”
Anne looked over at him. She was so elegant in her top hat and green habit.
She shifted in her sidesaddle seat. “We go into town a few times, but we mostly stay around Summerwood or visit others. More people will be here in a few weeks once Queen Victoria leaves London. There’s a ball coming up at Tanglebrush Manor, a small one.
Then, once the queen leaves for Osborne House in a month or so, there’s the masquerade at the Viscount Bell’s.
Lord and Lady Bell throw it every year.”
“A masquerade? I believe you’ve mentioned it in passing a few times over the years.”
Anne brightened. “Oh, yes! It’s one of my favorite events of the season.”
Personally, Victor didn’t find the idea of a masquerade appealing and with all of the other events he would likely attend, decided that one, he would sit out. He didn’t have a costume, anyway.
“I imagine you have to plan for that one ahead of time,” he mused aloud.
There was a flicker of disappointment on her face. “Oh, yes, I suppose that means you won’t be able to attend? Oh, bother that.”
“That’s all right. It doesn’t appeal to me much, anyway. What are you going as this year?”
“A swan! Oh, Victor, I can’t wait to show you it. It’s so beautiful. The dress is covered in white feathers and my hat will look like a swan sits right atop my head.”
There was a sudden gust of wind, which caused Pancake to lift her head from grazing. Her ears briefly went forward again.
“Smells like rain,” Victor said and he noted Anne’s face was pinched with worry. He then looked over his shoulder. Dark clouds fast approached.
Anne looked to see what he stared at. “Oh!” she shouted with alarm. “Where did that come from? We must head back before we get caught in that. Do you think you’re comfortable going at a quicker pace?”
Victor wasn’t sure, but he could see they would soon be in danger. Anne’s shoulders were far too tense for those clouds to portend merely a little rain.
“Lead the way, and we’ll follow,” he replied, hoping he sounded sure of himself.
They began galloping toward Summerwood as humid, earthy air filled his lungs. As the dark clouds got closer, the wind became stronger. The scent of rain strengthened and a few drops landed on his face.
Alarm bells were ringing in his head and he observed Pancake’s ears. They were back now but not flat, and she didn’t seem tense otherwise. But Onyx’s ears, Victor was alarmed to discover, were flat and the stallion started to jerk around erratically.
Anne’s mouth was set tight and she leaned forward to say something to Onyx. Victor couldn’t hear what she said but knew she was trying to comfort the animal.
But then, in the distance, a lightning bolt cut across the sky and an earth-shattering crack of thunder followed. Onyx bolted forward at a full gallop, then made a sharp turn right, sending Anne flying.