She leaned forward, slapping the reins lightly against the horse’s neck. “Come on, girl.” The mare bolted down the hill. Terrified, Ella clung to the saddle, unable to do anything other than pray she would not die. She felt the horse’s thrill at being free and knew her mount would not easily stop.
Blimey, she was doomed!
Fran would have to move back to the orphanage; Leo would never learn to be a gent. She slipped. With a gasp, she tightened her hold and closed her eyes.
“Please don’t fall, please don’t fall,” she whispered. The wind whipped loose strands of hair painfully across her face, but she didn’t dare move her hands to sweep them aside.
“Please, Leo,” she stuttered, with each painful thud of the horse’s hooves. She groped for the horse’s mind and sent a soothing sensation of rest into the animal’s brain.
Her horse stopped, and she lost her hold. Suddenly, there was nothing but air. Ella had a split second to realize the seriousness of her situation before she rolled over the horse’s head and her bottom hit hard earth. Pain radiated up her spine. She collapsed onto her back, blinking up at the brilliant blue sky.
“Ouch.”
The mare’s face hovered over her. As if inquiring over her condition, the beast’s soft nose nudged her shoulder.
“I’m well.” She grimaced as she pushed herself up. “But you are walking back.”
With a deep breath, Ella stood. Her mount took a nervous side step.
“No, no, come here, love.” The sudden thunder of hooves sent fear racing into the horse. Her mount fled back up the hill so quickly, Ella didn’t have time to stop her. “No!”
A shadow fell from the sky. She spun and waved the dust away from her face.
“Are you injured?” Leo asked, looking thoroughly unconcerned. She felt arrogance and impatience, but wasn’t sure if the emotions were coming from Leo or his mount.
“You frightened my horse away.” She swiped the dirt from her pale lavender gown, her only good dress.
His face remained passive, but she knew he heard her, the blasted man!
Ella put her hands on her hips. “Well, I wouldn’t have raced after you if you’d stayed for your lesson. But I had the situation under control, until you thundered up here.”
There was a slight tightening of his jaw, and annoyance skittered over her skin. This time she knew the emotion was not coming from the horse.
“However, you are forgiven,” she quickly added.
He turned his mount.
“Wait, where are you going? You can’t just leave me here!”
He nudged his mount forward and took off.
“Ohh, you pompous ass!”
She spun around, hiked up her skirt, and stomped back up the hill. A sudden thumping of hooves made her stop in her tracks. She turned. Leo was coming straight at her, his body bent low over the beast, his intense gaze locked on her. Frozen in fear, Ella could merely stand there. Without losing stride, he reached out, wrapped his arm around her waist, and lifted. He slammed her down sidesaddle in front of him with a thud that jarred her teeth.
Across the fields they raced. The wind tugged at her hair and clothing, bringing sweet relief from the humid day. Fear gave way to excitement. Her heart thundered in her chest, matching the rhythm of the horse’s hooves as they beat on the ground. She closed her eyes and allowed the breeze to caress her skin, allowed her body to become one with the beast. This was not the jerky, uneasy movement of her mount, but a smooth, gliding sensation of flying…of freedom.
Slowly, she became aware of a deep aching need that spread from her core, down. She became aware of Leo’s body pressed against hers, the muscles in his chest as hard as granite, yet warm. His heart beat steady and strong against the side of her breast. Swallowing, she glanced through her lashes and studied his face. His features were the same as always, stoic and unreadable. But this close, she could see the gold flecks in his eyes and the pale and auburn streaks barely visible in his dark hair.
“Stop staring at me,” he snapped.
Her face heated, and she dropped her gaze. She didn’t dare delve further into his emotions, for fear of what she would find.
“Sorry,” she muttered. “Where are we going?” She asked as much to change the subject as to know the answer.
“If you want to come with me, you’ll cease your prattle.”
She managed not to argue. Really, his conduct was beyond rude. It was…reprehensible. She tilted her chin, determined to remain quiet for the rest of the journey. He slowed the mount as they neared a cluster of trees. The horse meandered down a dirt trail, and the soft roar of flowing water interrupted the serene chirp of birds.
“How is it you do not know how to ride?” His breath was a warm caress against the side of her neck.
She tilted her chin, ignoring the shivers that raced down her spine. “Am I allowed to speak now?”
He sighed, long and loud.
As much fun at it was, she decided not to further test his patience. “At the orphanage we had no money for horses.”
“Orphanage? Is that where my grandfather found you?”
She blushed and averted her gaze. No good orphan leech! Lady Buckley’s eldest daughter’s voice whispered through her head. It was her favorite phrase to throw at Ella, over and over again. “No, Lady Buckley took me in when I was a young girl.”
He didn’t question her further, and she was able to relax some. The trees gave way and a small clearing came into view.
The waterfall!
The place was a miracle of God. A clear creek wove its way through beech trees, cresting a small hill and splashing into the pool—a pool surrounded by ferns and moss-covered boulders. Truly a peaceful setting.
Leo slipped from his mount. He whispered something into the horse’s ears and then tied the reins to a branch. Without helping her down, he started toward the small pond of water. Ella resisted the urge to curse…to break a branch from a tree and hurl the limb at his head. Instead, trying to be as ladylike as possible, she managed to slide down the horse and land on her feet.
“So sorry.” She patted the animal who watched her warily out of its huge, brown eyes. “I’m usually not so clumsy, you see. I don’t really ride. But you,” she smoothed her hand down the horse’s neck. “Yes, you are lovely.” Appeased, the horse neighed and shook his mane.
Laughing, Ella turned to find Leo standing on a boulder, watching her with a frown. Her laughter died. What had she done now to annoy him? Really, was the man constantly in a bad temper? Without a word, he turned away from her.
“Leo, what are we doing here?” She climbed onto the boulders that surrounded the waterfall.
“Can you not just be silent? Enjoy the lull of nature?”
She frowned. “Well, of course I can. It’s just that silence was unusual at Lady Buckley’s. I wasn’t ever really alone, and there was always some child asking questions…” She trailed off when he turned and looked at her with his brow raised in obvious exasperation.
A sudden wash of melancholy made her sink to a rock. Sitting with her knees drawn to her chest, she stared into the water. What were the children doing now? Did they miss her? Would anyone else search through book after book until she found the answer to some outlandish question? Would anyone else show the patience she had with their many questions? Lady Buckley’s eldest daughter was an obnoxious twit, but the younger girls were quite kind.
Leo sat beside her and removed one of his