and pulled myself onto his bare back, something I could never do in London. But
this was Yorkshire, and I was mistress here. He twisted his head about to look
at me.
“Just you and me, Tempest. Let’s just walk about for a while, until you’re all
calm and happy again.”
And so we did. Tempest walked until he was bored, then cantered a bit. I didn’t
let him gallop all out. If there was still anger in him, I didn’t know if I
could control him. I guided him down to the stream and slid off his back. “I’ll
teach that lad what’s what, Tempest. He won’t ever jerk and pull on your reins
again. If he tries it, I’ll smash him into the ground. Then you can kick him. No,
you won’t have to get yourself upset anymore.”
I heard a laugh. Of course it was John.
When I turned, he was standing not six feet away, just walking around one of the
huge willow trees that hung over the stream. He was dressed in riding clothes, a
riding crop in his right hand. He looked big and dangerous, and instinctively,
without thought, I stepped back, bumping into Tempest, who merely butted me
gently with his big head.
The laugh fell off his face. He was wearing Hessians, polished to a mirror
finish, buckskin britches, a tan riding coat. I wouldn’t want to have him coming
up to me like this on a battlefield. I could easily see a sword in his hand. He
was very angry indeed. Well, what could I expect? I had taken his horse.
“What the hell have you done?”
Of course his anger at me wasn’t entirely because of Tempest. He was furious
because I had stepped away from him.
“Didn’t Rucker tell you that I merely took Tempest for a walk to calm him down?”
“I told you never to ride him. He could crush you under those hooves of his.”
Then he looked at Tempest and slapped his forehead with his palm. “Evidently
Rucker did not believe it important enough to tell me that you rode him bareback.
Are you mad, woman?”
“I don’t think so,” I said, “particularly since I changed my story about the old
woman so no one will believe I am another Caroline. I didn’t hurt your bloody
horse, and I didn’t hurt my bloody self, either. Now, how is your knife, John?
Safe and snug on its red velvet cushion?”
“Don’t,” he said, and walked to me. I wanted to swing up on Tempest’s back, but
I knew I wouldn’t make it. He couldn’t very well hurt me with Tempest playfully
hitting the back of my head every so often with his nose. “Damn you, don’t goad
me. It isn’t to your benefit.”
“Stop acting like a soldier in a battle facing an enemy. Listen to me. I don’t
deserve your anger. He would have crushed the stable lad if I had not taken the
reins from him. He is perfectly fine. He hasn’t a thought to hurt me.”
At that point Tempest began chewing on my hair.
John looked from his horse to me, and laughed again, something I knew he didn’t
want to do. “You deserve to be beaten,” he said, and began to detach a long
curly hunk of hair from his horse’s mouth. And because I didn’t have a brain in
my head, I said without hesitation, “Just who do you think would be stupid
enough to try that?”
He said slowly, looking down at me, “You barely come to my chin. It’s true you’re
strong, since you evidently pulled yourself up onto Tempest’s back?no mean feat
for a female. But that makes no difference at all. I could do anything I pleased
to you. Lower your arrogance, madam.” He stopped then, looking away from me, out
over the stream. He didn’t look back at me, just said low, violence in his voice,
“Damn you for being here. Oh, yes, I would be stupid enough to thrash you,” and
he grabbed me. Tempest whinnied, I dropped the reins and tried to pull free,
swamped with complete and utter terror. I must have looked suddenly different,