Page 12 of Hooked

“Yes,” Marilee answered. “And I believe she will be a quick study. Cecily.” She turned to address me. “Enjoy your time, and come find me when you’ve had enough for the day.”

Despite being taken aback by her abrupt departure, I sank into a curtsey without thought even as I stared wide-eyed at her retreating back. Why had she chosen Falstone to instruct me? Why not a groom?

“Are you ready?”

I turned back to Falstone and affixed a smile to my face. “Yes. I believe so.”

He gave me a friendly smile and I was grateful to see that at least he was not going to be sullen. I had no wish for him to be hurt over my words. I had simply been trying to employ as much honesty as I could manage.

He motioned his head toward the horse. “Come say hello so that Darling can know who she’ll be carrying.”

I latched on to the distraction and went to take the mare’s head in my hands, petting her long face and looking into her eyes as she snuffled my neck.

“Very good,” Falstone encouraged. He seemed a natural teacher, and it was good to see him at ease.

“I’m sorry Marilee is making you tutor me. I’m certain you have more important things to do.”

A chagrined smile curved his mouth. “I think the princess felt a need to find an occupation for me. That’s the funny thing about my profession. There are times when my presence is absolutely necessary, and times like this, when I am almost superfluous.” He focused once again on the horse. “Shall we get you up?”

“Yes,” I said, my heart fluttering with excitement as I stepped to the mare’s side.

Falstone clasped his hands together and bent to give me a leg up.

Instinct and memory took over, and before he could direct me in any way, I grabbed the pommel with one hand, pulled my skirts clear of my shoe with the other, and set my foot in his hands in anticipation of him boosting me up. Fortunately I remembered myself before going any further. If I had jumped straight into the side saddle, he would have been suspicious indeed.

“Very good,” he complimented. “Now you’ll want to jump with your right foot and push down on my hands with your left so that I can heft you up. Do you think you can do that?”

I certainly hoped so. “I’ll give it a try.”

There was a bit of a wobble, but I landed in the saddle without much fuss.

“You’ll need to hook your knee over the pommel and adjust until you feel steady,” Falstone prompted.

I did so, feeling my posture naturally straighten into the noble bearing I’d learned as a child when my father had patiently taught me. When I looked down it was to see Falstone’s intense gaze resting on me. Not in a suspicious way, but almost as though he were impressed.

“You sit a horse very naturally,” he complimented.

I held his gaze for a moment more, then looked away, not wanting him to see the lies on my face. “Thank you.”

“Have you had an opportunity to ride before?”

I wanted to say yes, make up an excuse so that I could ride without holding back at all. But what plausible excuse could I come up with? As far as Falstone knew, I had been nothing but an above-stairs maid before Lord Rockwell died. I could conceive of no reason that I would have been afforded that experience if I had grown up as a commoner. I suppose I could have told him the truth, that I had been born into the noble class. But soon after my arrival at Bridgefield, Beatrice and I had agreed I should keep that to myself. Damian’s servants tended to either envy or resent me when they heard.

“No, of course not,” I said, but I could tell by the lift of his brow that he had noticed my hesitance.

He looked at me and I tried not to squirm, but he said nothing, instead taking the reins of my horse and leading her out into the yard. Another horse awaited us there and Falstone mounted in a way that could only be described as graceful.

“Let’s go ahead and nudge our mounts forward.”

I did so, feeling just a little stiff as the horse moved beneath me.

“Now pull back on the reins so that you can get a feel for how to make her stop.” He walked me through several other instructions and I appreciated the reminders.

“We’ll simply walk for a while today. Maybe try a trot after you’ve gotten a feel for it.”

I didn’t want to trot. I wanted to push this beautiful mare to a full gallop, to see what she could really do. But even if Falstone hadn’t already been watching me with suspicion, I knew I wasn’t ready for that yet. It had been a full nine years since I had sat a mount. And riding out pell-mell on my first time back in the saddle would be folly. So instead I settled in for a sedate walk.

The relief and freedom that I felt atop this lovely mare took me by surprise. I had known I would enjoy it; that was no surprise. But I hadn’t known that I would feel set free, my spirit lightened—it was a most welcome surprise.