Page 75 of An Alleged Rogue

“I feel a bit shaky all of a sudden.” That was no lie.

Her mother frowned. “Shall I call for Lucy?”

“She is probably already in my bedchamber, preparing the room for the night. I can make my own way there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Quite sure.”

The firmness of Phoebe’s reply must have had some effect because the lines on her mother’s brow eased.

“Very well. I shall make your excuses to the gentlemen.”

“Yes, please do.”

Phoebe maintained a sedate walk until she reached the hall, then she picked up her skirts and ran. She took the stairs faster than she’d ever taken them, arriving at her bedchamber in record time. Pushing open the door, she stumbled inside. Lucy was pulling down the covers of Phoebe’s bed and gave a squeal of fright.

“Mercy, Miss Hadford! You scared me half to death.”

“My cloak, Lucy!” she panted. “Quickly.”

Her maid ran to the wardrobe and pulled out Phoebe’s heavy traveling cloak. “If you’re goin’ out now, miss, you’ll be wantin’ this one.”

Phoebe tossed it over her shoulders, her fingers fumbling with the catch.

“If my mother should come asking after me, would you tell her that I am well and will see her in the morning?”

“Yes, miss,” Lucy said, her eyes wide.

“Bless you. God willing, I shall be back very soon.”

“Yes, miss,” Lucy repeated, and then Phoebe raced back out of the room.

She took the servants’ stairs, avoiding the main hall and Gresham standing guard at the front door. Slipping through the back door without being seen, she ran across the lawn to the yard and the stables. Darkness had fallen, but a faint light shone under the stable door. Phoebe pulled the door open and went inside. A young groom materialized from the shadows.

“Tom?”

“That’s right, miss.”

“I need you to saddle Aria as fast as you possibly can.”

He was gone almost before she finished speaking, and within seconds, he was leading Phoebe’s mare out of her stall.

“I’ll ’ave her ready for you in no time, miss.”

Phoebe watched, her anxiety mounting as the groom deftly saddled Aria and lifted a mounting block out from the corner. The challenge of riding sidesaddle in her evening gown was something she had not considered until now.

“I may need your help getting onto the saddle, Tom.”

The young groom eyed her voluminous skirts warily. “I reckon yer best bet is to mount like you normally do, miss. Let them petticoats take care of themselves.”

Phoebe could think of no viable alternative, so she stepped onto the block. Her skirts swished around her, and Aria shifted. Tom held the horse steady, and Phoebe reached for the pommel and pulled. Sheer desperation placed her in the saddle on her first try. As soon as her legs were situated, she took the reins.

“Will you be wantin’ a lantern, miss?”

“No, thank you, Tom. The moonlight will be sufficient.”

The clear skies of earlier today had continued into the night, and the moonlight had been bright enough to guide her safely from the house to the stables. She could only pray that it would be enough to show her the way to Dunsbourne Manor because she could not urge Aria into a gallop with a lantern swaying in her hand.