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“GOOD MORNING, MY LORD. Good morning, Mermaid.”
“Good morning, Miss Shaw.” Lord Harrington smiled back.
She passed her hand along Mermaid’s neck as she made her way to Clover, who was ready and waiting.
Together they mounted and rode off, mutually deciding a run was called for. Ten minutes later, Mermaid slowed and waited for Clover and together they trotted through a meadow. For a few moments, there was silence, then Lord Harrington began to speak.
“I needed that gallop, I think.” He sighed, and she waited.
“Miss Shaw, I have reached a...crossroads in my life. One that will determine what sort of man I will be remembered as. His serious face gave her pause, but
her concerned look must have shown, for he gave her a dry smile. “I beg your pardon, Miss Shaw, I should not like to worry you.”
“I am not entirely sure I understand, and although I have no objections to hearing your thoughts, you may not wish to make some random guest your confidant.”
“I hope you are more than a random guest, Miss Shaw. I had hoped, in fact, that you might even be a friend.”
“Thank you, my lord, I am grateful for our friendship too.”
He smiled at that. “Then if you will allow me to ask you a question that is of a more serious nature?”
“Of course, my lord.”
“Someday, when you are old with grandchildren about you, what will you wish you had accomplished?”
She said nothing for a time, and he allowed her to think, the summer air already warming.
Finally she turned her head to face him. “I do not know what I will wish, but I can tell you what I hope for. You see, I am to come of age in October, and when I do, I will apply to my guardian for my inheritance. It is small and of little use as a dowry. It is, however, enough to keep me in comfort in perhaps a cottage.”
His face was a study in confusion. “And this is your plan for your future?”
“Yes, it is.” She gave a light laugh. “Although, I should most definitely enjoy owning an excellent pianoforte.”
He smiled and looked away. “Have you given no thought to marriage?”
“I...” She blushed. “I have not had that opportunity, thus far.”
“I beg your pardon, that was perhaps being too intrusive.”
Mermaid nickered, then blew on Clover, who touched his nose with her own.
“May I return the favor and ask what you are hoping to accomplish at this crossroads, my lord?” The horses continued to walk in tandem.
“Miss Shaw. I....”
Again she waited.
“Being in my position, I should like it to mean something. That perhaps I will have done some good with my life. That is why I cannot entirely accept Mr. Lawrence’s ideas so readily. I would hope I was capable of doing something solely for the benefit of others without recompense.” He sighed. “Should you care to gallop?”
Sensing he needed to be done with the conversation, Jane nodded.
They rounded a bend, where a puddle from last night’s rain still stood and as it was too late to change course, they both plowed through it. Laughing, they slowed to a walk and began to talk of simpler things. By the time they reached the stables, the earl was in a more cheerful state of mind despite his mud splattered clothing.
“Miss Shaw, I regret your lovely riding habit is covered in mud.”
She looked down and laughed again. “It is nothing. In fact, I am sure my excellent maid will be able to make it look good as new, especially since it is such a dark color.”
“Thank heavens for that, for it is the exact color for you.” His compliment made her blush, and she took his offered arm as he steered her toward the path by the hedges.
“You know, when I was younger I used to play hide and seek with my brother in these hedges for hours.”
She looked up at him, intrigued. “And who was best at hiding?”
“Oh, I was, by far. George was forever getting distracted by something else. I remember one day he was so frustrated with me, that he decided he was going to be very careful not to be found. You see, we had a rule you could change hiding spots if you wanted to, as long as you didn’t get caught.”
“How very intriguing.”
“Yes, Meg is forever changing spots. Or at least, she used to.”
“Did you find George that day?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Oh yes. You see, we made a wager of course.”
“Of course.” Her smile was dry.
His eyes smiled back as he continued. “I knew I could find him. In fact, I put a brand new paper boat made out of our father’s newspaper near his favorite hiding spot and went back to count.”
Jane protested. “But he was going to be careful and not get distracted!”
“I know, but in our wagers such underhandedness is allowed. At any rate, within moments I found him with the paper boat by the irrigation ditch seeing how fast it could go.” They laughed together. “Did you play such games when you were young, Miss Shaw?”
“Not often, for as I said I had no siblings to play with. There was a boy very like you in the village that I sometimes could talk into playing with me. He was forever trying to get me dirty, and I was forever scolding him for it.”
“I can see you doing just that.”
“Yes, I suppose I’ve always been rather serious.”
“And did he ever succeed?”
“Oh...yes.” Here she blushed.
“Come, you must tell me.” Lord Harrington’s face was alive now, and curious, and Jane had not the heart to disappoint him.
Lifting her hands in the air, she confessed; “He had told me there was a new lamb in Yeoman Ben’s cart if I wanted a look. I did, so he helped me climb in, and then pushed my leg up so that I fell into a huge pile of...manure.”
“Oh ho ho!”
“Yes, it was rather awful, but in hindsight very humorous.”
His arm pulled her closer as he teased. “It is comforting to know even someone as respectable as you has a story or two to embarrass.”
“Yes, but only a story or two, not dozens like some I know.” She smiled, looking at him sideways as he grinned back.
“We were very trying as children, I concede.”
“And as adults too, I’m told.”
“I assure you that once I finished at Cambridge, my wagers with George were much more...grown up.”
Her tone was accusing. “And is that why Simmons is still petrified at the thought of you two playing chess?”
He looked down at her smirk. “Fair enough. I didn’t realize you were so well informed.” He looked towards the house as a servant came running up to him.
“Beg pardon, my lord, but this just come for you.” Lord Harrington stopped and opened the note, frowning as he read.
“Thank you.” He tucked the note in his pocket and turned to bow to Jane. “I beg your pardon, Miss Shaw, but I have things to attend to.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you for an excellent ride this morning.” And with that he strode off toward a side entrance, following the harried servant.
Smiling in a way she knew was much too large to be fashionable, Jane, looked down, pulling off her gloves as she entered through the back gardens. Abruptly she ran into a soft cushion of.... “Miss Pratt! I do beg your pardon, I was not attending.” Jane stopped abruptly as she tried unsuccessfully to pass this obstacle.
“Did you enjoy a ride this morning, Miss Shaw?” Cynthia Pratt raised her eyebrows, her smile an afterthought.
“I...yes. I find a ride before breakfast to be an excellent start to the day.” Jane held her gloves in a grip.
“Of course.” Miss Pratt’s smile was now missing entirely. “I should love to join you. What time would you recommend I meet you at the stables?”
It was a command, and Jane found herself feeling a rebellious pull to bear false witness. Instead she answered softly while looking into the house. “Six.”
Miss Pratt looked at her in horror. “Six o’clock? In the morning?” Her mouth set as Jane met her eyes.
“Yes.” She grinned. “It is rather horrid, isn’t it?”
And without another word, Miss Pratt quit her, marching towards the hot house with offended determination.
Jane made her way to her room where she threw her gloves onto her bed and rang for her maid. Sarah appeared shortly and with the foresight born of years with her mistress, had brought a cup of chocolate.
“Oh Sarah, you are an angel.”
Sarah smiled at her, and began to help her undress. “Good morning to you too, miss, I cannot believe you rise that early.” She shook her head as she helped Jane out of her riding habit.
“Oh Sarah, it is...” She yawned, her jaw aching with it.
“And you’ve gone and ridden through mud.” Sarah shook her head. “I’ll let it dry and brush it out. It’s a good thing it’s a dark color, for I think it’ll be good as new for tomorrow.”
“I knew you could, thank you so much.” Jane finished with another yawn, and Sarah shook her head again.
“Miss Shaw, perhaps you ought to take a nap before breakfast?” She finished adjusting Jane’s hair and moved to take the riding habit down to launder.
“Yes, I will, only I must attend to something first.” Leaving her room once more, Jane hurried to the library and there opened the jade box, delighted to find a letter waiting. Back in her room, she laid on her bed to read it.
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DEAR MISS SHAW,
I have come into some information about today’s pairings for the games. It seems Lord Harrington has been given too much power, so we are all to pay the consequence. I hope you pay marked attention to the participants, for I am sure you will observe quite a lot and I am in anticipation of those observations.
I will also hope for your performance in the near future and will meanwhile be so bold as to continue to listen to your practices whenever I can.
Your friend