The wind whipped at the trees and the sky was an odd shade of green as Charlotte tucked her knees beneath her on the window seat and gazed outside.
Good thing she hadn’t snuck out to Cleremont today after all – this storm looked to be a bad one and she’d have been caught out in the fields on her way home and soaked through to the skin.
A smile curved her lips as she lost herself in imaginings. Perhaps Ciaran would’ve seen her, walking alone across the fields in the rain, and come to her rescue. She saw him swing her up into his arms and carry her off, just like he did with his leading ladies in films, wet and shivering (but with her waterproof mascara and long-last lip gloss firmly in place, and looking, of course, luminously beautiful), back to his trailer. Then he’d lock the door behind them and throw her onto the bed and make wild, passionate, Heathcliff-and-Cathy worthy love to her.
And she’d no longer be a bothersome virgin.
There was a knock on the door. ‘I’ve brought tea,’ her father announced as he came in and set the tray down on her desk.
‘Oh. Thanks, Daddy.’
His glance went to the window. ‘Looks like a corker of a storm brewing out there. I do hope my roses survive the winds.’ He frowned as the rain began pelting down outside. ‘Is your sister back yet?’
‘Lizzy?’ She turned away with a shrug. ‘No, I don’t think so. At least, I haven’t seen her. Where did she go?’
‘Riding, with Hugh and Holly, to Rosings.’
‘Oh! That’s not good. But I’m sure she’ll be home any minute.’
‘I hope so.’ Still frowning, Mr Bennet went to stand beside her and stared out apprehensively. ‘This is the sort of unpredictable weather that makes horses nervous. I do hope she and the others return soon.’
***
Holly, Hugh and Lizzy hadn’t ridden far, perhaps two miles, when the wind began to whip at the trees and the sky turned a peculiar shade of green. The rain held off until they reached the edge of the property. It pelted down, soaking them to the skin within seconds.
‘We should turn around and go back to Rosings,’ Hugh called out. ‘The horses are frightened. We’ll never make it back to Cleremont in time.’
The bay hunter shied uneasily beneath Holly, and she gripped the reins more tightly. She was terrified of lightning. ‘Can’t we just wait here under this tree until the storm ends?’
‘It’s not safe,’ Hugh said. ‘Waiting under a tree is the absolute worst thing one can do…’
He’d barely finished speaking when a jagged bolt of lightning streaked across the sky just to the left of them, hitting an alder tree with an earsplitting crack barely fifty yards away. Thor, already terrified, let out a whinny of fear and reared back on his hind legs; the minute his forelegs hit the ground, he bolted.
Holly barely heard Hugh’s and Lizzy’s shouts behind her, so focused was she on clutching the hunter’s mane and keeping her seat as Thor pelted across the field, his hooves eating up the ground with dizzying speed as he galloped towards Cleremont.
She whimpered and held on as tightly as she could, oblivious to the sting of the rain against her face or the wind whipping her hair; nothing mattered but keeping a grip on Thor’s mane and staying in the saddle and away from those churning hooves.
‘Holly!’ Hugh shouted. ‘Look out!’
They were fast approaching a hedgerow, uncut and grown impossibly tall. She knew in an instant Thor would never manage to clear it.
Holly pulled back on the reins as hard as she could, but it was too late. Thor skidded on the muddy ground and slid to a stop, but not before flinging her forward and sending her sailing out of the saddle and into the air.
***
Holly opened her eyes a few minutes later and became aware of voices and faces above her.
‘Holly! My God – are you all right?’
Hugh knelt beside her. His face, wet and pale with concern, loomed over her. ‘You were unconscious for a couple of minutes.’
‘I – I’m okay,’ she managed. ‘My ankle hurts, and I have a godawful headache, but otherwise I seem to be in one piece.’ Her arm, she realised, rested in a bramble patch.
‘Is your ankle broken?’
‘N – no. Just sprained, I think.’
‘Can you ride?’
She looked up at him doubtfully. ‘Maybe, if you help me up. But I’m not going anywhere near that beast again.’
‘Lizzy!’ Hugh called, and glanced over his shoulder as she rode nearer, holding the bay’s reins as well as Lady’s. ‘Take Thor back to Cleremont. I’ll ring our family doctor, and then I’m taking Holly back to Rosings.’ He pulled out his mobile phone and scrolled to a number.
Gingerly, Holly sat up. ‘There’s no need to call a doctor or make a fuss. I’m fine, really. Nothing broken, no harm done.’
‘You might have a concussion, or internal injuries,’ Hugh said, and his voice brooked no argument. ‘And I need to find out if it’s all right to move you before we leave.’
Elizabeth nodded. Her face was pale. ‘Hugh’s right. Stay put and let’s wait and see what the doctor says.’
‘Oh, very well,’ Holly grumbled.
‘I should never have insisted that you ride Thor,’ Lizzy said in a low voice as Hugh spoke with the doctor. Her eyes were dark with guilt. ‘I shouldn’t have challenged you to a race, either. This is my bloody fault, all of it.’
‘Of course it’s not your fault,’ Holly reassured her. ‘If not for that lightning strike, we’d have all been home by now. It was a – what do you call it?’
‘An act of God,’ Lizzy supplied grimly. ‘I ought to know, with a former vicar for a father.’
‘Doctor Greene says I can take you back to Rosings,’ Hugh told Holly as he rang off, ‘if we take it slowly. He’ll meet us there.’
‘Well, I’m not mad about going back there, but I’m for anything that gets me up off this muddy ground,’ she agreed.
He knelt and gathered her up into his arms. ‘We’ll get that ankle looked at properly.’
‘I do wish I didn’t have to go back there,’ Holly sighed as she wove her fingers together behind his neck and met his eyes. ‘Lady de Byrne doesn’t like me.’
‘That’s nonsense; she barely knows you,’ he scoffed. ‘Georgina may be difficult, but she’s not heartless. You’re hurt. She won’t turn you away. You can stay with her until your ankle’s healed.’
‘I’d much rather go home,’ Holly protested. ‘I can’t bear the thought of all of that… that rose-coloured pinkness. It’s like sitting inside a seashell.’
‘Without even the sound of the sea to recommend it,’ Lizzy agreed. ‘Or the sand. Or any of the fun, for that matter,’ she added, and grinned.
‘You’re not helping,’ Holly retorted.
‘Litchfield Manor is too far to ride in your present condition,’ Darcy said. ‘We’ll meet Doctor Greene at Rosings and see what he says.’ Darcy swung himself up into the saddle. He instructed her to put her good foot in the stirrup, then reached down to help her up, settling her sideways before him, with her injured foot stuck out at an awkward angle. ‘You’ll be home by tomorrow, I’ve no doubt.’
‘I’ll come, too, and I’ll bring Harry, and Emma and Charlotte,’ Lizzy offered. ‘We’ll have a regular old knees up.’
‘I doubt that Lady de Byrne will allow any sort of fun to take place on her premises,’ Holly said.
‘Rosings is hardly All Bar One,’ Lizzy agreed. ‘But with all of us round to entertain you? At least you won’t be bored.’
‘Harry won’t want to entertain me,’ Holly said. ‘Besides, he’s getting ready for the regatta on Saturday. He’ll be far too busy to bother with me.’
‘He’ll be at Rosings tomorrow or he’ll have me to answer to.’ Lizzy’s words were firm. ‘I’ll make sure of it.’
The thought of Harry’s ginger hair and his wide, easy smile cheered Holly, and she nodded. ‘I’d like that. Thanks.’
‘All right, then, we’re off,’ Hugh told Lizzy. ‘Thor should be okay. Just take it slowly going back.’
She nodded. ‘We’ll be fine, won’t we, boy?’ She turned Lady around and the bay followed obediently. ‘I’ll see you later,’ she told Hugh. ‘And I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she promised Holly, and left.
Hugh’s arms, warm and strong, encircled his fiancée as he took up the reins. ‘I promise we won’t go above a walk. If you feel any discomfort at all, you’re to stop me. Are you ready?’
She nodded and settled back against him. ‘As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.’
And with a click of his teeth and a gentle prod of his booted heels, the sorrel lumbered forward, and they made their way back across the rain-soaked fields, to Rosings.
***
‘There you are, at last!’ Emma exclaimed as Lizzy turned up, wet and bedraggled, at the kitchen door. ‘It’s time for tea. I just this minute took out a batch of banana muffins.’
‘Ooh, that sounds lovely. No scones?’ Lizzy asked as she tugged off her muddied boots.
‘No, Daddy’s been far too worried – about you, I might add – to do any baking. Said he couldn’t possibly concentrate with you out there in such bad weather.’ She fetched a plate and a cup for her sister and glanced over her shoulder. ‘Are you all right, by the way? What on earth happened?’
‘I’m fine. I went riding with Hugh and Holly, and we decided to go to Rosings and visit the old dragon – sorry, I meant Lady de Byrne,’ she amended. ‘We were coming back when a storm blew in. It came up really fast and scared Thor half to death.’ She paused as Emma handed her a plated muffin and a cup of tea. ‘Lightning struck nearby, and he bolted, and poor Holly hung on as long as she could, until he threw her.’
‘Oh, my God! Is she all right?’
Lizzy nodded and lowered her eyes to take a sip of tea, as much because she needed the warmth as to avoid her older sister’s gaze. They both knew how seriously a thrown rider could be hurt.
‘What was she doing, riding that beast? He’s difficult enough to handle when he’s calm, much less when he’s skittish.’
‘It was my fault,’ Lizzy admitted, and set her cup down on the saucer with a muted clink. ‘She didn’t want to ride him, but I told her she’d be fine, to just be firm and let him know she was in charge. And she would’ve been fine,’ she added glumly. ‘If not for that bloody storm.’
‘Shame on you, Lizzy,’ Emma said sharply. ‘She might’ve been really hurt! I can’t believe you’d do something so foolish.’
‘Who’s done something foolish?’ Mr Bennet asked as he came into the kitchen, trailed by Charlotte. ‘Oh, Lizzy – you’re back! Thank goodness. I was terribly worried. Did everyone else get back home safely?’ he asked as he enveloped her in a brief but fierce hug.
‘Everyone but Holly,’ Emma said, and lifted her brow as she turned away to pour his tea. ‘Lizzy says Holly’s sprained her ankle and Hugh’s insisting she stay the night at Rosings with Lady de Byrne.’
‘What? Lizzy, is that true?’ Mr Bennet asked as he released her.
She nodded, her expression miserable as she sank back down in her chair. ‘Yes. I suggested Holly should ride Thor on the way back, and when lightning struck nearby on the way home he panicked, and bolted. Holly was thrown, and it’s all my f – fault.’ Her throat thickened.
‘That was very reckless of you,’ her father agreed, and shook his head in disapproval as he sat down at the table across from her. ‘She might have been badly injured.’
Chastened, Lizzy nodded once again. ‘I know. I feel wretched. It was incredibly stupid of me.’
A sudden thought occurred to Mr Bennet, and his frown deepened. ‘You didn’t… you didn’t act out of spite, did you? You didn’t insist that Holly ride that horse on purpose, because she’s engaged to Hugh Darcy and you’re not…?’
Lizzy looked up. ‘No, of course not! How can you even think such a thing?’
‘I felt I had to ask. I’m relieved to hear that your actions were only reckless, and not malicious.’
‘How nice to see someone else in this family getting in trouble besides me,’ Charlotte observed with satisfaction, and took a muffin from the basket Emma set out on the table. She took a greedy bite. ‘Will you ground Lizzy, too, Daddy?’
‘No, I will not.’ He turned to Lizzy and added, ‘But you’re not to go to the regatta on Saturday. You’ll stay behind at St Marks’s and help me with the church fête instead.’
She looked at him in dismay. ‘But Daddy…’
‘It’s not negotiable.’
‘But I promised Holly we’d all go and visit her at Rosings tomorrow – Charli, too, if that’s all right. Might I still go? She’s looking forward to it.’
‘I think that’s a wonderful idea,’ he agreed. ‘Yes, you can go.’
Charlotte scowled. ‘It’s not fair that Lizzy’s only punishment is to miss the regatta on Saturday,’ she objected. ‘While I’m grounded for the entire summer!’
‘I think, under the circumstances,’ Mr Bennet observed mildly, ‘going to Rosings twice in one week is punishment enough.’
***
If Banks was surprised to see Hugh and Holly standing once again on Rosings’ doorstep in such a wet and bedraggled state, he gave no sign. ‘Please, come in. I’ll let Lady de Byrne know you’re here.’
‘Thank you, Banks. Please tell her that Miss James has had a riding accident and injured her ankle.’
As the butler nodded and made his way upstairs, Hugh led Holly to a bench – miraculously upholstered in faded green velvet, she noted, not pink – and eased her down onto the seat.
‘How is your ankle feeling?’
‘It’s throbbing,’ she said. ‘I must look a mess. If your godmother didn’t approve of me before, she certainly won’t now.’
The doorbell went again, and since Banks had not returned, Hugh went to open it. ‘Ah, Dr Greene. Please come in. Lady de Byrne should be down shortly.’
The doctor, a tall, thin man with a pleasant face, shook hands with Hugh and glanced at Holly. ‘Is this my patient?’ he asked.
Hugh nodded. ‘My fiancée, Holly James. We were out riding, and she twisted her ankle. Her horse bolted during the storm and threw her.’
‘Well, Miss James,’ Dr Greene said as he knelt before her and set his bag down, ‘you’re very fortunate that you weren’t more seriously injured. Let’s have a look at you and assess the damage, shall we?’
As he commenced examining her, listening to her lungs through a stethoscope, questioning her about the fall, and inspecting her ankle, legs, and arms, Banks returned downstairs with Lady de Byrne.
‘I understand Miss James is injured,’ she said to Hugh as she approached them, her face creased in concern. ‘Are you all right, girl?’
Holly nodded, and wished she hadn’t. ‘I have a headache, and my ankle hurts, but other than that I’m fine.’
‘Well, you don’t look fine,’ she observed. ‘You’re as white as a church candle. How do you find her, doctor?’
‘Her ankle is sprained. She’ll need to soak the injured foot in warm water with Epsom salts for a few hours to reduce the swelling, and take paracetamol as needed for the pain. There’s no immediate sign of concussion,’ he added as he returned his stethoscope to the bag. ‘Nonetheless, I’d like you to stay put here at Rosings until the proper tests can be run, just to be sure.’ He smiled at Holly. ‘You’re a very lucky young lady.’
‘I don’t feel very lucky.’
‘I recommend a follow-up with your family physician and a thorough examination,’ Dr Greene said. ‘Stay here – and stay off a horse – at least through tomorrow, until we can be sure you’re not concussed.’
‘What happened?’ Lady de Byrne asked abruptly.
‘The storm frightened the horses on our way home, and Holly’s mount bolted and threw her,’ Hugh answered. ‘I thought it best to bring her here until her ankle – and the weather – improves. If, of course,’ he added, and raised his brow, ‘you have no objection.’
‘Certainly not.’ Lady de Byrne drew herself up in affront. ‘I may not have many houseguests these days, but Miss James is more than welcome to stay as long as need be. She’s your fiancée, after all.’
‘Thank you, Lady Georgina.’
She turned to Banks. ‘After you show the doctor out, please tell Mrs Jenkins to make up one of the guest rooms on the ground floor for Miss James.’
‘Right away, my lady,’ the butler said, and led the doctor back to the front door.
‘Well,’ Hugh’s godmother said, studying Holly with an unreadable expression, ‘it seems you and I will have a chance to get to know one another better, Miss James. I shall look forward to it.’
Holly managed a half-hearted smile. She only wished she could say the same.