~ Six ~

 

 

FOUR RIDERS LEFT THE BUSY streets of London behind them and made their leisurely way to Dover Road.

Charles and Fitz were riding abreast at an even trot, with Letty and Bel bringing up the rear of the procession. A coach piled high with luggage and carrying one efficient valet had been dispatched earlier that morning and was well ahead of them.

Letty turned a radiant smile upon his lordship and raised her voice so he could hear her over the sound of the horses’ clopping and the winds gusting at them. “Oh, Bel, this is a prime blood you have acquired for me. Thank you, thank you.”

The viscount returned her smile, apparently well pleased with his purchase and the way his madcap sat the fine mare.

“You deserve a good steed. Proud of you, but mind now, it is a long ride, so don’t forget to go light on her mouth.”

“I…am…not…ham-handed, Bel!” the lady objected indignantly, making him roar with laughter.

“No, little one, you are not,” he said, and added, “the fact is not only do you have an excellent seat, but you have quiet hands.”

Letty felt the blush in her cheeks, and realized how much she enjoyed his compliments. They were rare, but when he gave her one, they were always satisfying.

She felt the cold wind bite at her cheeks, but it only served to invigorate her. The freedom of riding astride, and with her favorite people in all the world, filled her with contentment.

Belfort bent towards her and pulled up the scarf to her nose. “There…better.”

She blinked at him, but allowed him the kind gesture without complaint. With the beaver top hat she wore, and the collar of her greatcoat pulled up as well, she was quite comfortable.

Muffled behind the scarf, she shouted, “I am fine. Honestly.”

“Are you? Good girl,” Belfort told her.

“No, good lad…” she said, and laughed.

“Indeed, even completely outfitted as a boy, I find it hard to think of you as anything but Letty…a lovely maid,” he said almost absently.

Ruts, icy patches, and even some snow covered much of the road they traveled. In addition to that, there were still broken branches and debris from the storm they had to go around, making their travel slow. Icicles dripped in various shades in the sunlight, and all at once, Letty pulled down her scarf to tell him, “It is all so glorious, isn’t it?”

He smiled indulgently and said, “When seen through your eyes, yes, I suppose it is. Are you hungry?”

“Oh yes, Bel…I am always hungry,” she said, and giggled.

“We will be stopping at a posting house soon for rest and refreshment. You will like that,” he said. “We are making slower progress than I had anticipated, but…no matter.”

It seemed an age to Letty before the Red Dog Inn came into sight. She pulled up the scarf around her face again. The less anyone saw of her, the better.

“Good gir…lad,” he said.

Two stable boys came running forward to take charge of their horses as they dismounted in the courtyard.

Letty slipped off her horse, but felt her legs wobbly from the long ride. She hadn’t been on a horse in some months, and then only bareback to run an errand to their village and back. A strong arm caught hold of her elbow, steadying her, and she looked up into dark violet eyes.

“Thank you, Bel…so very much,” she whispered.

“Come on then, lad,” Bel said jovially and resonantly as he maneuvered her gently towards the inn door. “It’s a cup of hot broth you need to melt your frozen legs.”

She heard the stable lads snigger and one said, “Naught but a whipper-snapper, eh?” She blushed for the boy she was not!

Charles and Fitz had gone on ahead and ordered a private room, and Bel had only to lead Letty there, guarding her face all the while. She felt herself steered and placed in position at a large round oak table near a blazing fire.

Still too frozen to speak, she watched as Fitz was brought a metal bowl and the ingredients for a warm punch. Fascinated, she watched as he prepared the brew near the fire. Charles stood blocking the tavern keeper’s view of her as Belfort ordered the food. She scrunched up into her cloak, further hiding herself from detection.

Fitz put her at ease with his silly chatter. Charles kept her interest, educating her on the Parisians she would soon encounter, and Bel sighed to tell her, “I should not have allowed you to ride with us. You would have been far more comfortable in the coach.”

“Oh no, I would not,” she managed to say as her lips thawed, “and besides that, I love the cold. It makes one feel so alive.”

Fitz pushed a mug of the warm brew at her, and she took off her gloves and took it from him eagerly.

“Aye then, Letty m’girl. Just what you need,” Fitz told her as she put it to her lips.

She saw the affection on his face, and felt she might burst into tears from the emotion billowing within her heart. She loved him and Charles…friends, such friends, then she glanced at Bel, smiling at her.

“Go on, little one, it will do you good,” he said as she hesitated, afraid she might choke with her welling feelings if she tried to swallow the brew.

Again, she managed to overcome her exploding feelings and took a long gulp, finished it in two other long gulps, and handed the cup back to Fitz and said, “Wonderful, thank you.” A tear had managed to escape her eye and rolled down her cheek.

She brushed it away with haste, but not before Fitz regarded her with concern, then turned to Charles and whispered, “Whatever is the matter with the child?”

“Nothing is the matter with the child,” Belfort told him gently. “She is happy…to be with us.” He covered her hand with his and said, “Now, no more of that. It won’t do to have a fine strapping young lad blubbering. No,” he teased, “it won’t do.”

She grinned and then hiccupped, and Fitz exclaimed, “Dash it, Charles…the child has the hiccups. Only one thing to do—give her a scare.”

Charles laughed and shook his head, but a lad entered then with a tray of hot food steaming, and laid it out for them.

Bel served her a plate of various items and put a slice of bread on top of the lot. Letty looked at it and said, “I don’t know if I can eat all of that.”

“Try, little one, it will be a long day before we stop again,” Bel answered, and without meaning to, stroked her cheek.

Letty discovered an appetite and downed her entire meal, much to the rallying and teasing of her companions.

Too soon, Letty thought, they were all bundling up again and heading out for their horses. They had not gotten very far when Letty stopped her mare, threw her reins over to Charles, and rushed towards the ditch alongside the road.

“Hold up,” Charles called out to Fitz, as Bel had already dismounted to follow Letty.

In distressed cries and major cooing, Letty had already descended into the ditch and knelt to gather up a pup of no more than two months. It was nearly frozen, listless, and obviously starving. She gathered it to herself and put her cloak around it saying, “Poor little thing.” She was horrified that anyone could have abandoned the creature to the elements. As she held it close, it made a short yelp of pain, and Letty took off her glove to run a hand over its little dark yellow body. “Looks like a Spaniel mix.” Her hand then found a wound, though not serious, was covered with dried blood and must still be painful.

Belfort helped her and her ‘find’ out of the ditch and clucked his tongue. “Ah,” he said. “A bit of a problem.”

“What? What is a problem?” Fitz said, dismounting and leading his horse to discover the puppy, for which he expressed immediate sympathy.

Charles still on horseback said, “Hmmm.”

“It is hurt, and starving. I won’t…can’t abandon the poor thing,” Letty cried out. Remembering she had wrapped up an assortment of cheeses and breads in case they got hungry along the way, she dove into her inner cloak pocket and broke off a small chunk. The puppy chewed it hungrily and licked its lips.

All four of them voiced as one, “Awww.”

“Bravo!” Fitz said. “Brave young pup.”

“Please, Bel. I must save him. I can’t leave him,” Letty said. “I shall wrap him up and put him in my saddlebag. He’ll do…and I will continue to feed him and walk him when necessary. I will do it all. You needn’t be bothered.”

Bel petted the puppy’s head. “Give him another piece of cheese and let me think.”

“Oh, Bel…we can’t leave him,” she pursued as she fed the puppy some more food.

“He needs a bath. You will need to attend to that tonight if you keep him,” Belfort said quietly.

“With the greatest of pleasure,” she answered.

“She is right, you know,” Fitz stuck in. “Can’t leave the thing to die. Paltry thing to do. I’ll take turns with Letty…walk him and such.”

“And I,” Charles said.

“Of course, we can’t leave him to the elements, but this may be only a temporary solution. It could be that your Aunt Fanny will not want him in her house.”

“Nonsense,” Charles said brightly. “Loves animals, Fanny does, and if she doesn’t want him there, we can always house him in the stables.”

“That’s it!” Fitz exclaimed. “House or stables, but surely not a ditch!”

Belfort stared at his cousin a moment and chuckled. “No, surely not a ditch.” He then ordered, “Right then, we have wasted enough time. Up you go, little one.” He assisted her to her saddle, then took up her saddlebag.

“Wait…” Letty called as she removed her scarf. “Put this inside for him?”

“You will need your scarf!” he said, and stopped her from removing it and took his own, lined the saddlebag with it, and gently placed the pup inside. “When we stop for the night, we’ll bathe the pup and see to its wounds. There…he should do.”

“I shall call him Max, which means brave and courageous, which he is. Why, he cannot have been treated very well if his people just threw him away, and yet he trusted us immediately. Yes, Max will do, don’t you think?”

“Yes,” Fitz agreed. “Very apt, Letty. I quite agree. Our young Max.”

“Enough,” the viscount ordered. “Here, now give him to me. I shall hold him steady on my saddle with me.”

“No, oh no, Bel. I do so want to keep him with me,” Letty objected.

Belfort sighed. “Very well, but as soon as you weary…he comes to me.”

“Agreed,” Letty said softly, and cuddled the little face that peeped out of the leather satchel.

They stopped along the way to allow the pup to relieve himself, then began making remarkable time as the road improved.

They traveled into dark and stopped for the evening at a respectable inn, where Letty and her pup were ushered to their private dining room while a groom brought in their overnight portmanteaus.

Fitz took the puppy into the back courtyard and allowed him to again relieve himself before bringing him inside, where Belfort put a small platter of chicken down for him.

Max gobbled most of it down, then promptly fell asleep while Letty washed and tended his wound.

“I shall take him upstairs and give him a proper bath right after dinner. Do you think you could have two pitchers of hot water sent up…one for me as well?” Letty asked.

“And so it shall be done,” Bel teased. “Now finish your meal.”