by Leenie Brown
Then, there was the possible presence of Mr. Camden. He owned Damon and could come to Silverthorne at any time to see how his possession fared. She shuddered to think what he might do if he decided that Damon was not progressing as needed or looked anything less than perfect. The world outside her home – the gardens, the stables, the rolling fields, and stands of trees were no longer sanctuaries of peace. Danger lurked within them.
Added to all that, was the knowledge that she would have to part with her horse. It only remained to be seen whether she would have to part with her father or the precious gift he had given her first.
All in all, her nerves were tattered and torn at best.
“At the risk of making you more uneasy…”
She looked at Mr. Eldridge expectantly. He seemed a trifle flustered.
“You cannot ride as you are if we are to train this fellow properly.”
“What is wrong with the way I am riding?”
“It is not how he will be ridden in a race. He must grow accustomed to being ridden astride.”
“I have no other clothes or saddle, Mr. Eldridge.” He could not mean for her to use her current saddle and ride so. It was neither seemly nor safe.
“As always, my sister is prepared for that.” He smiled at her and shrugged, perhaps a bit sheepishly. “She is nearly always prepared for any eventuality. It is one of her great talents – as annoying as it might be at times.”
“What do you mean, she is prepared?”
“We have brought a saddle from Mansfield and some clothing – breeches, a shirt, and a jacket. Your own footwear will have to suffice. Faith was not sure about the size of your foot.”
But she was certain of the size of the rest of her? Addie closed her mouth which had dropped open. She was uncertain as to how she should respond to such a thing. She was not opposed to riding astride, but the thought of wearing breeches while in company and not just on her own was… well… it was not precisely proper. Of course, riding astride in her riding habit would not be all that much more proper. Which brought her to the most pressing problem with the whole scheme.
“Where am I to change?” One did not take off her clothes and put on a new set in the middle of a field, and to ride home and return seemed a foolish waste of time.
“Among the trees over there.” He moved his horse a step closer to her as they drew near the group who had accompanied him. “Faith is also wearing breeches as a show of support. She did not wish you to feel too out of place.” His tone was gentle and soothing. “It is not the first time she has dressed so.”
“Truly?” Addie could not believe that a lady as beautiful and refined as Miss Eldridge appeared to be would even consider wearing breeches.
“It made it less conspicuous for her to visit the stockbroker.”
Addie once again had to close her mouth which had insisted on popping open. A stockbroker?
“Faith,” Mr. Eldridge called.
“I believe Miss Atwood could use your assistance in changing her costume while Bertram and I switch Damon’s saddle.” He had slid from his horse and was standing ready to help Addie dismount from hers.
He was being a trifle demanding, but at present, she did not mind so very much as her brain was not functioning as it should. Her mind was still attempting to wrap itself around her need to change and the fact that Miss Eldridge had visited a stockbroker while dressed in breeches.
Therefore, she allowed him to help her from her horse without a word of protest, which, as it turned out, had been an excellent choice.
Goodness! He was stronger than his lean body suggested. But then, if he worked with horses, he would have to be strong, would he not? She nearly sighed. He could help her from her horse anytime he liked. Standing this close to him was sending a skittering of delight up her spine and warming her from the inside out. She briefly considered climbing back up onto her horse just to have him lift her down again.
“My brother should have mentioned this yesterday.” Miss Eldridge gave her brother a sharp look, and he stepped away from Addie. “However, I will forgive him of the oversight, seeing how Mr. Camden had taken him by surprise and all.” She wrapped an arm around Addie’s. “Miss Price is waiting for us. She assures me that she thinks the clothing will fit, and we have created a screen with a couple of sheets.”
Mr. Eldridge was not wrong. His sister seemed to be prepared for everything. It was delightful to meet a lady with such a good mind. It made Addie feel a lot less odd than she normally did when surrounded by other females who seemed only capable of discussing stitching and the weather with an occasional comment about books or music thrown in to keep things interesting.
“Your brother told me that you visited a stockbroker,” Addie said as she slipped the breeches up her legs while still wearing her dress. There might be a screen, but there was also a breeze causing the bottom of that screen to flutter.
Faith laughed lightly. “I assure you that it was done as discreetly as possible, but I am fascinated by numbers and how properly investing one’s funds can grow one’s worth.”
“I can understand that.” Addie stood waiting for Susan to help her unfasten her dress.
“Oh, Addie is very good with numbers,” Susan assured Miss Eldridge.
“I did not wear my stays,” Addie whispered as her dress slid to the ground and she stood in her stockings, breeches which fit a bit snugly but not unbearably so, and her chemise. Bending forward to urge Damon to run faster was done more easily when unencumbered by stays.
“I thought you might not have,” Faith said with a grin. “I have a short chemise to go under your shirt and then, we must just make certain your jacket is buttoned where it needs to be.”
And they did. Addie was cleverly stuffed into the rest of her costume and declared perfect within moments. However, she was not certain how perfect she was. The jacket was not buttoning across her chest as easily as the one Faith wore. She pulled at the front of it, attempting to make the material not pucker.
“I will have to find a bigger size for tomorrow,” Miss Eldridge whispered. “My brother likely has one with which he can part – unless, of course, you prefer to bind your breasts. I am not as blessed in that area as you are.”
“These are your clothes?” Addie asked in surprise.
Miss Eldridge nodded. “I like to ride unhindered by yards of material at times.”
“I used to ride in breeches, but then I turned twelve, and my father would not hear of it.”
“My brother would rather that I did not,” Miss Eldridge said with a laugh. “However, I can be rather stubborn, and he is more generous with me than he should be.”
“He seems very amiable.”
“Oh, he is.” Miss Eldridge grasped one of Susan’s arms and one of Addie’s as they exited from behind their screen. “Do not tell him I said so, but while he is friendly to all, that does not mean he is capricious, for he is also a most loyal friend.”
“Why should we not tell him?” Susan asked before Addie could.
“I do not wish for the praise to go to his head,” Miss Eldridge replied, “especially since I am not finished scolding him for leaving Mr. Bertram when he was injured. Therefore, if I were to say he is a great friend while at the same time accusing him of deserting his friend, well, that just would not do.”
Addie chuckled. “Have you always had such a good relationship?”
“Oh, we argue constantly,” Miss Eldridge replied.
“But not to the point of injury,” Susan replied. “He cares a great deal for you.”
“And I for him, but he needs to be pushed at times. My mother made me promise to see him well-settled so that he would not idle away either his time or his estate. He has made great strides in improving himself, which is why I wish to be able to continue to remind him of his failure as needed.” She lowered her voice. “Never to his harm as you said, Susan, but just to remind him of his desire to improve.”
That seemed a reasonable thing to Addie
. She would likely remind James of their current situation in the future to keep him from finding himself in such a precarious position as he now did. It would be irresponsible really to do otherwise, would it not?
“Now,” Miss Eldridge continued with a chuckle, “shall we see if my brother can remember how to train a horse when presented with you in breeches. He was rather taken with you the first time he saw you ride, and you are looking quite delectable.”
“Oh, that will not do!” Addie’s cheeks burned. “This is too improper. We have only two weeks to do what needs to be done. I can ride astride in a dress.”
“No,” Miss Eldridge protested, “the material will get in the way. I should not have teased.”
“What do you think, Susan? Do I do as Miss Eldridge says or put my dress back on?”
Susan did not even take a moment to think before answering. “You cannot. You must do what is best for Mr. Eldridge. He cannot lose his horse.”
Leave it to Susan to bring things back into focus. They were attempting to save Mr. Eldridge’s horse or his thousand pounds. She needed to remember that.
“Please, call me Faith,” Miss Eldridge said to both Susan and Addie.
Addie looked down at her attire. Whatever discomfort she felt must come second to what needed to be done for Mr. Eldridge, but… “Are you certain?” she asked Susan, who nodded.
“Is her horse ready?” Faith called to Tom and Mr. Eldridge.
“Ye—” Mr. Eldridge did not form the full word as he turned and saw Addie.
“As I said, you look perfect,” Faith whispered.
“Then, help her up,” she commanded her brother, who did as instructed with only a few stumbles while Tom looked excessively amused.
Addie sat atop her horse and waited for Mr. Eldridge to mount his.
“Oh!” she cried upon seeing Stuart approaching on Pythias. “I nearly forgot in all the changes that needed to be made.”
Tom, Faith, Susan, and Mr. Eldridge turned toward her.
She smiled. “Damon might not be Silverthorne’s best.” She waved her hand in Stuart’s direction. “Meet Pythias.”
Chapter 8
His mind had turned to gruel. It must have. Miss Atwood’s charms had stolen his senses. That was the only thing it could be, for surely, she was not telling him that he had convinced Camden to take the wrong horse. He turned to mount his horse.
“What do you mean Damon might not be the best?” Tom asked.
So, Robert had not misheard Miss Atwood.
“Camden will not be pleased to be taken for a fool,” Tom continued.
“He has not been,” Miss Atwood replied.
“If you told him that Damon was the best and then there is another which is better, how could he not come to that conclusion?” Tom questioned.
Robert nodded. His mind would have formed those very words had it been at liberty to form any words at all. Did she have to look so enticing in her breeches and jacket? He had known it was a possibility – Tom had warned him it was — but he had not been prepared for the reality of just how alluring she would be.
Miss Atwood tipped her head and huffed as one eyebrow rose. “If you would allow me to continue.”
Tom waved his hand for her to proceed.
“Stuart.”
“Yes, miss.” Stuart looked uneasily between his mistress and Tom.
“In your opinion which horse is the next in quality to Damon?”
“Pythias, miss,” the groom answered. “As I told you.”
Miss Atwood smiled at him. “I have not forgotten. I just needed Mr. Bertram to hear it.”
The groom gave a nod and cast a sidelong look in Tom’s direction.
“Can you tell Mr. Bertram why Pythias was not among the horses shown to Mr. Camden yesterday?”
“You said he was not ready, miss.”
“And why was he not ready?”
“He’s only just learned to accept a saddle and rider.”
Addie nodded and, after a word of thanks to Stuart, turned to Tom. “Pythias is a stallion, not a gelding. Therefore, he would be of far greater value to Mr. Camden than Damon. If Pythias can win a race or two, his worth as a sire would be great.”
“Does that not make our position even more precarious?” Faith asked.
Miss Atwood shook her head. “No, it puts us in a more favourable light.”
“How?” Robert finally managed to get a word from his brain to his mouth.
“Well, Mr. Eldridge, while training Damon against your horse, as well as some from Silverthorne’s stables, it was discovered that Pythias shows great promise. Until this time, he has been untried, but as soon as we recognized his potential, we thought it our duty to inform Mr. Camden of our discovery should he wish to alter his former decision. After all, as I understood it, Mr. Camden was somewhat disappointed that Damon was a gelding. However, should he not wish to take Pythias in Damon’s stead, he must know that a formidable challenger will be added to the race under Silverthorne’s name.”
Robert shook his head. “He’ll not allow you to race against him.”
She opened her mouth to protest.
“You heard what he said to me,” Robert added. “And you know why I am training Damon.”
“Because you do not wish to part with your horse.” She skewered him with a pointed look. “Which, as you might imagine, I can understand.”
Her words hit their mark. He couldn’t just dismiss her plan and her hopes to retain Damon out of hand. “What do you think, Bertram?”
Tom shrugged. “Camden is a slippery fellow. He’ll likely find a way to end up with Damon, Pythias, and Hugo.”
“But he only gets Hugo if Mr. Eldridge and Damon do not win,” Miss Atwood inserted.
“We will win,” Robert assured her.
“Not if Pythias proves as good as he might be.”
“We should consult James,” Miss Price inserted with a timid smile for her friend.
Miss Atwood’s eyes narrowed. “It is a good plan.”
“I did not say it was not,” Miss Price countered.
“Shall we test Pythias?” Robert asked before anything further could be said. Had Miss Atwood not told him earlier that she was on edge? There was no point in arguing the validity of this scheme at present, especially when he had no idea just how good the young stallion Pythias was.
Miss Atwood nodded silently, and Robert maneuvered Hugo a step closer to her.
“If we can save your horse, we will,” he whispered. “But give us time to consider it.”
Her lips trembled, and she pressed them together.
“Are you confident enough to run Pythias against us?” Robert asked Stuart. “If not, we can change horses.”
“I think I can do it,” Stuart replied.
“Pull up if you feel he is going to cause issues.”
“Yes, sir.”
He looked at Miss Atwood, lovely Miss Atwood, resplendent in her blue jacket as she sat atop her horse and valiantly overcoming her emotions, and tipped his head. “Are you ready?”
She nodded.
“Standing is allowed and encouraged in this race.” The comment brought a smile to her lips as it was meant to do.
“No wager this time?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I must keep an eye on how your horse is running.” He moved to take his place in line next to where Stuart was. “I wish to know his movements before I ride him.”
“Make sure you are watching her horse,” Tom whispered before cuffing his shoulder.
As much as he wished to tell his friend that that would not be an issue, he could not, for Robert knew that keeping his attention on the horse Miss Atwood was riding and not Miss Atwood was going to pose a struggle.
However, to his surprise, he did not find it to be as great a struggle to keep his eyes off Miss Atwood as expected. Instead, his attention was arrested by something else entirely. Pythias was good, excessively good.
When the race was over, he circled Pyt
hias, eyeing him carefully. He was a beauty. “It would be a risk,” he muttered. “A definite gamble,” he added with a shake of his head.
If it were him, he would keep this fellow under wraps for another year and then race him. The proceeds from his offspring would be good. However, this was not his horse. It was Silverthorne’s, and there were inducements that money could not buy which pushed him to consider Miss Atwood’s plan. He knew that some horses – well, most to him – were more than commodities, more than a simple means of transportation, and more than a source of entertainment and a game of chance on a racecourse. They were trusted companions, and Miss Atwood was being forced to part with such a creature. This plan could possibly save her such heartache.
He looked her direction to discover she was watching him closely.
“You may be correct, Miss Atwood. Pythias is indeed a fine horse.”
Her smile reached from her lips to her eyes.
“However, it is too early to tell how good he is,” he cautioned. “It could be a stroke of luck. He might not be able to run in a group. His jumping might not be right.” Robert rubbed the back of his neck. “However, I think we should, at least, speak to your brother and consider the possibility. I should very much hate for Camden to discover you had a faster horse in your possession when he made the deal with your brother for Damon.” Especially since, it would be his neck, and not that of James Atwood, which would be at risk, for Camden had already warned Robert about appearing to be a cheat where choosing the best horse was concerned.
With that settled, they returned to exercising their animals. Two more races added proof to the potential contained in Pythias as he won one and came a close second in the other. Even if he were running Hugo at full speed instead of attempting to stay behind to watch the other horses — and Miss Atwood — Robert was not entirely certain he could successfully hold off the young stallion.
Finally, just before he was going to call their session over, Robert took Miss Atwood’s place on her horse, while she sat on his to watch the race. He did not wish to have her attempt to race on an unfamiliar horse. He had done it many times, but he doubted she had.