Richard rushed to assist, but only managed to frighten Rocky more, and then all hell broke loose. He kicked through the stall door and his hoof caught the soldier in his thigh. He started to rear, and Victoria was worried he might hit his head, so she slowly approached the stall and started to talk to him.
“Victoria, don’t get too close,” Richard warned.
“He won’t hurt me,” she said as she got closer to the stall. “Will you, Rocky? That’s a good boy. I’m here now. No one will harm you.” She made it to the partially intact stall door and Rocky calmed almost immediately. She put her palm out and Rocky took the sugar treat she’d hidden in her hand. “Shhh. That’s a good boy,” she crooned as she stroked his muzzle.
Unlatching the stall door, Richard reached for her. “Careful.”
Victoria eluded him and entered the small enclosure. “I’m fine. He just got scared. Didn’t you, boy? It’s okay now. We’re going to go for a ride. Does that sound good?”
Victoria slipped the bit in his mouth and the bridle over his ears. She fastened the chinstrap and then led him out into the barn.
“Well, I’ll be,” Richard said. “You are very unique.”
Victoria smiled. She knew that she would never give this horse up for any reason. She led him outside and let him calm down before attempting to saddle him.
Richard assisted the girls with the rest of their tack and then led each horse to the mounting block. Sophie was already mounted, so Emma went next in case Victoria needed a little more time, but Rocky stood perfectly still while Victoria got settled and then the girls took off toward the lake.
Growing up, Victoria didn’t have many friends who rode out of sheer joy. Several of the surrounding equestrian facilities bred champion horses, so there was always one to ride, but it was expected and rarely appreciated. Victoria on the other hand, always loved horses and she never took for granted the ability to run through an open field or jump a tall fence.
Riding with these two women was an entirely new experience for her. They both had a look of bliss as they flew over one of the fences and Sophie let out a holler of joy as they cleared it with many feet to spare. Victoria was excited to have others to share her passion with. She felt as though she’d been adopted into a very special family.
THEY ARRIVED AT the water and dismounted. Sophie had tied supplies to each of their saddles, so they gathered everything and secured the horses.
“Aren’t you going to tie Samson?” Victoria asked.
Sophie shook her head. “He hates it. But he won’t go anywhere. Even if he does, I’ll just need to whistle, and he’ll come back.” She did, however, loop the reigns behind the stirrups so that he wouldn’t trip over them. They were long enough that he would still be able to graze if he wanted to.
Victoria ran her palm along Rocky’s neck. “I wonder if I could do that with Rocky.”
“I’m sure you could.”
“I’ll work with him a bit over the next few weeks. It’ll be a good distraction for me, I think.”
Sophie nodded. “Good idea. Stephen also mentioned he’d love to have you help in the hospital if you’re up to it.”
Victoria nodded. “I’d be happy to help.”
“Oh! Rocky. I just got the reference,” Emma exclaimed. “It’s perfect, Victoria.”
She laughed. “I thought so.”
“Let’s just hope he doesn’t pull a Mister Ed,” Sophie said.
“Could you imagine, suddenly hearing ‘Yo, Adrienne!’?” Emma giggled.
So began a day filled with Rocky commentary and movie lines.
“Let’s swim!” Emma started to undress.
“In what exactly?” Victoria asked.
“Your skivvies!”
“I have my grannies on under my jeans,” Victoria whispered.
Sophie and Emma laughed. “It’s just us girls. We don’t care. We’re a bit in the same boat.”
When they all stripped down to their underwear, Victoria gasped. “Did you bring those here with you?” she asked, referring to the matching underwear.
“No, we had them made here. We designed them, and Madame worked wonders,” Sophie answered.
“Of course, with the pregnancy, my boobs are spilling out of this bra,” Emma complained.
“What I wouldn’t give for a decent bra,” Victoria said. “This one is old and comfortable, but on its last legs.”
Sophie and Emma looked at each other.
“Madame’s tomorrow?” Sophie asked.
“Madame’s tomorrow,” Emma responded.
“I don’t have any—”
“Oh, please!” Sophie interrupted. “We all have plenty of money and are happy to share.”
“Yes, we’ve all been blessed beyond reason.” Emma pushed her skirt from her hips. “Plus, we have inside trader knowledge about the railroad business. Might as well do something good with it.”
“Wow. Thank you both. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
“No you won’t.” Sophie shook her head. “We won’t let you.”
The girls threw their clothes into a pile and ran for the lake. Victoria squealed as she dipped her toe in. “It’s freezing!”
“Come on, chicken. Just jump in!” Sophie yelled from the water.
Emma was in waist high and Victoria watched Sophie submerge her head and come back up laughing. Emma finally went all the way in, so Victoria decided to jump. She came up out of the water with a shriek. “Holy hell, it’s cold!”
Sophie started laughing and splashed her as she swam past. Victoria chased her. “Oh, it’s on!”
The three of them tried to out-swim each other, but in the end, they were exhausted and freezing and decided to dry off. Victoria moved to the edge of the lake and started to wade out. “I hear hooves.”
“Get back in, Victoria,” Sophie said. “We’ll need to hide. Whoever it is might not be friendly.”
“I’m freezing!” Victoria complained. “Do I seriously need to get back in that water?”
“No, by all means, go on out there in your bra and grannies. Let’s see who it is.”
“Well, shit!” Victoria sank back into the cold water.
Sophie peeked her head around the rock they were hiding behind. “It’s Jamie,” she said with a sigh of relief and then swam into view and waved.
“What are you doing, Ten-Cow?” he asked as he dismounted his horse.
“Needlepoint,” she yelled back.
He laughed and gathered up a towel. “Come out of there quickly, please. We have company.”
“Emma and Victoria are with me, so you’ll need to turn your back.”
“That’s fine, baby, but let me help you and then you can help them.” Sophie waded out of the water and Jamie wrapped the towel around her. “You’re so sexy all wet like that, sweetheart.”
Victoria, beyond freezing, was relieved that Sophie donned her clothing quickly.
Jamie kissed Sophie and grinned. “Hurry home.”
After he mounted and took off for home, Sophie grabbed a towel and let the girls know it was safe to get out of the water. Victoria was shivering quite violently by the time she came out of the water and figured her lips must be blue. Emma didn’t fare much better.
“I’m a prune.” Emma pulled the towel tighter.
“Ugh, me too.” Victoria stared down at her hands. “My fingers are shriveled.”
Sophie helped Emma with her corset and then turned to assist Victoria. The girls dressed quickly and gathered their wet towels to take back to the house. Sophie whistled for Samson, who came trotting over to her. She quickly secured the towels, hiked up her skirts, and slipped her foot into the stirrup. She effortlessly mounted him and followed the girls to their horses.
Rocky whinnied for Victoria when he saw her coming and she sighed.
“Aw,” Sophie said. “You have a Samson on your hands.”
Victoria giggled and patted Rocky’s neck. They mounted and took off for home, once again jumping the fence
s on their way back. Since the day was so warm, they slowed to a walk earlier in order to cool the horses before they got back to the barn.
“So, is this how the rest of the summer will be?” Victoria asked.
“What? Blissful days of riding out to our natural pool and swimming until we’re blue?” Sophie joked.
Victoria nodded. “Something like that.”
“Absolutely!” Emma and Sophie replied in unison.
“What about the current affairs?” Victoria asked.
Sophie nodded toward a few of the scattered tents of soldiers who had set up on the edges of the property. “There’s not much happening in this area now. Mostly training, here and at Camp Curtain. We’ve been very lucky to find ourselves a little separated from the actual fighting. We still get a few wounded through the hospital, but nothing like we had during Gettysburg.” She lowered her voice and added, “Now that we have less than a year, we’ll probably find ourselves less and less impacted.”
“I just don’t understand how and why we’re here,” Victoria lamented.
Sophie flattened her lips into a thin line. “Madame will know.”
“Why would she know?”
Emma raised an eyebrow. “Did Hannah not tell you?”
Sophie sighed. “She’s been a little distracted, hasn’t she?”
Victoria nodded. “So have I. I meant to ask her, but I just keep forgetting to.”
“Well, Madame is the facilitator of the portal, so she’ll know why you’re here, and she has the power to send you back.”
“Seriously?” Victoria asked, her heart racing at Sophie’s words.
“Don’t worry, Victoria, we’ll sort it out tomorrow.”
Before Victoria could ask any further questions, they arrived back at the arena to find Jamie and Richard waiting for them.
“Who’s here, baby?” Sophie slid from Samson’s back into Jamie’s arms.
“Stephen and Christine, and Andrew and Gwen.”
“Are they going to stay for dinner?”
He grinned. “That’s the plan.”
Victoria put Rocky back in his stall and as she closed the door, she heard someone clear his throat. She turned to see a tall man with blond hair smiling at her. He was dressed in civilian clothing, so she deduced he wasn’t a soldier. “Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t realize anyone was in here.”
“Entirely my fault, ma’am.” He tipped his hat. “Are you staying with Mr. Madden?”
She shook her head. “Actually, I’m staying with the Fords. Do you work with Clayton or Richard?”
“Richard. Well, with the horses, actually.” He stretched his hand out in greeting. “My name is Bartholomew Grey. Feel free to call me Bart.”
She gave it a firm shake. “Nice to meet you. I’m Victoria Carrington.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” he said, and lifted her hand to his lips.
Victoria raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment as she slowly pulled her hand away. “Well, Mr. Grey, I must get back to the house. Have a nice day.”
“You too, Miss Carrington. I look forward to seeing you again.”
She nodded her head and walked out of the barn.
“What were you doing in there?” Sophie asked.
“I met a Mr. Grey. He’s working with the horses or something?”
“Yes, he’s new. We don’t know much about him, so Clayton’s watching him closely,” Emma whispered. “You never can be too careful.”
Victoria shrugged. “He seemed nice, I suppose.”
“Let’s get back to the house,” Sophie suggested.
The girls made their way home. They were still frozen and allowed the warmth of the day to thaw them out. Victoria checked on Hannah, who was dealing with cabin fever, but was otherwise fine, and then made her way back downstairs to greet their guests.
The evening was a nice distraction for Victoria, but by the time she fell into bed, she missed Quincy terribly and cried herself to sleep. Her dreams weren’t much better, and she woke the next day feeling sick to her stomach and headachy.
She decided to stay in bed for as long as she could and read, hoping she could kill some time. Sophie postponed their trip to the dressmaker, so Victoria was left alone for the entire day. Her biggest problem stemmed from thoughts of Quincy and the ache that followed. She missed him terribly. Just before dinner, Emma knocked on her door and handed her a note.
Victoria turned the missive over. “What’s this?”
“I don’t know. It was just delivered,” Emma said before she left her alone and Victoria opened the letter.
Missing me, Rebel? I certainly miss you, sweetheart. From the moment I wake in the morning I think of you, and when I lay my head down at night, I dream of you. I am making progress, so hope to be home in just a few weeks. I love you. Gus.
Victoria held the note to her heart and smiled through her tears. “Thanks, honey. Now, I miss you even more.”
Victoria decided to dress and make an appearance at dinner, unable to stay abed a minute longer. She found a deep blue gown that was short sleeved and off the shoulder. The neck was low cut, but not uncomfortably so. She climbed into her hoops and drew the skirt over her head and, once she fastened it, pulled the top on, relieved to see that it fastened in the front. By the time she arrived downstairs, there was a crowd gathered in the parlor. Including Hannah. “Hannah, what are you doing out of bed?” Victoria admonished as she took a seat next to her.
“I couldn’t stand it anymore.” Hannah sighed. “Christopher isn’t here to object, so I’m here.” Victoria narrowed her eyes, but Hannah grinned. “Don’t worry, I asked Stephen if I could at least get up for dinner, and he said it was okay.”
Victoria groaned. “You’re lucky you said that. I was about to tell Christopher on you.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“If you suddenly turned into an idiot and endangered yourself and your baby?” Victoria widened her eyes. “I most certainly would.”
Hannah chuckled and then patted her knee. “What are you doing down here? I thought you might hide.”
“Oh, I planned to, but Quinn sent me a note, and I knew if I didn’t come down, I’d throw myself a pity party for one.” Victoria let out a sigh. “I just want to hug his neck, you know?”
Hannah nodded. “I do know. Christopher sent me a love note as well... along with daisies.”
Victoria grinned. “Your favorite.”
Hannah nodded. “Yep. I love our Butlers. They’re such good value.”
Victoria smiled and stood. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Only if you can figure out the recipe to Orange Julius.”
Victoria cocked her head. “The obsession is still going on, I see.”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “The first step is to admit you have a problem, but now I wonder if I should put this down to pregnancy cravings.”
“No, addiction would be a better description, considering your two larges a day in school.”
Hannah covertly stuck her tongue out at Victoria.
Victoria chuckled. “Since I can’t offer Orange Julius, and you’re most definitely not allowed your single malt, how about some tea?”
“Yes, please, that would be great,” Hannah said.
“Now, if I could just figure out how to recreate a bona-fide Chicago pizza, I’d be in heaven.”
Hannah wrinkled her nose. “Never got your craving for pizza... or sweet tea.”
Victoria giggled. “Ah, sweet tea is magnificent. A southern necessity. I’m assuming you’ll be wanting hot tea.”
Hannah nodded. “Yes, please.”
“I’ll be right back.”
“Good evening, Miss Carrington.”
“My word, you startled me.” Victoria turned with a start. “Mr. Grey. Good evening. May I introduce, Hannah Butler?”
“Nice to meet you.” He crowded a little too close to Victoria as he addressed Hannah. “I’m sorry, is it Miss or Mrs.?”
“Christopher�
�s my husband,” Hannah said.
“I have met your husband. He’s a good man.”
Hannah nodded. “I think so.”
Bart glanced at Hannah. “Is he away?”
Victoria stepped aside... he followed.
Hannah sent Victoria a questionable glance and then focused on Bart again. “Yes, he and his brother had business to attend to in Washington. Victoria and I decided to stay with our family in the interim. They’ll be back shortly.”
“Dinner is served,” Daniel said from the doorway.
“May I escort you both?” Bart asked gallantly.
“Thank you,” they said in unison.
Hannah and Victoria each took an arm and walked into the dining room. Hannah was seated next to Emma and Victoria ended up next to Bart. Dinner was a crowded affair and Victoria couldn’t help but wonder why. She didn’t know everyone at the table, but luckily, Charity was seated to her left, so Victoria didn’t feel completely out of sorts.
“How are you surviving without Quincy?” Charity whispered.
Victoria wrinkled her nose. “Pathetically.”
“I can imagine. I never like being separated from Richard.”
“Miss Carrington, I noticed you riding the large stallion,” Bart interrupted.
She turned to face him, a pasted smile on her face. “Yes.”
“I understand he’s quite the handful.”
“Oh?” Irritation reared, she didn’t know why.
“Yes, apparently the grooms have a difficult time with him.”
Victoria smoothed her hands over her napkin. “Well, I think if that happens in the future, someone should find me.”
Bart frowned. “Why would they find you, ma’am?”
“He’s my horse.”
Bart seemed surprised as he lowered his fork. “He’s your horse?”
Victoria nodded. “Yes.”
“How is it that a woman is able to attend him?”
Did he just say that out loud?
Victoria narrowed her eyes. “I couldn’t begin to guess, Mr. Grey.”
“Please, call me Bart.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think that would be entirely appropriate.”
The Rebel Bride (Civil War Brides Series, #5) Page 17