Chapter 19
It was strange not having anything required of her for an entire day. Victoria had grown rather used to how structured her days had become. She almost did not know what to do with herself when she woke up on the day Mrs Radcliffe had given her off.
Victoria got up and dressed and made her down to breakfast. It was early enough that she was the only one in the breakfast room, which was what she had hoped for. She had a quick breakfast and then hurried out of the manor before anyone else came down from upstairs.
She planned to go to the village as Mrs Radcliffe had suggested, but first, she decided she wanted to go for a horseback ride. It had been so long since she had ridden, and she had loved it as a girl. Making her way out to the stables, she requested a horse be saddled for her.
Once the stable hand gave her the reins, she led the animal out and climbed up into the saddle. It took her a moment to get used to being in a saddle again, but once she found her balance, she dug her heels into the horse’s sides to get him to start trotting.
Once they were clear of the buildings, she urged him into a run. They took off across the grassy field behind the manor. The wind whipped across her cheeks and tangled in her hair. It was the most freeing thing to be atop a horse. She had nearly forgotten.
Victoria rode around the estate and then decided to venture on toward the village. She would return the horse after.
Making her way off the estate, she quickly found the road and headed toward the village at a leisurely pace, allowing herself to enjoy the sunshine and pleasant weather. When she reached the village, she found herself rather taken with how quaint and idyllic it appeared to be.
Stone houses and buildings, some with thatched roofs and others updated with wood. People were out and about, moving from shop to shop, going about their days as if they had not a care in the world.
Victoria brought her horse to a stop in front of the water trough where other horses were tethered. Once her mount was secured, she made her way down the main street of the village. She looked through the window of the shops she passed and was intrigued by several of them, but she had a limited amount of pocket money she had saved from her earnings, so she was not going to spend it on just anything.
When she passed by a bakery, however, she paused. The scents coming from within the small shop were too mouthwatering for her to simply walk on by. Victoria made her way into the bakery and was greeted by a countertop full of freshly baked pastries. She gazed down at them, and her stomach began to rumble softly.
“Good day, miss,” a jovial-looking man wearing an apron over his round belly came out from the back of the shop and said with a smile. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Yes,” Victoria replied with a nod. She pointed to a row of pastries with chocolate drizzled along their tops. “May I have two of those, please?”
“Of course!” the man declared. He moved to grab some paper and wrap the pastries for her. She handed him a few coins from her coin purse, and he gave her the package.
Victoria thanked him and took the pastries. Making her way back outside, she continued on down the street and came upon another shop that had paper and pens displayed in its window. She decided to go inside that shop as well. She needed more writing supplies, and she wanted to write letters to her mother and godmother to let them know how she was and how her experience in the country was going.
After she had purchased some paper, a pen, and an inkwell, she decided to make her way back to the estate. She did not want to spend any more of her pocket money, after all. Returning to her horse, she placed her packages in her saddle bag and mounted the animal after untethering its reins.
She started back down the road away from the village and toward the estate. Riding straight to the stables, she dismounted and collected her packages before handing her horse back over to the stable hand who had come out to take it from her. Turning, she began walking to the manor, but then she paused.
It was such a lovely day. It would be a shame to spend it inside.
An idea sprang to her mind, and she decided to head toward the pond instead. At that point in the morning, everyone else would be up and well into their plans for the day. She would be able to find some peace and quiet by the pond and not feel guilty, as though she should be doing something more productive with her leisure time.
***
“Where in the world did those bloody dogs run off to?” Edward murmured as he rode through the grassy field of the estate. One of his hunting dogs had puppies, and three had slipped from their kennel. When he had been informed, Edward had insisted on looking for the dogs himself. Their mother was quite particular about the people she let around her pups, and he did not want her growing agitated if someone she did not approve of brought them back.
Thankfully, the puppies had left a fairly clear trail that he was able to follow, but they appeared to have gotten quite a bit further than he had anticipated. Soon enough, the pond came into view. Edward groaned, thinking that the puppies had probably gotten into the mud and would be filthy when he found them.
As he neared the pond, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he came to an abrupt stop. Miss Clifford was sitting beneath a willow near the water’s edge. She appeared to be writing something. Her head was ducked, and she was focused on papers resting in her lap, the pen in her hand scribbling at a steady pace.
Curious, he turned his horse and made his way toward her.
“Good day, Miss Clifford,” he called out, not wanting to appear as though he were sneaking up on her.
Miss Clifford glanced up and appeared momentarily startled to see him. As he drew near, she suddenly scrambled to move her papers out of sight so he could not see what it was she had been working on.
The action soured his mood instantly. He did not appreciate her immediate reaction to hide things from him. In his mind, it was proof of the deceptive ways of women. For a short time, he had imagined that Miss Clifford was different. That she was not sneaky and underhanded like the rest of them tended to be, but it appeared he was wrong. Why would she be so intent on hiding her writing from him if it was not for some nefarious reason?
“Good day, Lord Harford,” she replied with a smile that seemed forced to him. “What brings you out here this morning?”
Edward frowned, unable to hide his displeasure. “Should I not be out here, Miss Clifford?”
She blinked and appeared surprised by his response.
