6
Sofia all but skipped back to her apartment having thoroughly enjoyed the lively repartee with her guardian. She was determined that under no circumstances would she or her sisters respond in any way to the names he wished to call them by.
Mary had yet to return from helping Annabel with her unpacking and there were still three hours to go before they dined. She thought it remiss of the housekeeper that they'd not been offered any sort of refreshment since they'd arrived, therefore, she'd already taken a dislike of this Bedford without having met her. Also, there should have been servants sent to help with the unpacking. She smiled to herself. The woman couldn't be any worse than the one at the Sinclair house on Royal Crescent.
She wandered to one of the two big windows that filled the room with light and gazed out over the expansive gardens. There was a lake in the distance and a maze not so far away. She also thought she could see what looked like a cricket field on the left and wanted also to investigate this. She loved the game of cricket and considered herself a good player. She was always asked to be a part of the village team when they had matches and had been doing this since in pigtails.
The lake was too far away for her to be able to walk there and back before dinner, but she could see it easily if she took a horse from the stables. The clothes had been given to her without the expectation that she used them, but the earl could hardly complain as he'd given her permission to ride astride dressed as a boy.
She half-expected the outfit to have been borrowed from a boot boy but no, it fitted perfectly. She pinned her hair tight to her head so the cap would cover it, checked that the jacket came well below her waist and covered her derrière and was then ready to go.
She did have riding boots, but they were at Hilltop House, her only other footwear were the stout boots she was wearing and they would do just as well. She'd been given trousers rather than breeches and the cuff of these covered the boots admirably. She frowned trying to fathom out how he could possibly have known that she lacked riding boots – then she remembered that he'd seen her portmanteau and obviously there wouldn't have been room for such items in there. How thoughtful of him, perhaps he didn't mind if she rode astride after all.
There was a full-length glass in her dressing room and she checked her appearance. Unless someone knew it was her, they'd mistake her for a young man. The shirt, waistcoat and jacket hid her curves at the front and the jacket did the same at the back.
She also thought it would be wise not to take the main staircase but to find a more discreet route which she did easily enough. She was well aware that the clothing hadn't been given to her by the earl with the intention that she actually used them. She exited through the boot room door and followed a path which led directly to the stables.
She stood in the archway and looked around the immaculate yard, not a whisp of hay or straw to be seen. Neither was there a piece of dung anywhere. Half a dozen curious equines put their heads out to see who'd come to disturb their afternoon peace. Most of the boxes appeared to be empty. This seemed very few horses for such a grand establishment – the rest of them must be turned out to graze somewhere.
'Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, I am Sofia come to see which of you I wish to take out for a ride.' As she spoke, she was walking along pulling ears and stroking muzzles. All of them seemed as eager to meet her as she was to make their acquaintance apart from one. This was a huge black stallion who glared at her from the rear of his box, his ears flat against his head and the whites of his eyes flashing.
Of course, this was the exact horse she wished to take. Any sensible young lady would have moved on immediately recognising the danger signs, but she did the reverse. Speaking softly, keeping her back to the horse, she carefully unlocked the lower half of the door and reversed in.
She remained there with her back to him still murmuring nonsense. A few moments later something hard nudged her in the small of her back almost sending her sprawling. Instead of turning round she reached behind and stroked the neck of the culprit.
'Well now, what have we here? I wish to see the lake. Do you wish to take me there?'
The horse was now beside her; she'd been obliged to step smartly to the left in order to avoid being squashed. He was no longer tense but relaxed and playful.
This was obviously the earl's horse, but he hadn't said that she couldn't ride him or any others in his stable. She had a natural affinity with all animals and trusted her instinct. This might be a stallion well over sixteen hands high, but he'd do her no harm, of that she was certain.
As she'd no idea of the animal's name finding his tack might be tricky but when she exited, remembering to bolt the door behind her, she saw that the name Lucifer was embossed above the door.
'I won't be long, Lucifer, I'm just going to get your saddle and bridle then we can have a nice canter down to the lake. I wonder if you ever swim. I've taken the horses at home into the river and it was a most enjoyable experience for both of us.'
The big black head was nodding as if understanding her nonsense. It was strange that there were no grooms, stable boys or coachmen to be seen. She thought that the earl was allowing his staff to take liberties. She would tell him so, but probably not today.
Ten minutes after her arrival she led the horse out of the yard to the mounting block. He stood obediently whilst she swung her leg over his massive back and settled in the saddle. He even waited patiently whilst she raised her left leg and pulled the girths up another notch.
There had been three bridles with his name above them, but she'd chosen the one with a simple snaffle bit, if he was going to run away with her having a curb chain, martingale or double reins wouldn't stop him.
As she moved off someone called out and she looked around to see a stable boy gawping at her. 'Don't worry, I have his lordship's permission to ride Lucifer. I am his ward, Miss Brotherton.'
With that she gave a gentle squeeze, settled into the saddle, relaxed the reins and Lucifer moved smoothly into a collected canter. With his long stride they were soon too far away to hear the frantic yelling coming from the stables.
She reached down and patted the horse's neck. 'Good boy, we'll show them, won't we? I'm going to get a bear-garden jaw when I return, but I don't care. Your owner would never have agreed to let me ride you and certainly won't let me do so again.'
The horse didn't pull, his gait was comfortable, and she was loving every minute of it. This horse was magnificent, like the earl's piano only the best was good enough for him. Just ahead she saw the path divided.
'Which way do you want to go, Lucifer? I shall leave it to you as I've no idea where either of these lead.'
The horse's ears flicked back and forth and then of his own volition he took the right-hand track. She sensed excitement beneath her, his muscles rippled, his ears were forward but he wasn't trying to bolt.
She looked between his ears and saw a hundred yards ahead a hedge about four or five foot high and two feet wide at least.
She shortened the reins, tightened her grip and leaned forward slightly indicating he was to increase his pace. There was no need to kick or even squeeze – Lucifer responded immediately.
They were flying towards the hedge and the closer they got the bigger it looked. She was tempted to close her eyes. Instead, she deliberately loosened her hold on the reins and wrapped her gloved hands in his long mane.
