'I'll leave this to you,' she yelled above the rushing wind.
One minute they were on the ground, the next they were soaring over the hedge with feet to spare. The stallion took two ditches and an even bigger hedge in his stride and when he slowed to a collected canter she knew the excitement was over.
'Well done, what a splendid fellow you are. You've obviously been this way many times before.'
The horse flicked his ears as if listening to her babble. She leaned down and patted his neck; he was hot to the touch but not sweating. A few moments later they emerged exactly where she wanted to be – a huge expanse of sparkling, crystal clear water stretched invitingly in front of her.
'I don't know if he's ever taken you in for a swim, but I'm going to.'
*
James held his breath as his stallion approached the hedge, then released it in a rush of relief. The girl had stolen his stallion which was something she'd never do again, but she was in no danger of falling, was an expert horsewoman and for some inexplicable reason his normally bad-tempered horse was behaving impeccably for her.
Confident that he wasn't about to witness a fatality, he slowed Rufus from a gallop, the jumps ahead would be safer for both of them at a more sensible speed. Also, he was conscious that arriving unexpectedly behind Lucifer might cause the horse to bolt.
He emerged at a trot from the track and if he'd been surprised before at the girl's antics, now he was astonished. He reined in and watched, scarcely able to believe what was taking place at the lake's edge.
Sofia had kicked off her boots, removed her jacket and waistcoat and was now undoing Lucifer's girths. Somehow, she wriggled backwards off the saddle and then removed it and dropped this onto the grass as well.
Before he could call out, warn her that the lake was deep and Lucifer had no experience of swimming, she patted the stallion's neck and they plunged in. He kicked Rufus into action fully expecting to have to dive in to save her but again he'd underestimated her courage and ability.
Lucifer was enjoying the experience as much as she was. In seconds his horse was swimming strongly towards the other side of the lake. James laughed – he enjoyed a swim himself but he was damned if he was going to ruin his garments.
He dropped to the grass, untacked his horse and removed every stitch of his clothing. After wrapping his hand in the chestnut's mane for the second time he vaulted onto Rufus's back.
'Right, let's see if you enjoy swimming as much as your stablemate.'
The gelding had seen Lucifer and was eager to catch up with him. Sofia finally realised she wasn't alone and calmly turned her mount in a wide circle so she could see him. James had deliberately stripped off intending to shock her, she deserved to be shaken after the fright she'd given him.
'James, isn't this the most excellent fun? I suppose I should have removed all my clothing as you have as I'm going to be extremely uncomfortable on the return journey.'
'Thank God you didn't, one of us in the buff is quite bad enough.' Her joy was infectious and he joined in her laughter. 'Shall we see which is faster in the water?'
'Oh yes please. Shall we race to the far side of the lake? I think we're less likely to be seen by any of your staff so far away from the house.' Then she pulled a face which made her even more attractive. 'Although I'm beginning to believe your household runs by magic as I've seen only one footman and one stableboy since I arrived.'
He guided Rufus alongside. 'Are you ready?'
She didn't answer but leaned forward and urged the stallion on. Within seconds they were ahead of him and she won by several yards. Lucifer scrambled out of the water almost unseating her, but she remained on his back laughing all the time.
He didn't join her on the bank. He was regretting his decision to swim unclothed and was relieved that his lower half was not on the view. She wasn't aware that the thin cotton of her shirt was clinging to her breasts showing every enticing curve quite clearly. This meant that even if he'd wished to, he couldn't possibly emerge from the water.
'I'll return the way I came, for obvious reasons, Sofia. I suggest that you go directly to the stables. I'll bring your things and the saddle back with me.'
She nodded and carefully kept her gaze averted. 'I intended to do that; I'm not a numbskull. I'll see you at dinner, sir, I've no intention of missing that. Your housekeeper failed to provide us with any refreshments and we've not eaten since breakfast.'
Then she was gone, Lucifer eager to return to the warmth of his stall was soon galloping across the acre of grass. The fact that she was riding bareback appeared to make no difference to her, she was as solid this way as she'd been in the saddle.
He dressed quickly, embarrassed now that he'd done something so stupid. She was an innocent girl; he knew better than to have behaved like this. He dried himself on her discarded waistcoat and coat as she'd not need them again.
He then rubbed his horse down as putting the saddle on a wet horse was asking for saddle sores. He tied her boots together, put her clothes around them knotting the sleeves to keep the bundle secure. This time he mounted by lowering a stirrup iron. Having the heavy saddle over one arm and a bundle of clothing and boots under the other meant he was riding with little control.
'Right, Rufus, let's get you back to your stable.'
The horse somehow sensed his master wasn't as secure as he might be and allowed himself to be guided by knees alone.
James had much to think about as he cantered back but what bothered him most wasn't her reckless borrowing of his stallion but the fact that Bedford had failed in her duties by not providing luncheon for the girls.
He arrived at the stables, tossed the saddle to a waiting groom and dropped to the ground. There was no need for him to express his anger that the horses had been left unattended thus allowing Sofia to risk her life. The fulminating look he gave those waiting nervously was enough for now. He'd deal with them when he'd dealt with everything else.
