She was surprised when he said, “After returning to England, I bought a house in a pleasant London neighborhood, not far from Mayfair but less grand. I found that I liked having a place to call home.” After Samson had taken another dozen steps, he added, “I was surprised to find that I look forward to returning when I’ve been away.”
Given all the challenges he’d survived after being transported to New South Wales, she liked hearing that he had matured to the point where he craved a real home. Everyone needed a home. She felt a deep pang for the house she had loved and where she had known happiness, but ultimately, it was just a house. The people who made it a home were waiting for her in Baltimore.
An ear-numbing explosion shattered the air. Placid Samson was so startled that he shied and jerked sideways. Callie instinctively grabbed Richard’s waist for balance and for a moment they were in danger of being thrown.
“Hold on!” After several nerve-racking moments, Richard brought the horse under control again. He patted the sleek neck soothingly. “Samson doesn’t like sudden loud noises.”
“Neither do I!” Nerves jangling, Callie released her grip on his waist. “Do you have any idea what that might be?”
“An explosion that large is likely an American powder magazine, and it could have been set by either side to keep it from the hands of the enemy. I hope no one was nearby when it exploded.” Richard set Samson into a fast walk. “I’ll be glad to get out of Washington. Too many unpredictable things are happening.”
Callie agreed wholeheartedly. Her tension eased when they left the city and headed east along a pleasantly rural road through heavy woodland. The tall trees kept the road cooler than the city, though the air was still heavy and ominously still. “How long a ride is it to our destination?”
“About two hours to Tucker Hall if nothing delays us. The ship should be waiting in Tucker Creek near the plantation.”
She eyed the dark clouds roiling on the horizon. “There’s a storm coming. I hope we reach our destination before it hits.”
“Another storm?” He glanced up and saw the gathering clouds. “What a jolly place your Maryland is!”
“Afternoon thunderstorms are common here in high summer, but they’re usually limited in scope. It can be pouring rain on one side of Washington and dry on the other. With luck, this storm might miss us.” She studied the breadth of the dark, roiling clouds. “But I’m not optimistic.”
Richard set Samson to a faster pace. “Neither am I. Though rain only makes us wet, which is mild compared to being threatened by armed soldiers.”
“Rain would feel pleasantly cool about now,” she said. “But summer storms can be fierce in this part of the world.”
Swift flickers of lightning were visible in the approaching clouds, which suggested the storm would be a bad one. She wished they could take cover in a building, but the road was isolated and buildings were few and far between.
The sky darkened so much that Richard slowed Samson down so he could watch the footing on the rutted road. A breeze began to stir the heavy air. Gradually it strengthened to wind, and then to near-gale strength. Small branches and dead leaves from the previous autumn whirled through the air, occasionally hitting with stinging force. Fat, heavy raindrops began to fall.
At first there was just a spattering. Then trees began crashing in the woods and all hell broke loose.
Chapter 11
In an instant the rain went from sprinkles to blowing sideways in sheets, soaking Callie and Richard to the skin. At first the water was blessedly cooling, but as the wind picked up, she began feeling chilled.
Raising his voice against the roar of wind and rain, Richard called over his shoulder, “I wish now we’d taken shelter earlier, but I’d hoped to reach Tucker Hall before the storm. We’re not far now, so hang on. We’ll be safe indoors soon.”
“Getting wet feels good, though it isn’t doing your beautiful coat any good!” she said cheerfully. “The rain could stop as suddenly as it started. These storms pass over quickly.” At least, they usually did. This was the most violent storm she’d seen since a hurricane hit Jamaica. Or maybe it just seemed worse because usually she wasn’t outdoors when such weather struck.
She flinched as lightning blazed overhead and bone-rattling thunder followed almost immediately. Samson shied again and Richard had to use his considerable riding skill to keep the horse from bolting. “Samson is terrified by all these loud noises,” he said as he slowed their pace to soothe the horse.
GA-GA-BOOOM!Searing lightning and thunder were now simultaneous. A tree crashed down across the road behind them and Samson panicked. He reared and bucked wildly. Falling, Callie released her grip on Richard’s waist so she wouldn’t drag him from the saddle along with her.
Experienced in falls, she tucked and rolled when she hit the ground. More lightning and thunder and more trees crashing in the adjacent woods. Nature was showing her what it was like to be inside an artillery barrage, she thought dizzily.
Richard managed to keep his seat, but as soon as he brought Samson under control, he swung from the saddle, asking urgently, “Callie, are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” She accepted his hand up. “The ground is so soft that I won’t even have bruises. But God be thanked we weren’t a few yards farther back along the road!”
She stared at the great tree that had fallen, its leafy branches still vibrating from the impact with the earth. The trunk was easily a yard thick. They would have been dead if they’d been underneath when it crashed over.
Richard swore, but since he was standing at Samson’s head he did it in the same soft, soothing voice he used to calm the horse. “It’s not safe to stay here. There’s a bridge over a creek just around the next bend. When I crossed yesterday, it felt sturdy, so I hope it’s still passable. On the other side there’s a small barn where we can shelter if the rain doesn’t let up by then.”
“Agreed. Will Samson cross the bridge?”
“I think so if I lead him. I don’t blame him for being frightened.” He stroked the horse’s neck, then started walking the muddy road again, Samson obediently falling into step beside him. “Stay close. Visibility is only a dozen feet in this rain.”
“It beats bullets. I’ll walk on Samson’s other side and keep hold of a stirrup.”
