She brought her horse up to stand next to his and stared. There was a round stone pond the size of the temple made from the creek that ran through Ravenridge. The large trees stood back a good twelve feet, but the underbrush had encroached upon it. “This is beautiful. Has this always been here?”
“Yes, since my father’s time.”
She looked at him, but his gaze rested on the pool. “You never showed me this before.”
“No. It was my brother’s and my place to enjoy as boys, and later to talk in private as men.”
She placed her hand over her heart. That he would share this with her now that his brother was gone meant so much. “I can see why you two enjoyed your time here.”
He glanced at her before pointing across the pond. “There are large boulders on that side that serve as steps, and we would swim about here when much smaller. We alone kept the plants away. That so much has grown here tells me he didn’t keep it up after being notified of my death.”
Though he spoke evenly and clearly, she was aware of his deep pain from the droop of his shoulders. She could understand such a loss. “I imagine he could not bear to come here then.”
“Just as I have not come here since his passing.” He straightened up. “I thought you would enjoy seeing it. It will soon be overgrown completely. There is no longer a need to keep the forest from taking it back.”
“Not even for your children?” Surely, he would wish to show them.
“No.” He avoided her gaze and turned Freesia around. “We can access the field from here. We are near the eastern edge of the wood.”
She hadn’t understood how much Marcus’ brother’s passing had affected him. But it made sense since he had been as close to his brother as she was to her sisters. When Belinda died, she’d thrown herself into keeping the house as her parents mourned. Then she’d felt the need to step into Belinda’s shoes as best she could to ease the loss for her family. But every night for more than a year, she’d cried herself to sleep. Eventually, much like her sisters, she’d taken to talking to Belinda in private. She hadn’t been as open about the wound to her heart, but Belinda would understand.
“Here we are.” Marcus led them out onto an open field, beyond which looked like the tilled soil of one of his tenant farmers.
“Which way is the Ravenridge stables?”
He pointed to her left. “That way, but we need to ride along the Raven’s Ridge to avoid the marsh.”
He’d never taken her to the Raven’s Ridge before, most likely because she always had a groom with her and their rides were much shorter and much more sedate. She appreciated that he respected her change in status from virgin maiden to widow. There was much to be said for being a widow, something she was quite sure her sisters wouldn’t understand, nor would she want them to.
They cantered up a gradual incline with trees at the top. As they drew closer, they slowed to a walk, and she could see it was exactly that, a single line of trees. Even before they crested the hill, she could see the ravens perched in the sprouting foliage. “You’ve never shown me this before.”
“I wasn’t sure how you would feel about it. Many are nervous around ravens.”
“Nervous? I’m not sure why. Then again, many are nervous around Zephyrus. I imagine strong, beautiful beasts can be intimidating.”
“You are a very unusual lady.” He had stopped and was staring at her.
“I told you, the Mabry family members are unique. My strangeness is well hidden.” She gave him a crooked smile, not sure if he was happy or unhappy that she fit in with her family so well.
Eventually, he relaxed and smiled broadly. “Then you will truly enjoy the view from the ridge.” He coaxed Freesia into moving forward again.
Atalanta fell into step with the other mare, not willing to be left behind. But as they reached the ridge line, she forgot all about her mount and sucked in her breath. Before her was the northern areas of Ravenridge, but she could see well beyond them to Silver Meadows. “I had no idea Ravenridge sat so high.”
“It’s not as high as it seems.” He pointed beyond Silver Meadows. “See, that’s the top of the village church steeple.”
She covered her brow with her hand and squinted. Basically, Silver Meadows sat in a small valley, but it was so gradual as to not be noticed. “No wonder it has the morning fog so often that gave it its name. It sits lower than these hills.”
“Look, I believe your sister is leaving.” He pointed toward the large house beyond the wood that covered the border of the properties.
She focused on the grand drive and could see a coach leaving through the stone columns that marked the entrance. It would be lonely now at Silver Meadows without her sister, but she would soon follow to London.
“Are you ready to return to the stables?”
Marcus had moved Freesia closer. If she wanted to, she could touch him, but she refrained. “Yes. Now that Joanna is gone, I will need to take charge of the house until I leave. Thank you for showing me this.”
For a moment, the old Marcus appeared again, his lip quirking. “I wanted you to enjoy the ride.”
“Oh, I have.” And learning so much more about the man she’d thought she knew. Obviously, there was much more to him, and she planned to discover every nuance before their pretense ended.
