That wasbeforeLord Diamond kissed her and sparked to life a yearning for more.
When Susanne shrieked and the vignette suddenly changed, for a moment Alice did nothing, too shocked to react.
Something had spooked Susanne’s gelding, making it rear and take off at a gallop.
Urging her mare forward with a flick of her crop, suddenly Alice with Lord Diamond beside her were giving chase.
“What happened?” she called to him.
“I know not.”
It became plain at once that Susanne had dropped the reins and was hanging on to the horse’s neck as best she could.
“Can she jump?” he asked.
His question made her blood chill.
“I don’t know,” Alice said. But without reins, it was desperately dangerous.
In a short while, they’d crossed the oval field, approaching the cart path which circled up the other side and, after it, the hedgerow that divided one area of the park from another.
Since Susanne’s horse was racing full tilt toward it, they did, too. Luckily, the only carriages on the path were many yards away with no danger of collision.
“Veer off,” Lord Diamond yelled to her, but Alice was entirely capable of jumping the hedge.
In fact, as if he’d ordered Susanne’s gelding to do so, the horse swerved sideways a yard from the hedge, dumping its rider into the trimmed yews.
It was too late for Alice and Lord Diamond to do anything but keep going. Avoiding Susanne who luckily rolled over the topinstead of sitting up, Alice jumped the hedgerow and cantered to a stop.
Lord Diamond came to a halt beside her and looked with astonishment.
“You are averygood rider,” he declared.
She could practically hear him silently add, “Too good for a governess.”
Without answer, she turned her horse around. Spying her charge on the ground, Alice dismounted unassisted and ran to Susanne.
“Are you unharmed?”
The young lady was already rising to her feet and brushing herself off, but her cheeks were pale from her ordeal.
“I believe I am.” Her tone was slightly shaky.
“Is she injured?” Lord Diamond asked, approaching, still atop his horse.
“I don’t believe so,” Alice answered him.
“Then I shall go in pursuit of her horse before it causes an accident or gets itself injured.”
After watching him leave, Alice turned her attention back to the young lady. Her eyes were large, and her lower lip was trembling.
“People fall off their horses all the time,” Alice reminded her, hoping to tame any fears immediately so the incident wouldn’t cause a lasting scar on Susanne’s tender psyche. “And then, they get directly back on.”
“I don’t want to get back on,” Susanne said. “Besides, I seem to have lost Rowan.”
“I didn’t know your horse’s name,” Alice said to keep her speaking and distract her from what had occurred, “but Lord Diamond has gone in pursuit.”
“Your horse is Polly,” Susanne added, and tears started to run down Susanne’s cheeks.
