“I’m going to wait here to make sure Onyx is loaded without further incident. I can have you taken home.”
“I’m going to stay with you,” Harriet replied. “I’ll send word to Daphne and Arthur when we arrive at your residence.”
Lucien knew he couldn’t argue with her. She was as concerned as he was about the stallion. “Very well.”
“Is he going to be all right?” Harriet asked.
“It’s hard to judge right now. Not until his legs get washed so I can see the damage. I think he should be fine. It’s just going to be a long recovery.”
“I would imagine so,” she replied.
Lucien thought the wagon would never arrive. When it finally did, he personally saw to it that Onyx walked up the ramp and settled in for the short ride over to the stables. One of the stableboys would ride in the wagon with the horse to keep an eye on him.
As the wagon drove off, Lucien put his arm around Harriet’s waist and led her to the carriage. He settled in next to her and the carriage groaned under the start.
“It’s still a beautiful day,” he said to her.
“Yes, it is.”
“I’m sorry things haven’t gone as planned,” he said.
“You had no idea Onyx as going to spook when he normally never does and take such a nasty fall.”
“True. I hope you don’t mind, but I need to be with him while we assess his injuries,” Lucien said quietly.
“Of course, I don’t mind. I can simply continue home after we arrive at your house.”
Shaking his head, Lucien picked up her gloved hand and kissed the back. “That isn’t exactly the proper way to end our afternoon.”
“No, but you need to see to your horse,” she replied. “I still think someone spooked him deliberately.”
“As do I.”
He was certain of it because while he was attempting to get the stallion under control, he thought he saw the shadow of two figures just inside the tree line.
“Then it’s settled. You’ll get out at your house, and your coach will continue and take me to Jameson House,” she said.
“Thank you for understanding, Harriet,” he replied. Leaning over, he kissed her first on her cheek and then on the lips. They would be okay. She was exactly what he needed. A woman who understood him.
They came to a halt in front of his family house. Kissing her again, he jumped out to speak with the coachman. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I know something,” he said.
“Very well,” she said softly, adding, “He’s going to be fine, Lucien.”
“Yes, he will be,” he replied.
Pulling away, Harriet did her best not to look back. He wouldn’t be there anyway as he was too anxious to see how Onyx was doing and what needed to be done to make the stallion comfortable. She was okay with that. He would have been restless if he had done anything else.
Jameson House came into view and Harriet disembarked and thanked the footman and coachman before walking up to the front door. Inside she found Daphne and Arthur taking tea on the terrace. It was a perfect afternoon for it.
“Did Lucien join you?” Daphne asked.
“No, we had a change of plans. Something or someone spooked his stallion.”
“Onyx? He never spooks,” Arthur said.
“He did and went down on his knees. They were pretty torn up. He was going to stay and see how bad things are,” Harriet replied.
“Come, join us for tea. I’m sure Lucien will let you know how the horse is once they know,” Arthur said.
