Page 15

“Almost there, Castan. I can see the sea.”

Rhys touched his heels to the horse’s sides, and Castan obediently lowered his head against the stinging sand and increased his pace. One minute his hooves were trying to find their footing, and the next he was free of the shifting, dry sand and was cantering across the hard-packed, wet beach.

“Well done, boy!” Rhys gave his mount another encouraging pat and let him have his head.

Finally free of flying sand and restrictive undergrowth, Castan tore across the beach. To one side of them, a blur of sand dunes gave way to tall pine trees; on the other, the ocean met the land in a large crescent-shaped bay. The tide was out, and the beach was long, wide, and empty.

As they reached the tip of the headland, Rhys slowed Castan to a brisk walk, finally reining him to a stop where the rocky promontory crumbled into the sea. Pausing for a moment, Rhys gazed out across the water. The mainland was clearly visible. The Snowdonia mountain range towered above the rolling foothills, and closer to the sea, a patchwork of fields dotted with gray stone structures and purple slate roofs colored the landscape.

Farther down the coast, Caernarfon Castle stood tall, boldly proclaiming its English occupation with flags flying atop each tower. The exhilaration Rhys had experienced moments earlier dissipated at the reminder of the challenges his countrymen currently faced.

Wheeling Castan around, Rhys guided him back the way they had come. They followed the water’s edge, wind gusts whipping at his horse’s tail and mane and tugging at his own cloak. Nothing could be heard over the sound of the wind and the waves, so it was not until Rhys felt the vibration of pounding hooves on the sand that he realized he was no longer alone. Looking up, he spotted a single rider on a black horse, galloping toward him. If the slight figure and fur-lined cloak had not been sufficient clues to identify the rider, Rhys would still have known her. The hair he’d admired wound up in a plait at the friary was now flowing loose behind her like liquid gold.

He scoured the beach but saw no one else. What was Lady Catrin doing so far from the castle? And why was she alone? She was riding low in the saddle, but whether she was racing or the horse was bolting, he could not tell. With his heart pounding in time to her horse’s hooves, he directed Castan away from the water and higher onto the beach. If Lady Catrin would only look up, she would see him there; if she did not . . . Rhys did not wish to follow that line of thought. Calling out or doing anything that might startle her or her high-strung horse could have disastrous results.

“Raise your eyes, Lady Catrin,” he muttered. “Raise your eyes.”

The black horse rounded the curve in the bay, and in that moment, Lady Catrin glanced his way. Although she was still many yards distant, he saw her check her speed. Reluctantly, her horse responded, and his galloping hooves gradually slowed to a trot. Rhys’s racing pulse calmed, and he mentally chastised himself for doubting the noblewoman’s equestrian abilities a second time. He had never known a horsewoman so skilled.

“Rhys ap Tudor,” she said, reining her stallion to a stop a few feet from him. She was out of breath. Her cheeks were pink, and her hair was swirling around her face. Rhys did not think he had ever seen anyone so beautiful. “What brings you to Newborough Beach?”

Rhys gave himself a mental shake. He was acting as addled as young Gethin had been over the rabbit. And speaking in English would surely hamper him all the more. “I came to ride and use my bow.”

She glanced at the bow still strung across his shoulder. “You must have great skill to shoot in such a gale.”

“Not so great as you may imagine, my lady. As it turns out, I have opted to simply enjoy the ride. I would rather not lose my every arrow to the Menai Straits.” She laughed, and Rhys smiled. “What of you, my lady? What brings you so far from Beaumaris?”

She shrugged. “Like you, I enjoy a fast ride along the beach.” She reached down to pat her horse. “Seren favors this location over all others.”

“And you have come this long way unaccompanied?” Surely her father would not allow such a thing.

“Oh no.” Lady Catrin glanced over her shoulder. “Beti is with me. She is waiting within the protection of the trees.”

Rhys refrained from pointing out that remaining in the protection of the trees would be of no use whatsoever should Lady Catrin need help on the beach. He was starting to realize that for Lady Catrin, an aging maid who was willing to sit and patiently wait in the woods or outside the friary was exactly what she desired. He could not know if she’d ever consciously considered the danger such behavior posed to her reputation or physical well-being, but he was willing to guess that the noblewoman before him would consider the short time of unfettered independence worth the risk.

“May I escort you back to your maid, or do you wish to ride farther down the beach?” he asked.

Lady Catrin studied the rapidly moving clouds. They were starting to darken and gather in large clusters. “I think it would be wise to return to Beti,” she said. Giving him an impish look, she added, “Are you willing to escort me at a gallop?”

Rhys chuckled. He should have expected as much. “I believe I can accommodate you, my lady.”

She wheeled her horse around, and without waiting for Rhys, she dug her heels into Seren’s sides and took off the way she had come. Rhys did not hesitate, and within seconds, Castan and Seren were galloping neck and neck around the gentle curve of the bay.

______________________________

A single post standing upright at the edge of the sand dunes marked the path that led from the beach to the woods. As the post came into view, Catrin pulled lightly on the reins, and Seren responded. Beside her, Rhys’s horse mirrored the change in pace, and within a few yards, both stallions had slowed to a walk.

“Well ridden, my lady.”

Catrin turned. Rhys’s blue eyes were sparkling. He was not merely being courteous; he had enjoyed the ride as much as she had.

“You caught up quickly despite my head start,” she said.

He gave an acknowledging nod. “You did not make the race easy.”

“Did you expect me to?”

He grinned. “Not for one moment, my lady.”