“I arranged it all,” Uncle Sebastian added pompously, sitting up straighter in his chair as he did so. “Shelling and his wife were set to go on a bit of a holiday. With some careful prompting on my part, I was able to convince him to begin the sea voyage a little earlier than they intended. As all his children are fully grown, he has no need of the house and—”
Leticia stopped listening as her uncle proceeded to speak at length about Admiral Shelling and his four children. She thought instead of Richard and what he might be doing today.
Silly…he’s miles away and most likely entrenched in business affairs.
It was strange for Leticia, this courtship with Richard. She’d spent her whole life trailing after him and Harry. Now, her old habits were resurfacing as the more time she spent in Richard’s company, the more she began to crave it. Seeing him, even if they were just going for a leisurely stroll together, made her want to be with him more often. Idly, she began to tap the tines of her fork against the edge of her plate as she thought of the next time when she might encounter him.
That is the problem…truly. So much of the courtship ritual is left up to the gentleman. I cannot even go to London and stay in Braxton Manor. I must wait for Richard to come here. I must find another abode so that he can visit me there.
A long, protracted sigh escaped Leticia’s lips, and she realized belatedly that the table had gone quiet.
“Sorry,” she murmured, “did someone ask me a question?”
Harry threw his napkin on the table and stood, raking his chair across the floor as he shoved it underneath the table.
“What…Harry?” Leticia asked, glancing from Harry’s retreating figure toward her aunt.
“Don’t you worry about him,” Aunt Amelia said with a gentle shake of her head. “It will take some time for Harry to adjust to the current situation.”
* * *
Following breakfast, Leticia took a walk down by the river. As the sun was exceptionally hot that morning, she took off her shoes, discarded her stockings, and decided to tiptoe into the water. She tipped her head back and embraced the warm sunshine and the smell of the fields around her.
It’s so good to be home.
She had only been standing on the riverbank for a few moments, alternating between stepping on the squishy mud and clay and letting her toes dip in the rushing water, when she heard the thundering of horses’ hooves.
“I say,” she yelled as she lifted the hem of her skirts and pranced out of the water. “What’s all this?”
Mounted on horseback, coming directly toward her, were both Harry and Richard. In one hand, Richard grasped the reins for the third horse, and even from this distance, Leticia could tell it was her beloved, Helena. She hopped back on the shore where she’d flung her footwear and began tugging on the stockings and thrusting her shoes back onto her feet. “My love!” she shouted as she finished her task and went racing to throw her arms around Helena’s neck.
The men had halted but had yet to dismount. Harry grunted softly, “She’s more excited to see the horse than she is to see you, Braxton.”
Leticia did not feel as though she and Richard needed to pretend in front of Harry, so she continued hugging Helena tightly. “Quiet now,” she hushed her cousin. “I saw Richard just a few days ago, but Helena and I have not been together for ages.” She paused and looked up at Richard. He sat astride Hermia, and he was beaming down at her. “What made you think to bring her all the way here?”
Richard shrugged. “I wanted to ask you to accompany me on a ride, and while I know you have horses of your own here, I thought you might be well pleased to see your favorite.”
“How very thoughtful,” Leticia said, letting go of her grip on Helena. “Thank you, Richard.”
Harry gave a hefty grunt then he nodded to Leticia. “Are we going to sit about all day jawing, or can the race begin?”
“Race?” Leticia questioned as she did her best to mount Helena without any assistance and with the hem of her dress weighted down from her time in the river. “Are we planning to—” But no sooner had the words escaped her lips than Harry put his heel to his horse’s side.
“Yah!”
He chuckled maniacally and took off at a high speed. Richard halted for a moment while Hermia danced, clearly wanting to chase after Harry and his horse, Puck. “Would you like some help?” Richard offered.
“No thank you,” Leticia replied, waving him away. “I’ll mount my horse on my own and still beat the two of you.”
At that, Richard barked a laugh, and with the sound still echoing in her ears, he took off on Hermia.
Leticia found her footing finally and made it into the side saddle. She stroked Helena’s mane and whispered, “Let the race begin.” Helena needed no further enticement. She whinnied playfully and took off, spending only a few seconds picking up speed before she hit her stride and fell into a steady gallop.
“Oh, come on,” Leticia shouted as she and Helena came alongside Richard and Hermia. “If I did not know any better, I’d say the pair of you weren’t even trying to win.” But they were no match for Helena who had longer legs and therefore a much more graceful stride. As Leticia flew past Richard, she giggled mightily. “You must try harder, Your Grace.”
She and Helena flew through the fields. The wind whipped through her hair, destroying the twist Mrs. Phillips had thought to pin her locks into that morning before breakfast. Her wild locks broke free now and flew out behind her as she was carried away on Helena’s back. “There he is,” Leticia said, seeing Harry just a few more meters ahead and willing her horse to catch up with him. “You can surely catch him.” She bent low, or at least as low as her saddle would allow, and as she did, she heard approaching hooves on her right side.
She swung her head, peeking through the curtain of her hair. “Richard!” He had not given up the race just yet as he and Hermia were gaining strongly now.