“By the gods!” He whirled around, a well-veined hand at his chest. “Miss Lombard. Excuse my surprise. I did not hear you—”
“I’m off to the village,” I interrupted, before he could comment on my clothes, shoes, or anything else. “I’m rather disappointed in the finish on my checkers. I plan to visit the chandler to see what may be done. If they can wax the pieces, I’ll likely stay while they complete the work. I can’t say exactly when I’ll return, so I’ll plan to take dinner in my room this evening.”
“Miss Lombard, allow me to—”
Before he offered to send someone with me or, worse, in my place, I held up a hand and smiled.
“I suspect Letti would love to visit with her mother. I plan to ask her to ride with me, Norwin.”
That was a lie. I had no plans to invite the stable hand along, since I had no plan whatsoever to ride intoourvillage, here in the shire of Omrora. I did plan to ride intoavillage. The one I hoped to find in Kyruna. But my story could not possibly bring her any trouble, so I bid Norwin a fine afternoon, soothing my conscience as I turned on my heel and hurried off to the stable.
I strode across the grounds of the Lombard estate, breathing in the fresh air and savoring the sweet sensation of freedom. At this hour, the household staff was fully occupied with their duties. My mother would be managing the treasury in her sitting room. My father had departed Omrora with several attendants early this morning. Now that I was free of Norwin, my escape was nearly complete.
Once I arrived at the stable, Letti looked at my riding dress in confusion. “Miss Lombard?” She nodded and gave me a guarded smile. It was most unusual to find me in the stable dressed for an unscheduled ride in the middle of the day. “Good afternoon. How may I help?”
Letti’s mother was one of the finest farriers in Omrora. Letti had practically grown up astride a horse and handled everything from the daily care of our stable to selecting which horse was best suited to the work required of it. I had made the ride to Kyruna only a handful of times in the past with my parents, always comfortably situated in the back of a cart. I remembered enough about the path that I trusted I could find it on my own. There were few well-traveled roads that connected the shires, so if I did not stray from cleared paths, I was confident I would reach my destination. But I would need a horse.
At a brisk pace on horseback, I would likely take an hour to reach the outskirts of Kyruna, possibly longer. Finding Knuckles & Bones, securing a stall for the horse in a strange village… That all might require even more time than I’d expected, so I was anxious to depart.
I trusted that one of my father’s least favorite horses would not be greatly missed if my father returned before I did, so I requested the plain, reliable mare. “Would you ready Rowan for a ride, please?”
Letti’s forehead wrinkled as she considered my request. “Rowan, miss?”
I nodded, offering no further explanation.
My father’s stable hand cocked her chin at me. “Aye, miss. I would, but Rowan’s suffering from a bit of tenderness. It’s her ankle, you see.” She blushed and wrung her hands nervously in front of her leather apron. Inside the wide front pocket, she carried various tools, but now she tucked her hands into it and rocked back on her heels.
“Tenderness?” I asked, growing concerned. “Is she well?”
Letti nodded. “I’ve been resting her. I don’t mean to cause Lord Lombard any concern by her. I trust she’ll be more than capable of a short ride.”
I peered around the stable and noticed only one horse in its stall. It was the end of the workday, so the strongest horses were still in the fields with Biko. The best riding horses would have gone out with my father’s party this morning. That meant Rowan and the three or four remaining horses should have been freely grazing my father’s fields. If the mare was in the stable, that likely meant Letti wished to restrict her movements.
“Letti,” I asked gently, “If Rowan is ill or needs more care than you’re comfortable providing…”
She shook her head vigorously. “Miss, please. I’m quite sensitive to your father’s position on expenditures for any animal he feels might not recover. If he were to know that Rowan is…” She met my eyes, a quiet plea on her face. “She just needs a bit of rest. The anklewillheal. Idony is treating her with an herbal tonic every night. I mention it only because today might not be the best day to take the mare off the estate. I assure you, she will be well soon enough. And I will ready another quickly if you’ll give me just a few moments.”
This was the first I’d heard that Idony was working with the horses. I likewise had no idea she was applying her skills to the healing arts. But I was not at all surprised. If Letti feared that my father would not support an animal incapable of doing its work, admitting as much to Idony had truly been a last resort. I would not compound her fears with my clandestine business.
“I’ll gladly ride any you can make ready,” I assured her. “I too favor Rowan,” I admitted, with a sincere smile. “I prefer character and strength over perfection, both in people and animals.”
Letti blinked rapidly, her eyes shimmering with gratitude and a hint of tears. “Thank you, miss. Will Poet do?”
My heart sank, but I had not the heart to disappoint the girl. “Of course,” I said.
Poet was distinctive and normally reserved for Norwin or other attendants when they rode into the village. Between her unusual coat and light eyes, she attracted much admiration in the square. Exactly the type of attention our butler enjoyed. Where I was going, however, I would have much preferred Rowan, with her beautiful but completely unremarkable coat.
Letti quickly brought the girl in from the eastern grassland and was leading her through the stable toward me when I stopped her with a request. “I’d like a torch as well. Please, Letti.”
The stable hand did not speak, but her eyes widened at my request. I hoped the set of my chin discouraged questions.
“Of course, miss.” She hastened to outfit the horse with the necessary equipment.
“Well, hello, lovely,” I whispered, scratching my nails along the whorls of natural red that painted her otherwise drab white coat. Then I sighed a deep, measured breath.
With my request, I’d given away the fact that I expected to be out with Poet possibly past nightfall. While I hated to reveal any aspect of my plans to anyone who might later be pressed for information, I preferred to ride under a dark sky with at least some protection from the ravenous beaks of the vengersax. The vicious, bloodthirsty birds feared fire. As long as I could maintain a torch on the ride back, even after leaving the light from the village lamps in Kyruna, I should be safe enough on the dark road back to Omrora.
When Letti returned, I noticed the mare was not only carrying a torch but a large cask of clean water.