speaking. “I’ve had that happen before.”
Adam stared at her in horror.“What?”
“I was thirteen. My new pony was spooked by a barn cat in the yard. He reared back and fell on top of me. He didn’t break his legs, thankfully.” The memory was not a happy one. The pony had been uninjured, but she had broken her ankle and suffered the pain of having it set in plaster. She’d been miserable in bed for a full week until James and one of the carpenters in the village had made some crutches for her. Then she was able to hobble about the house a bit until the plaster was finally removed.
Adam continued to chide her. “Then you must know the danger of running a horse over ground you aren’t familiar with.”
“You forget, my lord, that even ground you believe you know can change with a single rainstorm. And no horse is ever safe, or perfect.”
For a moment the two of them stared at each other, one stern, the other defiant.
“And there is that fire,” Adam said as he cupped her cheek. She was still astride Lizzie, and he was upon his white beast, but for a moment Letty felt as though she were leaning up against him, all of the inner parts of her soul touching his. Then the spell was broken as the white stallion nipped playfully at her horse’s neck. Lizzie shied away, and the horses moved farther apart, forcing Adam’s hand to drop from her.
“Follow me.” Adam waved as he nudged his horse into a walk.
Letty followed. They rode in a companionable silence for a long while, allowing the trees in the woods to whisper to them as the breeze played in their branches. The morning mist was now slowly fading as the sun began to burn away the clouds. The effect left sunlight rippling across their path, illuminating patches of mist, which glittered like diamond dust scattered on the wind.
Adam paused his horse at the edge of the woods. They were facing the field again.
“You see the land there, at the end of the distant hill? How the grass darkens?”
She nodded.
“Those are the marshes.” He turned to her, as though needing to see that she understood the danger. She did. “Do not go there, no matter what.”
She took her time studying the landscape, learning the patterns of the native meadowlands before they turned to marshes.
“Adam, why were you halting your horse so abruptly in the field?” She positioned Lizzie beside his horse again. “Before the chase?”
“I often practice maneuvers that help me to be better prepared.”
“For your work.”
He sighed. “Yes.” He was silent a moment before adding, “I sometimes run into dangerous situations. I quickly learned that a man’s skill on a horse could save his life and the lives of others. Being able to stop my horse where I need to, even at a full gallop, can be very useful.”
She toyed with Lizzie’s reins and stared at him hopefully.“Would you teach me?”
“I don’t think—”
“Please. This marriage was to protect me because you believe I am in danger. You must realize the necessity.”
“I plan to be your veritable shadow.”
Letty arched a brow. “Even shadows fade when night falls. You must acknowledge that I should have some skills of my own. Isn’t that a more intelligent course of action? If we are separated, wouldn’t you prefer me to have some sense of how to deal with my enemies? If nothing else, it would allow you more time to hone your own skills.”
Adam looked heavenward. “Am I ever going to win any arguments with you?”
With a devilish grin, Letty trotted past him into the field. “Probably not. But you can win other things.” She had no desire to control him when it came to everything, especially those things she sensed he would control very well—like the marriage bed.
“Very well, I will teach you what I was practicing.”
For the next half hour, Letty became more comfortable in the saddle than she ever had been before and was easily able to train Lizzie to slide to a stop. When she felt she had practiced enough, she slid off Lizzie’s back and walked along the edge of the woods. Adam dismounted and tied their horses nearby to graze before joining her.
Letty circled around a large tree, unable to keep her eyes off Adam as he came behind her. His hands were behind his back, and his lean legs moved in a gentle rhythm as he watched her playfully hide from him behind