Page 43 of The Storybook Hero
The sleigh veered precariouslyto one side. “Steady! You must try not to jerk the reins, but rather use a steady pressure.” Alex’s mittened hands steadied her hold. “Like so.”
In the next instant, the horses adjusted their gait and swung back to the center of the narrow road.
Octavia muttered an oath as she sought to manage the tangle of leather.
“You are doing a very credible job,” he added.
She had indeed insisted on learning to handle the team, and no amount of argument had blunted her determination. Alex had finally relented, no doubt trusting that a few minutes on the box would serve to convince of her folly. However, it appeared that she had surprised him?—
She grimaced but was able to control a sudden sway to the left on her own. “Actually, I think that I’m getting the hang of it. You should go inside with the children and rest for a bit. I promise I shall not drive us into a ditch or shatter a runner.”
“Aren’t you cold and tired yourself?”
She shot him a quick glance. “You appear to need it more than I.”
Alex looked away for a moment. “Don’t worry,” he answered in a clipped voice. “My ability to function isn’t impaired despite what I may look like”
Octavia made no reply but kept her eyes leveled on the road ahead. It was only after several miles had passed that she spoke up again.
“Why?”
Alex looked at her in confusion. “Why what?”
“Why do you feel compelled to submerge your talents in such destructive behavior?”
“Have a care for that rock,” he snapped. “And by the by, my actions are none of your deuced business.”
She guided the horses around the obstacle. “You’re quite right. They’re not.”
An awkward silence descended over them, broken only by the rustle of the heavy pine boughs and the creaking of the old sled.
“Sorry, “ he finally muttered. “I owe you an apology, both for now and again for last night.”
Octavia maintained a stoic expression. “You owe me nothing, Mr. Leigh. As you have so rightly reminded me, your personal matters are none of my concern. I’m quite aware that neither of us would have chosen this current situation, since we are exact opposites.”
“Some learned men of science think that in certain circumstances opposites can attract,” he murmured.
She repressed a smile, unwilling to admit that she enjoyed his pithy humor. “Be that as it may, we can at least try not to raise each other’s hackles.” After shifting her grip on the reins, and steering the sleigh through a tight turn, she added, “I really think you should retire inside for a short while.”
He chuckled. “No doubt it will be more peaceful up here, despite our differences.” He cocked his ear. “Though as of yet, I’ve not heard anything that might indicate things have escalated into a full scale war.”
“I must admit, I have resorted to a bit of underhanded manipulation in order to defuse the situation,” said Octavia
“Oh?”
“Well, knowing Emma’s penchant for the melodramatic, I rather exaggerated the danger that Nicholas may be in. She is now in alt at finding herself in the midst of an adventure suitablefor one of Mrs. Radcliffe’s novels, so I wouldn’t be surprised if her attitude towards the lad has undergone a distinct change.”
Alex laughed. “My tack was to inform Nicholas, in great detail, of how Emma had saved me from imminent harm with her bravery. He was suitably impressed.” His eyes glinted with amusement. “I would not have expected you to allow such frivolous readings as Mrs. Radcliffe in your course of studies.”
“We all need a bit of escape from the everyday. Besides the lady is a very entertaining writer.”
“I should have expected no less of you than to defend a female author, however prone to descriptive excess.”
She felt her own eyes come alight with a decided twinkle. “Why, Mr. Leigh, one would almost imagine that you had read such works yourself.” As his chuckle subsided she added, “As for female authors, Jane Austen is also among our favorites.”
“Ah, Miss Austen. Now that is another matter….”
The conversation turnedinto a spirited sojourn through English literature of the past fifty years. Though Alex insisted on taking over the reins when the road narrowed into a particularly steep and winding incline, the change in drivers did nothing to slow the pace of their opinions. Ideas galloped back and forth, engendering both shared laughter and heated argument over nuances of meaning and intent.
