Page 38 of An Arranged Marriage with a Cruel Earl
She nodded. “It seems so,” she agreed. Her bright smile changed to a sad expression as she continued: “He reminds me of my own horse, a little.”
“Your horse?” he asked. He frowned, wondering if she meant the bay horse that he had seen her riding on as he rode past in the coach.
“Yes. She was also white. She was a small mare, part Arab.”
“She must have been quite challenging,” Andrew commented, one brow raised. He had once had a half-Arab horse, and he had been a real challenge of a ride. Headstrong and highly strung, he was not a horse for anyone less than an expert.
Emmeline smiled. “Not really,” she said, her voice warm. “I love her,” she added simply, and sympathy flooded him.
“Is she at your country home?” he asked at once.
Emmeline nodded. “Mama said she would send one of the servants here with her, but it is taking longer than I expected.”
Andrew swallowed hard. “I’m sorry to hear it,” he said with genuine emotion. “I will write to enquire where she is, if you like. But before I do that, all I can offer is a ride on Snowflake. Would you like to take him on a jaunt? I was about to go out too,” he added, gesturing lightly at his riding coat and boots. “Will you come along?”
He held his breath. He had no idea if she would want to accompany him or not. He expected her to say no, and he tensed his back, stiffening against the disappointment.
She gazed at him, her eyes huge and round. For a second, he thought perhaps he’d scared her, and he drew a breath to reassure her.
Her expression blossomed into a grin.
“Yes,” she said, delight lightening her tone. “Yes. I would love that.”
Warmth flooded through him, and he gestured to the tack room. “We have a side-saddle,” he informed her. “I will send for the groom and have Snowflake tacked up for you at once.”
He could not wait to have a chance to speak with her alone.
