Page 78 of Miss Flibbertigibbet and the Barbarian
Adriana agreed. “To be candid, I’m amazed he allowed you to lead him even as far as here without him deciding to create a ruckus, simply because he could.”
Phillip met her gaze. “I admit I was on tenterhooks several times, especially leading him through Sleaford. Until I had him on the rein and was leading him off the estate, I hadn’t truly appreciated how strong and powerful he is.”
Dickie offered, “The grooms have always said he’s an unusually curious horse. I don’t think he’s ever been this way before, so perhaps the new scenery and sights and sounds were enough to entertain him.”
That led the group to wondering whether, like Phillip, the blackmailer hadn’t truly appreciated what manner of beast he was bargaining for.
After several minutes of speculation, Nicholas was about to interrupt and redirect the group’s attention to the actual handover, but Viola, clearly less given to idle imaginings than the Sommervilles, beat him to it.
He continued to observe and was heartened by what he saw. It was plain that, having responded to the threat against Phillip by jettisoning their previous opinion of him and leaping to his defense, Adriana and Dickie were also intent on embracing Viola, including as a future member of their family; they were already openly treating her as such.
Adriana’s acceptance of Viola was marked and unwavering. To Nicholas’s eyes, it was plain that Adriana viewed Viola as a good influence on Phillip, which, indeed, was likely the case. The differences between the arrogantly priggish nobleman Dickie and Adriana had described and the man standing before the fireplace were beyond striking, and Nicholas saw, time and again, Phillip look to Viola for confirmation of his direction.
Whether Phillip knew it or not, Viola was already his behavioral and emotional lodestone.
For his part, Nicholas was a great deal more comfortable dealing with a family all cleaving together in opposition to a mutual foe. As a Cynster, leaping to the defense of family members was an ingrained trait, and seeing the same clear-eyed intent in Adriana and Dickie, and Phillip and Viola’s acceptance of their help, was reassuring on a fundamental level.
These were people he understood. People he could work with.
The group finally agreed on the essential elements they felt would be needed to complete the handover, retrieve the letters, then reclaim The Barbarian.
With the three Sommervilles pondering how and where to conceal themselves as well as the necessary grooms and stablemen, Viola looked at the clock on the mantelpiece and broke the temporary silence. “It’s nearly noon. As we’re all going to be involved in our plan, might I suggest that it would be appropriate and useful for your company—including your grooms, stablemen, and maid—to remove from the inn and put up here?” She appealed to the group. “Aside from all else, there’s a chance the blackmailer might call at the inn and, by some quirk of fate, learn of your presence and take flight before the handover is made.”
Adriana wrinkled her nose. “True.” She glanced questioningly at Dickie and Nicholas. “We could go and gather our things and perhaps ask Quilley not to mention to anyone that we’d been there.”
Viola nodded decisively. “If you go now, you can do that and settle in here before luncheon.” She rose and looked at the others as they got to their feet. “I’ll have rooms prepared and tell Cook you’ll be here for luncheon and dinner, too.”
“And meanwhile,” Adriana said, exchanging a conspiratorial smile with Viola, “we’ll be off to the inn and fetch our bags.”
In complete accord, the two ladies led the way.
Smiling to himself, Nicholas followed, with Dickie and Phillip bringing up the rear.
* * *
Later that afternoon, after they’d enjoyed a genial luncheon during which they’d thrashed out the finer details of their plan, Nicholas was once again on Tamerlane, cantering alongside Adriana perched on The Barbarian’s back.
The horse definitely needed the exercise and kept tossing his head, tugging at the reins and wanting to run.
Nicholas could only admire Adriana’s steady hands as she held the huge horse in, without apparent effort enforcing her will on the stallion.
His gaze passed appreciatively over her, then dropped to the horse. Again, he was struck by The Barbarian’s powerful stride, his massive and proudly held head, and the remarkable fluidity of his gait.
Nicholas kept his mind focused on the horse, manfully resisting the inclination to contemplate the activities of the previous night and the question of whether Adriana had yet come around to his way of thinking.
She would in time.
He clung to that conviction, yet was grateful when, sighting a suitable stretch ahead, she tapped her heel to The Barbarian’s flank and called “Come on!” and together, they allowed their horses to lengthen their strides into a flat-out gallop.
They flew over the grass.
Nicholas had to push Tamerlane to keep up with the flying bay, which said a great deal about The Barbarian’s caliber. Admittedly, Adriana rode much lighter than Nicholas. Nevertheless, The Barbarian’s style, strength, and speed were undeniably impressive.
The gallop wasn’t short and ended only when they reached the edge of the escarpment overlooking the western edge of the fens.
Exhilaration singing in her veins, Addie drew up just short of the escarpment’s lip, and Nicholas halted his big gray beside her. In perfect accord, as they had been throughout the gallop, while their breathing slowed, they sat and looked out over the fields to the far horizon. Below them, the land, green and lush in that season under a wide pale-blue sky streaked with wispy white, stretched to the distant shore of The Wash.
Since The Barbarian had arrived on the estate earlier that year, Addie had ridden him every few days. Although Rory always accompanied her, in reality, he never rodewithher; she and The Barbarian always forged far ahead. As soon as they hit a gallop, they were all but impossible to keep up with.
