Page 12 of How to Charm an Earl
Maeve blew out a breath, then set her teacup down on the table. “As we were saying…” She frowned. “We know you wish to see Athena, but she’s not here.”
“She’s not?” Why didn’t they say that already? What did he fail to understand? The butler could have told him that at the door. Why did they invite him in and make him wait to impart that news?
Isla shook her head. “She has returned home. To the country.”
He felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. “I don’t understand.” They had a good night. He’d kissed her. Roman wanted to kiss her again, and soon.
“It’s hard to explain,” Maeve began. “Suffice to say the ton isn’t welcoming. They make us all feel…inferior, and Athena decided to end her season early.”
What the bloody hell had happened? “I see…” Roman didn’t quite understand, but he could guess. He had heard some of the rumors. He would have to go to Athena. There was only one solution to this dilemma. She thought it best to withdraw from society, from their budding relationship. Roman didn’t accept that. He set his teacup down. “If you’ll pardon me.” He stood. “I must take my leave now. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“You’re going after her, aren’t you?” Isla asked as he reached the door.
He turned and smiled. “Of course I am.” There was no other answer to give her.
“Good,” she said and gave him a sad smile. “At least some men are brave enough to claim love when it is freely given.”
Roman sighed. His friend had made a grave error when he had set aside his own feelings. One day he’d tell the duke how much of a fool he had been, and if Thornridge was lucky, he wouldn’t be too late to claim the woman that held his heart.
“Have faith,” he told Isla. “One day, he might surprise you.”
“It’s too late for that,” she said. “Go. Athena needs you.”
Roman nodded and left the townhouse. He had a trip to plan for, and the love of his life to find.
Seven
Athena set her reticule on her bed, then flopped down next to it and sighed. It had been a long journey home, but she had finally arrived. Her reticule held the pendant from her mother’s box, and she hadn’t wanted to lose it. She should put it away to ensure that would never happen. It would be safe in her reticule a little while longer. Where would it disappear to in her own bedchamber?
She pulled the bell by her bed to summon her maid. Now that she was home, she wanted to go see her horse and then take a swift, exhilarating ride. It had taken her three extra days to make it back to the country estate. Her father had insisted that they travel at a more sedate pace, and the coachman hadn’t wanted to upset the Earl of Harwood. So he had followed her father’s instructions to the letter. They had stopped overnight at three inns on the journey home. If the coachman had listened to her and changed horses at each inn instead, she would have been home much sooner.
Her maid came into the bedchamber. “You need me, my lady?”
“Yes,” Athena said. “Help me out of this gown. I’m going for a ride.” She didn’t need assistance in to the trousers she used for riding, but the gown and her corset was impossible to remove on her own. Men’s garments were infinitely simpler to manage. A lady had too many laces and buttons to do them all on her own.
It didn’t take long for her maid to undo the buttons on the back of her dress. Athena stepped out of it and her maid hung it on a nearby hook to be cleaned and pressed later. “Do you wish to remove your stays as well?”
“I do,” Athena answered. “They are too constricting to ride in.” Isla had chastised her for removing them, but her older sister didn’t understand. Athena liked to breathe while she was racing through the fields. The last thing she needed was to faint while her horse galloped along. She’d be dead for sure once she fell off and broke her neck.
Her maid loosened the laces on her corset. Athena sighed as she pulled it off and set it on her bed. It was always a relief when she was able to remove her corset. She went over to her armoire and found her riding clothes, then quickly dressed. She sat on her bed and pulled on her riding boots. Another item that was usually reserved for men and she’d had made specially for her. Luckily, none of the shops in town wanted to offend her father and had reluctantly agreed to make the items for her. Though the bootmaker was easier than the tailor to convince. They were not as good as Hessians, but she didn’t care. They were not something she wore out in society. All Athena needed was something comfortable and durable.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be,” she told her maid. “I’ll ring for you when I’m back in my chamber if I need your assistance.”
“Very well, my lady,” she replied, then curtsied. “I’ll unpack your trunks and have everything organized for you.”
“Thank you,” Athena replied. She smiled. “It’s so good to be home.”
That smile remained on her face all the way to the stables until she reached Hades’ stall. Her horse made a loud whinny when she stroked his mane. “Did you miss me” She held out some sugar cubes for him and he licked them off her hand. “I definitely missed you. Let’s go for a ride.”
Athena gestured toward a stable hand to help her. She prepared Hades herself as much as possible. Once the saddle was secured, she led Hades over to a mounting block. She could climb on without one, but she preferred the extra help when it was available. Her bag of snacks, along with her mother’s journal, was already in her saddlebag. She had made a lot of progress since she’d first started reading it. There wasn’t much left of the journal and she would have to pass it on to Maeve. Isla wanted to be the last to read it.
She kept Hades at a sedate walk until they were some distance from the house. Then she pressed her knee into his side to tell him she wanted to go faster. Hades took off and raced across the field. Athena leaned down and enjoyed the wind whipping across her face. There was no better feeling than riding her horse as fast as she could. She pulled back on the reins. It was time to slow down. They had already gone farther than usual. The pond she normally stopped at passed by in a whirlwind. Perhaps she should circle back…
Hades buckled when he stepped into a hole, and she went flying off his back. Athena hit the ground hard, but fortunately, Hades had already slowed. Her pride was more bruised than anything. She started to pull herself up and winced. Her hip burned with pain, and every movement sent a sharp ache through her.
Hoofbeats pounded on the ground. It wasn’t Hades. Her horse, thank heavens, hadn’t been injured either. He trotted next to her and whinnied. Athena glanced around her and that’s when she noticed him. Another rider was barreling towards them at a breakneck speed. He slowed down as he reached her. “Are you all right?” he asked.
She frowned. “Why are you here?” The Earl of Kendal, Roman, had come for her. Athena was certain of it.
