Page 21 of Empowered By the Earl (Second Sons of London 3)

He moved to Galahad and swung up into the saddle.

“We’re going to walk our horses now. Follow my lead. Hold your reins in both hands. Don’t yank back on them. You wouldn’t want your head jerked back and neither does Fancy. Gently nudge her with your thigh.”

Louisa did as instructed and Fancy began to move. She tried to calm her beating heart, though she didn’t know if it was pounding so because it had been so long since she had been on a horse—or if she was still reacting to Owen touching her as he lifted her onto Fancy’s back.

He guided Galahad next to her so they could speak as the horses moved at a leisurely pace.

“Hold your reins firmly in your hands but leave a little slack so you can steer Fancy where you want to go. Remember, you are in charge. She isn’t. Never let her get the idea that she is.”

“All right,” she said, making sure that she breathed in and out slowly while keeping her body relaxed.

They moved first toward the house and then down the lane that led up to the house. Owen let her concentrate on what she was doing but remained by her side. She asked him a few questions and he responded.

“You seem to know what you are doing,” he said.

“So far. Picking up the pace might challenge me a bit but I know I need to trot.”

“Did you ever have an accident on a horse? Ever fall from one?”

“No. I simply lack recent experience in riding. I would go to visit Adalyn and Tessa in the summers when Mama was alive. We would ride a couple of times a week but there were always other things to do. That meant I was on a horse perhaps eight or ten times at the most until the next year. I always understood the basics but I didn’t get to practice my skills once we returned to town.”

“Your father does not have stables?”

“Papa is a second son. While he is Sir Edgar, having been knighted for his work for the crown, he makes but a decent wage. We have no mews. No carriage or horses. We hire a hackney cab when we want to go somewhere. In town, Adalyn’s parents live only a few doors away and I walk to see her. Living with Lord and Lady Uxbridge this past Season, I rode in their carriage totonevents.”

“Practice is important in anything, especially when learning to ride. Hopefully, we can go out every day until the house party begins and allow you to gain that valuable experience. Once you return to town, you might see if your uncle will allow you to ride a mount from his stables and keep your skills fresh.”

“I will go to the country first with my aunt and uncle. Or at least, that is what I had planned until I learned Adalyn was with child.”

“Will you stay with her?”

Louisa shrugged. “She wishes me to remain after the house party. I hate doing so because she and Everett are still newlyweds. I don’t want to encroach on their privacy.”

He chuckled. “When they want their privacy, they will retreat to their bedchambers.”

She sensed her cheeks heating. “Yes, they have already done so.”

“Then you should stay. You can find ways to entertain yourself while they do... other things.” He cleared his throat. “Besides, you might even find a husband at the house party and leave to make a home somewhere for yourself.”

“I hadn’t really thought of that. Actually, I haven’t thought too terribly much about marriage. I suppose you think that’s foolish, someone my age not having considered it, but I have always been too busy either running our household or helping Papa with his work.” She hesitated.

“Go on,” he encouraged.

“I was actually disappointed during this Season. With Papa in Austria, it was the first time I had attended the full slate of events. I went to balls. Routs. Tea parties. The theatre. I just supposed I would find an interesting, kind man and that things would work out between us.”

“And that didn’t happen. Instead, you found yourself bored.”

She nodded. “Frankly, I did. It makes me question if I truly do want to seek a marriage or find something else to do with my life. Papa would be more than happy if I stayed with him.”

“But he won’t always be here, Louisa. You must look to your future.”

“You’re right. I truly want children and that certainly means finding a spouse. We’ll see what this house party brings.”

Louisa could feel his gaze upon her but she kept her eyes focused on the road ahead.

“Shall we try and pick up the pace?” he asked. “If we venture down the main road half a mile, there is an entrance to the meadow. Remaining in a confined space while we trot is a good idea.”

“I will bow to your wishes,” she told him.

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