Unfortunately, she had nothing to disguise her tongue.
“That was more difficult than I anticipated,” she blurted out as she braced her feet on solid ground.
There was no immediate response. Perhaps she’d said it low enough that no one other than the horse had heard?
She glanced sideways at Mr. Barley’s stunned face. Mr. Whitworth’s expression was so blank that it had to be deliberate.
They’d heard.
She lifted her chin, folded one hand around the reins, and buried the other in Equinox’s mane. “All told, I think I did sufficiently well.”
Mr. Barley grunted.
Mr. Whitworth said nothing.
The stable lad who appeared to collect the horse avoided her eyes entirely.
She curled her hand tighter around the reins, hoping the bite of leather into her palm would remind her to keep her mouth shut.
It didn’t work.
“I didn’t fall out of the saddle, which is a feat you might not fully appreciate, given you’ve likely never ridden aside. Fortunately, the saddle didn’t slip. I admit that was somewhat of a concern.”
Stop talking, Sophia.
“There were several onlookers, I’m sure you noticed. Some were impressed. One man remarked on my fine seat.”
Mr. Barley spluttered, Mr. Whitworth blushed, and Sophia realized the man’s comment hadn’t necessarily been complimentary. Heat spread over her cheeks, and she cursed her fair skin and lack of makeup.
The stable boy tried to tug the reins from her hand, but Sophia thought she’d be better off biting the leather than relinquishing it. Anything to stop herself from talking.
“I need the horse, miss,” the lad said quietly.
Sophia’s cheeks flamed more as she pried her fingers loose and crossed her arms over her chest. Forcing herself to meet Mr. Whitworth’s gaze, she asked, “What else will I be doing today?”
Mr. Barley took the cap off his head and banged it twice against his leg before slapping it back atop his thinning hair. “Same time tomorrow will do fine.”
Mr. Whitworth didn’t contradict the trainer, though Sophia wished he would. Her days were going to be incredibly long if she had no tasks aside from these hours of learning, but she wouldn’t push him for permission to haul feed or muck stalls.
Couldn’t he say something, though? A word of praise or even censure would give her a sense of where she stood.
It shouldn’t matter, so long as he didn’t fire her, but it did. She was drawn to this man. Something about the quiet in his eyes and the way there seemed to be so much more going on in his head than he let on.
She wanted him to approve of her.
Complaining or staring at him in a silent battle she was doomed to lose was more likely to antagonize him than impress him, so she gave a single nod and left the yard.
Every eye was on her as she departed. She knew the difference between looks filled with awe and admiration and those heavy with speculation and suspicion. She was most definitely experiencing the latter.
Because those watching would expect her to go into town, she headed that direction. Hopefully the streets of Newmarket would be busy enough she could lose herself among the people and find a way to circle back to the trees to await Jonas.
No such luck.
She was nearly as infamous in town as she’d been in the training yard. People pointed and stared, preventing her from slipping down a side street or hiding in an alcove. Some women crossed the street to avoid her. Some men leered in such a way that she crossed the street to avoid them.
What was she supposed to do? She didn’t know anyone in town or have any possessions or property to see to. Even if she had any money, she wouldn’t spend it on frivolous shopping. When was the last time she’d had five minutes with nothing to do, much less five hours?
On the premise of adjusting her shoe, she stepped into a small alley and leaned against the side of a building to observe the other people. What were they doing with their afternoon?
Several men went in and out of the area taverns. Women strolled about, looking in shop windows and occasionally stepping inside. Curiosity almost propelled her to choose a pair of women walking arm in arm and follow them simply to see what ladies of leisure did with their day. Instead, she eased farther and farther into the alley until no one from the main street could see her, then worked her way behind buildings until she was back outside of town and headed toward the meeting spot.
Jonas might not return for hours, but her only other option was to go to her attic room, lie on the bed, and stare at the ceiling. She’d rather watch the clouds go by while she dreamed of the riding school she would one day have.
AARON’S LIFE COULD be divided into two sections by one very distinct moment in time—the day he’d met Oliver and Graham.
Before them, his life had certainly been simpler, though devoid of much joy. After them, things had gotten both better and more complicated. To survive, he’d broken his new life into different realities. It had taken him a while to determine where everything went, but several years ago, he’d settled into a comfortable division.
Each reality had its own rules, its own connections, and its own ramifications. If he carefully managed how much time he spent in each reality, his life remained in balance. He didn’t entertain illusions of grandeur or start thinking he could attain that which was never meant to be his. Nor did he fall into the doldrums of melancholy and self-loathing, or worse, self-pity.
But those lines were blurring now, and the balance was slipping away. Oliver’s interest in the horses was making their friendship bleed into Aaron’s professional life. Not to mention the fact that Aaron’s relationship with his newest employer, Hudson, was far from the strict professionalism he’d anticipated.
Because of that friendship, he’d agreed to open the gate to his family life, such as it was. Of all the walls coming down around him, this one terrified him the most.
Hudson wasn’t happy about Miss Fitzroy’s employment, and really, Aaron didn’t blame him. Hudson was furiously working to earn the respect of Newmarket’s racing populace, and attaching his name, even distantly, to a potential scandal wouldn’t help matters.
There was one other thing he desperately wanted, and though Aaron had promised to attempt to get it for him, he hadn’t done anything about it yet. Perhaps if he got things in motion, his friend would be pleased enough to overlook Aaron’s misstep.
Even better if Aaron could work out a deal that didn’t cost Hudson a small fortune.
That was a long shot, given what he was after, but he’d still gone ahead and sent a message to Lord Rigsby yesterday afternoon.
Now Aaron had to put the last of his guiding life principles aside and meet with the one man he’d spent most of his life avoiding.
Until a few weeks ago, it had been at least a decade since he’d exchanged more than a nod of greeting with his legitimate half brother and four years since he’d done even that. Their recent encounter on the Heath had surprised them both.
They’d done little more than lay eyes on each other before Aaron departed the area, assuming he knew the sort of man his half brother was. Now he had to question his entire opinion of the man.
Aaron had left the particulars of this meeting up to Lord Rigsby. Instead of choosing his own stable or home, or even an elegant club or restaurant, the man had selected tea in a private dining room at an inn in a nearby village.