“I’m not entirely certain, but I hope to find out at our next meeting.” As Harry drew the gig to a stop, she asked, “Why are there two grooms?”
“Jakes is here to watch over my gig during your lesson. I was going to do it, but Trask thought I should ride with you.”
“Of course you should.” Selina didn’t think she could have done it if he wasn’t with her.
He grinned at her. “It’s so nice to be wanted.”
“You are.” The words slipped from her mouth before she knew she meant to say them. She did want him—and not just as a riding instructor or a lover. He made her feel wanted too. And safe. It was a strange and heady sensation.
Harry hopped out of the gig and came around to help her down. Jakes, a young man with ink-dark hair and round cheeks, took over the management of the vehicle, and Harry thanked him for doing so.
“Good morning,” Harry said to Trask as they approached the horses.
“’Morning, Mr. Sheffield.” Trask inclined his head, then turned to Selina. He offered her a bow. “My lady.”
It had taken some time for Selina to grow used to being called “my lady,” and she still wasn’t sure she liked it. But then everything felt wrong of late—except Harry. “Good morning, Trask.”
The groom pulled the hat tight onto his head as he straightened. In his fifties, he had a grizzled appearance, as if he’d seen a great many things, and not all of them pleasant. He also had a twinkle in his blue eyes and a fan of creases from their edges that indicated he had a sense of humor. Selina relaxed a little.
“Mr. Sheffield says you are new to riding, so I suggested he review the fundamentals, such as whether you’ve ever talked to a horse.”
“Trask thinks that’s critically important,” Harry said with a touch of humor.
Selina smiled, looking from Trask to Harry. “Yes. I know how to drive.”
“I didn’t know that.” Harry raked her with an appreciative glance.
“What will I be learning today?” Selina asked Harry.
“How to mount. Then we’ll take a walk. How does that sound?”
“Like just enough.” She let out a high-pitched laugh.
Harry came toward her and lightly touched her back. “Don’t be nervous,” he whispered. “Come meet Hyacinth.”
He walked with her to the horse who bore the sidesaddle. Smaller than Harry’s mount, she possessed warm eyes that seemed to reflect her docility.
Selina paid close attention as Harry explained the saddle and how it differed from a men’s saddle. Already, she decided this was another area in which women were given short shrift.
“You’re sure it’s not a problem that I’m not wearing a riding habit?” She didn’t have one, of course. Nor did she have money to have one made, which was just another thing that weighed on her mind. This deception was getting harder and harder to support. And she was frankly losing her will to do so.
Harry gave her a reassuring smile. “It may be a little snug, but it will do. Ready to mount?”
She nodded, and Harry moved his hand to clasp her waist. The connection jolted straight to her core, reminding her of the more intimate ways he’d touched her yesterday. She resisted the urge to press back against him.
“You’re going to put your left foot in the stirrup there.” He pointed with his free hand. “I’m going to lift you. Then you’ll swing your right leg up and bend it around the pommel.” He gestured to the round protrusion at the front of the saddle.
“What if Hyacinth moves?”
“She won’t, but Trask will be holding the lead. You’re quite safe.”
Selina exchanged a look with the groom, who had a firm grip on the lead rope. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“Put your hands up on the saddle to help lift your body. Ready?” Harry spoke near her ear, and she tried not to think of how close his lips were.
“Yes.”
Both of his hands gripped her, one pushing beneath her backside, as he lifted her up. She did as he’d instructed, putting one foot in the stirrup and curling her right knee around the pommel. The fabric of her gown pulled, and she saw right away why a habit with its voluminous skirts was necessary.
She looked down at him as she tried to find security in her seat. “Wouldn’t it just be easier if I wore breeches and rode like a man?”
He laughed. “Probably. But unacceptable, which is too bad.” His gaze moved over her with a promising heat that only fanned the flames of her desire. He stared a moment too long at her backside, and she wondered if he was thinking of the way he’d just caressed her. She certainly was.
Harry handed her the reins. “Take these. You’ll need them.” He winked at her. “Trask is going to hold the lead, however, so you won’t really need to steer. Not today.”
That implied there would be other days. She thought of the life she’d envisioned yesterday when she’d been with Luther. She and Harry together. He could finish teaching her to ride.
As much as she wanted that, she couldn’t see it happening.
“Now, try not to lean forward,” Harry instructed. “Center your weight on your right thigh. It will take some getting used to.” When she did so, he continued. “This is when talking to your horse comes into play—you’ll tell Hyacinth to ‘walk,’ and she will follow your command.”
“It’s really that simple?”
“For now, yes. Things will get a touch more complicated when we move faster, but that won’t happen today.”
She narrowed her eyes at him dubiously. “What, exactly, is a touch?”
“Well, it’s not a specific form of measurement,” he said, grinning. “Knowing you as I do, I feel confident in saying it will not be beyond your ability. Will that suffice?”
Knowing her as he did. She did think they’d come to know each other rather well and was pleased to hear he thought so too. “Yes. I trust you.”
The realization that she did made her breath catch. She never trusted anyone. And he would never trust her, not if he knew the truth.
Don’t think about that just now. Enjoy this moment.
“Ready to walk?” Harry asked, interrupting her thoughts, for which she was most grateful.
“Yes.” She watched as he went and leapt effortlessly atop his horse.
Harry steered his mount next to hers. “You know what to do next.”
Gripping the reins more tightly than was probably necessary, Selina made herself relax. “Walk.”
Hyacinth stepped forward, moving sedately as Trask held the lead rope. The sidesaddle was not particularly comfortable, nor was her position. She could see how this would take plenty of getting used to. As Hyacinth moved, Selina felt every shift of the animal’s muscles and seemingly every pebble on the ground.
“How on earth is it possible to canter like this?” she asked Harry, who walked beside her.
He laughed. “Carefully. And not until you have more skill. You’ll get there, however, even if it doesn’t feel like it.”
“How long did it take you to learn to canter?”
Harry grimaced. “About five minutes, much to the groom’s horror.”