An absentee landlord the earl may have been, but his home showed no sign of neglect. The lawns, vibrant with the new spring, were finely clipped to a short, uniform length. Shrubberies and flower beds proclaimed the husbandry of many busy hands. Everywhere early blossoms contributed wild splashes of color, vivid against the green. To the east of the lake an orchard hugged the shoreline, its sprawling horizontal branches a mass of blossoms.
While Katherine’s gaze was taking in the beauty of the Hampshire spring, her mind was dwelling once again on the unexpected consideration her husband had shown her the night before.
She had determined to put James entirely from her mind and fulfill the vows she made to her husband. Rudley had been an unfailing friend from her first days in London; he had reached far below his station in offering for her, thereby doing her a great honor; he had unknowingly delivered her from the power of Sir Humphrey and provided unselfishly for the future of her sister. For all these things she owed him an immense debt. To repay this debt in some small part she was prepared to submit to all he demanded. But no sooner had he kissed her than her traitorous mind returned to James and the love she had lost. She was furious at the tears that had undermined her resolution and betrayed her. Yet she was touched by Rudley’s delicacy and forbearance.
When the maid gently reminded Katherine that his lordship awaited her belowstairs, she reluctantly left the window and hurried to dress. Some minutes later she entered the breakfast parlor to find that her husband had finished eating and was sipping coffee, a copy of the
Times
propped against a vase of oxeye daisies on the table before him. He came to his feet as a footman moved to hold a chair for her.
“You slept well, Katherine?” he asked.
“Yes, indeed!” she replied. “I am greatly refreshed—and hungry.”
“There is plenty of time to eat. I have ordered the horses for ten o’clock.”
She needed no further urging and helped herself from several dishes the footman offered. She ate her fill of poached eggs, broiled ham, delicious bread still warm from the oven, and fresh strawberries and cream. Since Rudley refrained from engaging her in conversation, offering instead to read several items from the paper to her while she ate, her meal was soon finished.
The morning was one of the brightest in recent weeks, and it was a good omen, Katherine thought, for her first ride at her new home. As they descended the steps to the horses, Katherine exclaimed with delight, “Karma! How does she come to be here?”
“Marcus agreed to sell her to me shortly after our engagement. I had her sent down last week, along with several others from my London stable. I have been wanting to make you a present of her; now that we are married, it is entirely proper for me to do so.”
Katherine smiled warmly at him. “Thank you, my lord. What a generous gift!”
“You are welcome to try anything in the stables that takes your fancy,” he continued, “but I thought for today, with your eyes on the scenery, you would prefer Karma.”
“Are you giving permission, my lord, for me to ride
any
horse I choose?” With the emphasis on
any
and her mischievous eyes on his bay stallion, she won an immediate response.
“My personal riding horses are not accustomed to the sidesaddle, my girl.”
“But I recall telling you, sir, that I ride equally well astride,” she said flippantly, a twinkle in her eye.
He cast her a withering glance. “That was some years ago, I believe.” Then in a teasingly formal tone he added, “But come, Katherine, you are now a married woman. If such hoydenish behavior was acceptable in the wilds of Lincolnshire, believe me, it will not do for the Countess of Rudley.”
She smiled in response. “I will try to remember, sir, to conduct myself with all due propriety.”
“Which means you must refrain from jumping the cemetery fence,” he said, “no matter how great the temptation.”
“I believe I will be able to resist,” she replied, smiling more broadly. “That is one lesson I learned well.”
The morning air was crisp, the horses fresh, and the ride delightful. They started off toward the stables and continued along the far side of the lake, finally stopping at a spot directly opposite the bridge. Their path had taken them uphill, and as they turned to look back upon Rudley Court, Katherine could see why the earl had brought her here. There was a fine view of the house with no trees to mar it. The entire structure was light gray stone, weathered over the years to a soft, ageless beauty. They were high enough to see a portion of the park behind the house; the semiformal gardens there contained large areas of carefully groomed lawn contrasting with the darker hues of the shrubbery and trees. Beyond the park to the south stood several densely wooded areas, and in a small valley perhaps a mile distant she could see the steeple of a church and the roofs of several cottages.
“That is the village of Rudley,” the earl said. “Several miles beyond and farther west is Weiring, the Ashley estate, where my mother was born. We will ride there one day. The property is considerably smaller than Rudley Court but much older; it has a special charm.”
Later they visited with several of the earl’s tenants, some of whom he had not seen for years. The news of his marriage had spread quickly. Everywhere they stopped, they met with warm wishes and congratulations.
When they returned from their ride, the earl showed Katherine through the house. In visiting the extensive kitchens they encountered Rudley’s cook, Mrs. Simpson, who offered to meet with Katherine to review the menus and make any desired changes.
“That was good of her,” Katherine commented when they left the kitchens behind, “but I would not wish to interfere with her plans.”
“You need do nothing regarding the menus, if you prefer,” Rudley said. “It was her way of showing you she is pleased to have you here and that your comments would be welcome.”
In the days to come Katherine encountered the same cooperation in all of the servants at Rudley. It was obvious that their devotion to the earl and his family was exceedingly strong. They were willing to accept her simply because she was the earl’s choice.
Before he retired that evening, Rudley considerably shocked his valet by asking him to search through the trunks in the attics. He wanted Wiggin to procure for him, if he could, a pair of his youngest brother John’s riding breeches from when he had been perhaps fifteen years of age.
* * * *
Katherine was awakened by a quiet tapping. She sat up, not certain from where the sound came. Her room was wrapped in intense blackness. The knock sounded again and, now fully awake, she realized it came from the door connecting her apartments to her husband’s. A pale light shimmered through the crack beneath the door. She slipped quickly from her bed and padded silently across the room.
“Yes. What is it?” she asked quietly.
The earl’s voice answered. “May I see you for a moment, Katherine? I have something for you.”
The door was not locked, and Katherine reached to open it. Then, just as her fingers touched the latch, she hesitated. She released it and took a step backward. “Surely it is very late, my lord.”
“Actually, it is quite early.” She thought he sounded amused. “Open the door, Katherine,
please.”
His bantering tone made her hesitance seem silly, and she knew she had no right to refuse such a civil request. She took the handle firmly and swung the door wide. Her husband stood on the threshold, not in the nightshirt and dressing gown she had expected but fully dressed for riding in frock coat, buckskin breeches, and top boots. He carried a slim taper in one hand and what appeared to be a bundle of clothing in the other.
As the light from his candle fell upon his wife, Rudley was quick to take in the details of her appearance. She wore only her nightgown of fine white cotton, delicately embroidered over the bodice, falling to brush the carpet at her feet. Her hair, which he had never seen loose, hung in soft waves to her waist. It appeared thick and lustrous in the candlelight.
Rudley pushed the bundle of clothing into her arms and handed her the taper. “Here,” he said, “put these on and meet me at the stables in twenty minutes.” Then he turned and was gone, closing the door behind him.
Katherine stared at the bundle. It was a pair of men’s riding breeches and a shirt and jacket to match!
She did as her husband asked. She used the taper to light several candles and then hurried into the shirt and breeches, finding the fit adequate. She quickly brushed her hair back from her face and secured it tightly at the nape of her neck with a broad ribbon, for she had no time and no one to help her put it up in the customary way. She pulled on her own fine leather riding boots and, taking up the jacket, made her way quietly through the passageway and down the stairs to the front door, which she found unbolted. Leaving her candle on the hall table, she slipped noiselessly outside.
She could see the dawn breaking in the east, and even though it was still rather dark she easily made her way to the stables. Upon entering, she saw a light burning to her right and turned toward it. Just ahead her husband was leading out Tortuga, the big bay he had ridden yesterday, already saddled.
“My lord!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing?”
He turned to look at her, an appreciative gleam in his eyes as he regarded her slim figure in boy’s attire. “Well, you were certainly quick, my dear. And may I say you look charming?”
“You may,” she replied, blushing. “But you have not answered my question.”
“Here, hold him for me, will you?” He thrust Tortuga’s reins into her hands. “Take care he does not tread upon your feet. He is feeling rather fresh.”
Katherine had no trouble holding the horse, but she did have some difficulty believing her eyes as she watched the earl step into the next loose box and proceed to saddle Navigator, the impressive chestnut he had often ridden in London.
She finally found her voice. “Do you seriously intend to let me ride one of these?”
“Yes, certainly,” he answered. “The choice is yours.”
“But I have never ridden a stallion before!” she exclaimed.
“You will find either of these as well behaved as any horse you have ridden,” he said, “but there is a difference in strength and stamina.” He had finished saddling Navigator and, leaving him in the stall, returned to Katherine.
Her eyes were wide and shining. “I was only teasing you yesterday,” she said. “It is not necessary for you to share your favorite horses with me.”
“Are you crying off then?” he challenged.
“No. No, I’m not! I would love to ride one of them.”
“Then make your choice, but quickly, for we must be on our way and back again before people are up and about. We cannot risk having anyone see the new Lady Rudley in such scandalous attire.’’
“Navigator has not been out for several days,” she reasoned aloud, “so I think I should be safest with Tortuga since you rode him only yesterday.” Her decision made, Rudley led Tortuga into the stable-yard. Taking Katherine’s foot in his hand, he tossed her easily into the saddle. “This feels strange,” Katherine said, as she settled herself on the tall horse. “It has been a long time since I last rode astride.”
Rudley maintained his grip on the bridle as she adjusted the stirrups to the proper length. “How long has it been?” he asked. “Are you sure you care to try it?”
“I think I was fourteen when I last rode so,” she said, “but I daresay one does not forget. I most assuredly wish to go. Such an opportunity cannot be expected every day!”
He allowed her to gather the reins and within a few moments he, too, was mounted. They trotted off down the tree-lined drive just as the sun broke over the horizon. Ninety minutes later they returned to the stable-yard and ran directly into Henderson, his lordship’s head groom.
“You are out early, m’lord,” Henderson said. “Good morning, m’lady.” His tone was formally polite and nothing in his manner suggested that he saw anything extraordinary either in his mistress being dressed in men’s clothing or in her riding one of Lord Rudley’s most spirited horses astride. He took hold of both bridles as the riders dismounted. “If you had told me last night, m’lord, that you wished to ride this morning, I would have had the horses brought round for you.”
“It was a last-minute decision, Henderson, and I saw no reason to trouble you.’’
“It would have been no trouble, m’lord.” He walked away leading the horses, and Katherine turned toward the house.
“We can get in through the side door in our wing,’’ Rudley said. “I have a key,” he added, as he produced it from his pocket.
Katherine was laughing. “You look like a guilty schoolboy, my lord.”
“Henderson has always affected me so,” he replied, smiling. “He is never precisely critical but manages to be so disapproving that Oliver and I have always had the hardest time pleasing him. He has such definite notions of what is right and wrong, but he is the best man with horses I have ever known.”
“He clearly disapproves of your saddling for yourself,” Katherine commented, then added wickedly, “I must admit to a certain degree of astonishment myself that your lordship possesses such a skill.”
He had turned the key in the lock, but as he swung the door open he paused to stare down at her, one eyebrow raised. “His lordship is also skilled in dealing with impertinent young ladies who are careless enough to tempt him too far.’’
If he had any intention of making good on this threat, Katherine chose not to wait to find out. When he turned to close the door behind them, she darted ahead of him up the back stairs, speaking over her shoulder. “Thank you for the ride. I had a marvelous time.”
“So did I,” he replied, watching until she disappeared at the top of the stairway. He gazed after her for a moment, then with a shake of his head strolled off down the passageway toward the breakfast parlor.
When her maid came to waken her, Katherine was back in bed, her infamous riding clothes hidden away. Alongside the chocolate on her breakfast tray lay a note. There were only a few lines.