and saw Franny with her back to me and Julian with his hand on her arm. The touch seemed remarkably familiar and Franny’s giggle and flattering pink cheeks seemed to be encouraging Julian. His hand moved to her waist to pull her close, and then I quickly stepped out and coughed.
They jumped back from each other, and Franny’s cheeks reddened even more.
"I'm sorry miss, we did not see you--"
"Franny was just reminding me where my room was, I get lost in these big old houses..." I stormed past them and up the stairs to my room.
Why was I so angry at him? He had no attachment to me, especially considering that I despised him so openly. I would be glad to see him leave Rhineholt.
* * *
When I met Celia in the stable, she was dressed in a dark red riding habit with a matching hat. It was notably becoming with her dark hair and eyes. My habit was a terribly plain gray, but it made me look older. Julian led a large, dark horse, which I did not recognize, from the stable. He must have noticed the look on my face.
"Not to worry, I am only riding with you until you get to the end of the property, then you ladies are on your own. I have to go into town to see if Leo’s arrived, so you shan’t see me anymore. A change that I believe will make you happy,” Julian said. Even after I climbed onto Perseus, who was certainly large for a young girl, Julian towered over me. Celia was on my Uncle's horse, Maximilian, a beauty, taller than Perseus and white all over.
"Shall we?" she asked, and we all flicked our horses into motion.
Celia told me about her own season in London, about the gowns, gloves and balls and I began to wonder if I'd enjoy something like that.
Julian said, "I'm sure that our little Tamsin will have all the dresses and suitors she can handle. There is a shortage of red hair in London, I hear." I blushed.
The thought of having to someday dance with him at my coming out ball nauseated me. He seemed to like the fact that I so obviously had a special sort of dislike for him.
As we approached the spot where Julian would part from us, we pulled up for a moment, and Julian's hand went up to signal us to stop.
"What is it?" Celia asked, and before Julian could answer, a deer leapt out before us and darted across the road. All the horses spooked, and Perseus took off, darting into the thickness of the woods. It was not at all like him. I pulled back on the reins trying to stop him, but also holding on for my life. I turned my head for a moment, calling back to Celia. I could not see her or Julian behind me, but I heard Julian's voice.
He was yelling to me, "Pull the reins tight! Pull them!" I pulled, but to no avail. Tears were on my cheeks and I could no longer hear the voices of my companions. I began to panic.
I tried my best to stop the horse, pleading with him. Perseus had taken me to a part of the woods I was not familiar with. He just kept going, farther and farther, deeper into the woods. Just when I realized we were coming out of the woods, finally, it became clear to me that we were headed straight for a cliff.
"Please Perseus! Please stop!" I cried, tears stinging my eyes.
He reared back, standing straight up on his hind legs. I was barely able to hold on, and just as he came back down, the reins snapped, and I slid from the saddle landing on my back. A moment longer and I might have landed on one of the rocks far below. Perseus scrambled at the edge of the cliff and a loud cracking noise echoed. He fell sideways and I shrieked. He landed a short distance from my knees. Any closer and I would've been crushed. Any closer to the edge and we’d have both gone over.
The horse let out a gut-wrenching noise, and I realized that his leg was broken. I tried to get up to move toward Perseus, to offer some kind of comfort, but I felt a sharp pain in my ankle. There was a large wound on my leg that had already spilled enough blood to turn an expanding area of my skirt wet. I heard one last grunt from Perseus as
They jumped back from each other, and Franny’s cheeks reddened even more.
"I'm sorry miss, we did not see you--"
"Franny was just reminding me where my room was, I get lost in these big old houses..." I stormed past them and up the stairs to my room.
Why was I so angry at him? He had no attachment to me, especially considering that I despised him so openly. I would be glad to see him leave Rhineholt.
* * *
When I met Celia in the stable, she was dressed in a dark red riding habit with a matching hat. It was notably becoming with her dark hair and eyes. My habit was a terribly plain gray, but it made me look older. Julian led a large, dark horse, which I did not recognize, from the stable. He must have noticed the look on my face.
"Not to worry, I am only riding with you until you get to the end of the property, then you ladies are on your own. I have to go into town to see if Leo’s arrived, so you shan’t see me anymore. A change that I believe will make you happy,” Julian said. Even after I climbed onto Perseus, who was certainly large for a young girl, Julian towered over me. Celia was on my Uncle's horse, Maximilian, a beauty, taller than Perseus and white all over.
"Shall we?" she asked, and we all flicked our horses into motion.
Celia told me about her own season in London, about the gowns, gloves and balls and I began to wonder if I'd enjoy something like that.
Julian said, "I'm sure that our little Tamsin will have all the dresses and suitors she can handle. There is a shortage of red hair in London, I hear." I blushed.
The thought of having to someday dance with him at my coming out ball nauseated me. He seemed to like the fact that I so obviously had a special sort of dislike for him.
As we approached the spot where Julian would part from us, we pulled up for a moment, and Julian's hand went up to signal us to stop.
"What is it?" Celia asked, and before Julian could answer, a deer leapt out before us and darted across the road. All the horses spooked, and Perseus took off, darting into the thickness of the woods. It was not at all like him. I pulled back on the reins trying to stop him, but also holding on for my life. I turned my head for a moment, calling back to Celia. I could not see her or Julian behind me, but I heard Julian's voice.
He was yelling to me, "Pull the reins tight! Pull them!" I pulled, but to no avail. Tears were on my cheeks and I could no longer hear the voices of my companions. I began to panic.
I tried my best to stop the horse, pleading with him. Perseus had taken me to a part of the woods I was not familiar with. He just kept going, farther and farther, deeper into the woods. Just when I realized we were coming out of the woods, finally, it became clear to me that we were headed straight for a cliff.
"Please Perseus! Please stop!" I cried, tears stinging my eyes.
He reared back, standing straight up on his hind legs. I was barely able to hold on, and just as he came back down, the reins snapped, and I slid from the saddle landing on my back. A moment longer and I might have landed on one of the rocks far below. Perseus scrambled at the edge of the cliff and a loud cracking noise echoed. He fell sideways and I shrieked. He landed a short distance from my knees. Any closer and I would've been crushed. Any closer to the edge and we’d have both gone over.
The horse let out a gut-wrenching noise, and I realized that his leg was broken. I tried to get up to move toward Perseus, to offer some kind of comfort, but I felt a sharp pain in my ankle. There was a large wound on my leg that had already spilled enough blood to turn an expanding area of my skirt wet. I heard one last grunt from Perseus as
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