by Sky Winters
“You know that that silk dress is too constricting for me to ride in,” she pointed out, hating to ruin the sweetness of the moment and her other’s obvious joy.
“That is my plan girl. My need you as restricted as possible or you will be off jumping fences, terrify the poor man,” her mother said, staring at the remaining dresses.
“Mother,” he sighed.
“And you will not ride that hellish beast of yours,” her mother continued.
“Zeus is not a hellish beast,” she argued.
“Yes he is. Your father was too indulgent when he bought you the creature. He is not a horse fit for a lady,” her mother said, a stormy look on her face as she spoke.
“You know how dearly I love that horse,” she continued passionately. He had been a gift from her father for her sixteenth birthday and she had ridden him nearly every day since. He was a stallion, black as coal and smart as a whip. In her humble opinion, there was no better horse.
“Yes, of course I do. Still, wait until the man is in love with you before you reveal that side of yourself,” her mother said as though she were offering her the secret to life.
“I do not want him to love me,” she said bluntly.
“You should. You will find no better match,” her mother pushed, unwilling to accept her opposition.
“Alright mother, but if I am not to ride him to the picnic, then I will have to have a groom exercise him tomorrow afternoon after the Daniels arrive. Is that alright?” she asked, trying to hide her ulterior motivation from her mother. Luckily, her usually suspicious mother was too consumed with her own plotting to realize what Charity was up to.
“Of course. What do I care what the grooms do with your beast,” her mother said dismissively.
“Yes Mother,” she said with a sly smile, already excited for the following afternoon.
“Now go and try on the purple brocade. I think it will be lovely for their first dinner with us,” her mother urged.
“Brocade to a small dinner?” she asked, a bit shocked at the suggestion.
“Yes. When will you trust that I know best?” her mother asked, annoyed.
“If you think it best mother, I will do as you say,” she said, knowing when not to push her luck.
“Good girl. Now hurry. When we finish I need to go talk to cook about the meals while they are with us,” she said with a triumphant smile. Gwen got her in to the dress in record time, knowing how eager the countess was to make the final selection.
“What do you think?” Charity asked as she stepped out in the purple dress.
“You are a vision. No man could resist you,” her mother said as she hugged her warmly.
“What if I do not want a man who loves me only for the figure that I cut in a dress?” she asked, the sadness plain in her eyes.
“You need only to catch his eye with your appearance. Then, your conversation and manners will do the rest,” mother said, trying to comfort her in her own way.
Chapter 3
On the day that the Daniel’s family arrived at their estate, Charity’s mother was in a tizzy the entire day, ensuring that every detail was perfect. As the chain of carriages pulled up to the front of the house, her mother would accept to excuses for why Charity would not be in the drawing room to greet them. As they entered the room, the entire family proved to be just as formal and stuffy as she had thought they would be.
His mother was barely five feet tall, with her mousy hair pulled so tightly back that it was a wonder to Charity that the woman could keep from passing out. His father was at least 6 feet tall with greying black hair and possessed all of the airs that one expected from an earl. Edmund, for his part, was not unpleasant to look at. He stood a few inches taller than his father, but possessed all of the same pretentious airs. No strand of his dark hair was out of place and his brown eyes seemed to be taking in every detail of her, her family, and the room he had been escorted to.
Even her mother was made a bit uncomfortable by their cold presence. To break up the silence, her mother ushered her towards the piano to play for their guests. It was a calculated move on her mother’s part. Playing the piano was one of the few feminine arts that Charity was undeniably skilled at. The rest she had refused to practice with any real dedication. Music was another story. The exhilaration that she felt when her fingers were on the keys neared only what she felt when riding. Her mother had had to settle for that, though in her perfect world Charity would have cared more for conversation, needle point, and dance. She was so lost in her own playing that she did not realize that Edmund had neared the piano.
“You play quite well,” he said, with unmasked approval. He was, at least, a straight forward man.
“Thank you my lord,” she said without taking her eyes from the sheet of music before her. She had played the piece so often that she did not even need to read the music, but she had no desire to encourage further conversation.
“It was so kind of your mother to invite my family to your lovely home,” he said with an encouraging smile. Apparently, he was not one easily dissuaded.
“Ah yes, she is one of a kind,” she said, still not looking up. Her mother had always told her how appealing she looked when she was animated with passion while playing.
“I look forward to tomorrow's picnic. Your father mentioned that you really enjoy riding,” he said as she played the last notes of the song. She had intended to go directly in to her next song, but the opportunity to speak about riding was too tempting and she suspected that it had been her father’s plan in mentioning it to Edmund.
“Yes, it is one of my great joys,” she said, beaming with joy as she thought of her horse and the otherworldly feeling of soaring with him across the estate.
“Then we shall have a lovely afternoon. I must excuse myself to deal with some estate business that I brought with me. I will see you this evening at dinner. My brother shall be arriving sometime this afternoon. It shall be the first time our family has been entirely together in ages,” he said stiffly, clearly unwilling to spend more time on polite conversation, which suited her just fine.
“Yes, my lord,” she said as she rose to curtsy as she bid her farewell. His parents soon left the room as well to rest before the formal dinner that evening. Her mother nodded with approval as Charity expressed her desire to do the same. What her mother did not realize was that Charity had entirely different plans for the afternoon, she just needed to get away from her mother for long enough to carry it out. As she rushed off to her room, she could not keep herself from smiling as she rushed off to her room to but her plans in to action.
Chapter 4
Charity was glad to be free of the Daniels family. Her mother's distraction by their presence made it all the more simple to achieve her ultimate goal. All she had been able to think about since her mother's announcement of their visit and her marriage plans for her was the freedom of Zeus, her beautiful black stallion. The horse had been a gift from her father and was her truest source of joy.
The problem, of course, was that her mother completely disapproved of the horse and her time on him. Whether they had guests or not, she often criticized charity for her behavior while riding. It took away from her joy and it truly made her resent her mother. Jason, who hated to see fighting, it was he who offered her the perfect solution. He had arrived at her room after she and her mother had a particularly devastating fight with a pair of warn boys pants, a button up shirt, and jacket. They were rough fabric and looked very much like those worn by grooms in their stables. She had beans jockey when he explained his plan to her, suggesting that she masquerade as a groom while riding her own horse. However, he had made sense. Her mother was every inch the aristocrat. She rarely looked twice at servants unless she needed something directly from them. Because she did not ride, it was unlikely that she would ever pay attention to a stable hand. She had tried on the outfit and been hooked. In truth, it was much easier to ride in the pants than her skirt and side saddle. Once she added a cap
to the outfit, she was fully disguised.
Since that day, she had had a pathway to freedom. Still, she knew that she could not abuse the disguise because she had to make sure that her mother did not discover her ruse. She had to pick her moment carefully and this one was perfect. Without hesitation, she slipped in to her disguise and saddled Zeus. Quick as lightening, they left the stables and rode like the wind. She only really felt at peace on his back. They road as one and she could not help but cry out in joy. She got so lost in her riding that she did not even realize she was losing her cap. Still, once she felt the wind blowing through her hair, she could not be sorry about it.
“Thank you boy! Who needs a husband when I have a male as wonderful as you in my life,” she laughed as she reined him in just a bit so that she could savor the last few minutes of their ride.
Reluctantly she returned to the stable. If she was not in her room when her mother's maid arrived to help her prepare for dinner, she would never hear the end of it. She had dismounted and was working to brush down Zeus when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned abruptly to see the most handsome man she had ever seen. He was tall and strong, but lean. He looked as shocked to see her as she was to see him, but his blue eyes soon betrayed something else, desire. He swept a hand through his shaggy black hair. She could not remember seeing any man look so appealing.
He walked towards here with a deliberateness that was thrilling. There was none of the fussy pretension of the men that she so often encountered in ball rooms. In fact, he had a primal quality that reminded her a little of Zeus. Still, she knew that she was in trouble. A member of her household finding out about her little game was one thing, but a stranger realizing it was another. She needed to keep her wits about her, then more than ever.
“Well you are the strangest groom I have ever seen,” he said with a laugh as he took in the full sight of her. In that pair of boy’s pants, little of her shape was left to the imagination.
“Who are you?” she asked, doing her best impression of her mother’s haughtiness in an attempt to scare him off.
“Augustus Daniels. Tell me, do your employers know that you are a female,” he said, his smile only growing wider at her attempts to intimidate him while in such a compromising positon.
“I am not employed by the Williams family,” she said, unable to keep from smirking as she answered. She knew that she should be more apprehensive, but there was something about him that put her completely at ease, a feeling that she certainly did not have when she met his brother.
“And yet you are in their barn, fawning over a horse you have clearly just ridden. In fact, this may be the finest peace of horse flesh I have ever seen. Who exactly are you?” he asked in utter amazement.
“There is no finer horse than Zeus,” she replied defensively. She turned to look at her horse with such love in her eyes that it made him envious of the beast. The love in her eyes made her even more beautiful. It shone from within her and made her absolutely radiant.
“Are you the mistress of this horse? I saw you riding him as I arrived. I have never seen a rider and horse so in sync with each other,” he said in unbridled admiration. His appreciation for her horse and riding made her relax immediately.
“Thank you!” Charity said with a dazzling smile that took Augustus’ breath away. He had never seen pure loveliness in all his life. Most women he met were only interested in their marriage prospects, but the girl before him had a real joy and passion for life and it was absolutely thrilling. It took him a moment to realize that he had just been there staring at her, taking in the radiance of her smile.
“I have a passion for horses myself,” he explained, trying to regain his composure.
“There is no greater feeling than the freedom of riding,” Charity answered as she turned to kiss her horse gently on the nose.
“Yes, I cherish the feeling myself,” he responded, suddenly consumed with the desire to know everything about this odd girl. She wore the clothing of a stable hand but spoke with the elegance of a lady and he had no idea which represented her true self, but he intended to find out.
“My name is Charity Williams and, yes, Zeus is my horse,” she said simply, answering all of his questions in one simple sentence, but bringing about so many more. How could the lovely, vibrant creature in front of him be the bride of his boring, titled brother? He tried to imagine Edmund’s face if he came across a girl wearing boy’s pants in a stable and there was no version that was not entirely comical.
“You are the woman my brother is intent of marrying!” he blurted out in absolute shock.
“I suppose,” she said, looking rather dejected about it. Her expression inspired the strangest feeling of relief in him and it was a bit surprising to him.
“How in the world did my brother get a fascinating creature like yourself to agree to be his bride?” he asked, feeling emboldened by her clear lack of enthusiasm for the prospect of her marriage. In fact, she was much more excited when discussing her horse.
“I have agreed to no such thing,” she snapped, looking weary, as though this was not the first time that she had denied her intentions to marry his brother.
“My brother is under the impression that the only thing left is to announce the happy news,” he pointed out. That was the only reason that he had come. His brother, who he did care for though they were very different people, had insisted that he come to meet his bride.
“That is my mother's influence. I am afraid she has misled him,” Charity sighed. He could tell by the look on her face that she was not entirely sure how she was going to get out of it.
“How so? Any woman would sacrifice their grandmother to be my brother's wife,” he said, looking quite intrigued. He had spent years painting all society women with the same brush. Charity Williams was clearly another type of woman entirely.
“I have no plans to marry him or anyone else,” she stated plainly. Though it was a dramatic claim, nothing in her expression gave the impression that she was joking.
“What do you plan then?” he asked bluntly before he realized the implications of his question on his brother’s future.
“All I really want is to be free,” she said with a shrug.
“You and Zeus,” Augustus said, beginning to understand that the horse represented the one freedom that she had in her life. In must be, he thought, a difficult thing to be a women in their society. He had never really considered it before. He had thought that all women wanted exactly what their mother’s told them to, but the woman in front of him was clearly looking for more.
“Yes, Zeus and I,” she said with a smile.
“It seems like the perfect life to me,” Augustus said in admiration.
“And I will have it. I have to go now. My mother will have my head if I do not go in and let her maid prepare me for dinner,” she said reluctantly. She had never met anyone other than Jason who did not look at her like she was a hysterical woman until Augustus walked in to her life and she was reluctant to lose the moment.
“Does she know you are out here?” he asked suddenly, wondering who exactly supported her game.
“Lord no. That is why I am wearing the clothing of a groom. It is a trick my brother taught me. Mother pays little attention to servants. I can do what I want when I am dressed like this and she does not notice a thing,” she answered rather smugly.
“Beautiful and devious. It is a good thing you have no plans to marry my brother. He could never handle a woman such as you,” he laughed as he thought about just how much she would vex his brother for all that days of his life.
“Few men could. I have to go now or she will get suspicious. I will see you this evening,” she said as she led Zeus back to his stall.
“I shall see you then,” he said, already anticipating how lovely she must be in a proper dress.
“Yes, you will,” she said cheekily before turning and rushing back towards the house. He gave her a moment, then walked slowly out of the stable and watched h
er make her way towards the house. He could not recall a time when he had been so intrigued by a woman. She was like no other lady he had ever encountered and he was suddenly very worried that his brother might succeed in convincing her to marry him. The thought of anything dampening the spirit of such a delightful creature was a painful one.
Chapter 5
Charity made it back to her room, cleaned up, and in to her robes just in time to give her mother’s maid the impression that she had truly spent the afternoon resting in her room. The adrenaline from riding made her look well rested so there was no reason for true suspicion. Gwen drew her a bath and then left her in peace. She lay in the warm water, thinking of Augustus and the odd events of the afternoon. Still, she knew that it did not good to focus on the handsome stranger who now knew her secret. What she needed to do was find a way to get Edmund to reject her as a bride, though she needed to do it without causing a scandal or embarrassing the family. She could not formulate a specific plan, but did decide that perhaps Augustus could be an asset.
