A March to Marquess | A Regency Romance

Chapter Four

Isabella used the wooden box and grabbed the horn of her side-saddle to get herself up on her mare. A groom helped her gather her dark blue riding habit and laid it gracefully over the side of the horse. Her kid gloved hands held the reins in one hand and the leather crop in the other.

She urged the horse forward into a small trot down the row, conscious to hold her upper body tall and graceful. She loved riding and the morning was a great day for a ride. A small roll of mist rolled on the Serpentine River. Birds chirped in the trees that created a woodland waltz with the crunching of her horse’s hooves.

A horse appeared alongside hers.

“Good morning Isabella! I see you decided to come out for a ride.”

Lady Jane was atop a fine specimen of a horse. Her green habit accentuated her slightly olive skin tone.

“Jane! So glad to see you again. What a beautiful horse!”

“Thank you. She has been a joy to ride. I am so thankful for my father for the gift. He finally purchased something good from Tattersalls. Too often he only focuses on horses fit for work.”

“Have you seen Madeline yet?”

“Not yet, I assume she is in front of us with her Aunt in their open carriage. Let us ride forward and see if we find her.”

The two women fell in rhythm as they made their way down the path. Soon, they caught up with a larger group including Lady Madeline.

Lady Madeline waved at the women as they trotted by. Her smile was veiled with another emotion, but Isabella didn’t have time to figure it out. Her thoughts were interrupted as her horse became startled and took off like a shot.

Isabella held on to the horn of the saddle as she sped her way across the gardens.

“Woah, Cinnamon...Woah!” Nothing seemed to work to slow the horse down. Isabella closed her eyes and prayed that it would be over soon. She considered herself to be an accomplished rider, but now in her first Season she was proving to be a fool.

The horse continued down a path, galloping faster than she ever had. Isabella was lifted off of the saddle a few times as Cinnamon went over uneven ground. When she looked up, she realized the mare was headed right towards a fence. She knew that she wasn’t going to be able to jump it successfully in this state.

“Woah now!” A male voice dominated her senses. A silky black Arabian horse aligned itself to the other side of her horse and slowed it down. The reins were taken from her hands and the stranger expertly guided her horse in a circle and calmed her down.

She looked up into the strangers face and was shocked to see that it was the Marquess of Devonshire. He was intimately close. Close that Isabella had the uncomfortable notion to tuck an escaped tendril of hair behind his ear.

“Here you go, m’lady. You may need these to control your horse better.” He held out his hands fitted in kid gloves and placed the reins in her hands. His hands dallied for a second longer than was comfortable. He placed a finger and a thumb on his top hat and slightly bowed his head.

“Ya,” he said in a deep commanding voice. His horse trotted off away from her. She continued to stare at him in shock. She heard another horse approach her rear.