“He’s not wonderful,” Colin scoffed. “He is brutal, powerful, a priceless Arab warhorse.”
“But look at his fancy white stockings!”
“Wife,” he said sternly, but his eyes betrayed his amusement.
Lizzie simply patted her mare and told her, “I’ll braid only your mane then.”
Some twenty minutes later, Talbot tethered Miss Judy to a short branch protruding from the side of a tree and led Bruiser to a tree stump, where he showed Lizzie how to mount him.
“But you have no reason to worry in any case,” he concluded his explanation, “I’ll be in the saddle already and I shall help you.”
Elizabeth, like always, was in awe of the conviction with which he spoke. Like no problem would dare defy him. As if unforeseen complications didn’t exist in his world. She, on the other hand, knew only too well how uncertain and unpredictable life was. But he wasalmostmaking her believe that it would all end up well.
He mounted the horse first and, in typical Talbot fashion, made it look effortless, which caused Elizabeth to misjudge the actual difficulty of the undertaking. Only when she tried to mount thehorse did she realise how tall it actually was, so she faltered and almost fell off, but as promised, Colin pulled her up and placed her over his lap.
She shrieked and wound her arms around his neck to stabilise herself.
“Your husband is officially hard of hearing, as of today,” Colin moved his head as far away from her as he could with a wince.
“I’m sorry,” she said, and worriedly put a palm on his chest. “I just got so scared in the moment.”
His grip on her waist tightened.
“It’s alright. The first time is always scary.”
Lizzie nodded, unsure if horses were all they were talking about.
Colin gently urged Bruiser to start walking, and Lizzie focused all her senses on remaining upright despite the unfamiliar motion.
“Mind, this is ordinarily not done,” he motioned towards their bodies with his chin, “it is unfair to the horse to carry both of our weights unless there’s an emergency. But I wanted you to familiarise yourself with the height and the sensation in a safe manner before riding on your own, and Miss Judy would have far more trouble carrying both of us than Bruiser does.”
“I’m sorry, Bruiser,” Lizzie said and stroked between his ears.
Talbot’s lips curled. Lizzie failed to see what he was amused by. She simply gave Bruiser the acknowledgement and courtesy he was owed. She turned her face away from Talbot, but his hold on her tightened.
“Stop squirming, wife,” he said.
“It’s not my doing, it’s the way Bruiser moves,” she protested.
Her husband stopped the horse before tracing her neck with his nose. Then, she did squirm. Colin lightly bit down on her shoulder, and she pressed her lips together to stop a moan from escaping. She was, however, unable to stop herself from arching into him.
He brought his mouth to hers and then parted her lips with his own. Lizzie’s hands flew into his hair - was she trying to hold on or to pull him closer, she didn’t know herself. When she felt him fondling her breasts, she broke the kiss. They were both panting.
“Colin, stop, Bruiser doesn’t need to see this.”
“Khm,” he cleared his throat. “You’re right. We’re here for your riding lessons.”
They were both tense and awkward as Colin urged Bruiser back to the tree stump and helped Lizzie dismount before following her down. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him adjust himself in his white riding breeches and was pleased that she wasn’t the only one affected by their proximity.
Colin tethered Bruiser and led Miss Judy to the stump. He helped Lizzie get in the saddle, his hands lingering on her thighs even when she was safely seated.
“Comfortable?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
Lizzie wiggled her behind slightly,to test the saddle, or so she told herself.
“Not entirely. I feel unbalanced, like I might fall at any moment. Why can’t I just ride astride like you do? It would make me feel so much more stable. At least when it’s just us in the forest?” she suggested, and Colin seemed to be thinking about it.
“I shall teach you later,” he promised with a smile that was vaguely familiar, but she was too distracted by her surprise at his acquiescence to recognise it.
