What About Cecelia? (10 page)

“Speaking of riding lessons, any news from
Cecelia?”

Jane snapped back, “No. Not after I packed her
things for her. I suppose she is enjoying herself.”

“It sounds like you're not.”

“I find living in the country a little
tedious.”

“Hasn't learning to ride helped? Get you out and
about.”

“I guess.”

George interrupted, “We did meet Miss Wood and
her party on Holy Mountain. I thought you enjoyed the picnic
Jane?”

“You're right, thank you for reminding me. I
did. I'm sorry for my snappish remarks. It's just that living here
is so flat. There aren't any diversions like there are in London.
No concerts or balls.”

“If you could ride to Holy Mountain, it sounds
to me like you're already quite the equestrienne, Miss Arnold. Tell
you what, why don't you surprise Mrs. Landor tomorrow? If you feel
up to the ride, that is.”

“I, I don't know.”

George added, “You've got a start on a good
seat, Jane. It's only a few miles up the lane. I'd think you'll be
fine.”

“I suppose I could. It's not as if I'd be
jumping hedges or anything.”

“See what you feel like in the morning.”

“Miss Arnold, I know that Julia will be
overjoyed to have your company. She finds Llanthony a little
isolated. Doesn't complain mind you, but I can tell.”

“Landor, what were our plans?”

“The best pigeon shooting is further up the Cwm
from Llanthony. Could you ride up in the morning, and then we'll
leave together?”

“I'll be there early in the morning.”

“Excellent. Now I must be going, one of those
blasted farmers has been cutting down trees in one of my coed's
again.”

“Sorry to hear it. See you tomorrow, early.”

George awoke early. He ate something that
resembled breakfast, had his horse saddled and stole off to
Llanthony. His plan was to arrive not too long after dawn. Heulwen,
of course noticed his departure and trotted after him. Since she
wouldn't return to Penyclawdd, she would have to be tied up at
Llanthony to keep her out of trouble.

Jane awoke to a quiet house. After a more
settled breakfast than the love of her life, she donned her riding
habit and walked over to the stables. The groom had sad news for
her. “Ma'am. I'm sorry but your horse has a loose shoe. She'll lose
it if you ride her.”

“So she goes bare-hoofed. What's wrong with
that?”

“She'll go lame. I've sent for the farrier, but
it will be a good few hours before she's ready to ride. If she's
ready at all today. He could find something else wrong with the
hoof.”

Jane was not a woman to be put off so easily.
“Surely there is another horse I could ride?”

“Not the cart or carriage horses, Ma'am. They
don't take to being ridden.”

His young assistant pointed out that one of the
older horses, the one the groom used himself, was available.

“Well Ma'am, if you insist. Flower, here, is an
old and rather slow ride, but you can ride her. She's not a pretty
horse.”

“I do insist. I'm only riding the few miles up
to Llanthony farm. Unless there's a problem with her. Is she a
steady ride?”

“Oh yes Ma'am.” Flower was a steady ride. He'd
even ridden her when he could barely stand after seven or eight
pints. She was very steady, at least on the way home. “It's just
that she's a bit stubborn. Makes up her own mind when she
wants.”

“Would you let your wife ride her?”

“I'm not married Ma'am.”

“You know what I mean. Would I be safe on
her?”

“Yes, Ma'am.”

“Then the problem is solved. Saddle her and I'll
get my ride after all.”

A few minutes later, Miss Arnold mounted Flower
and pointed her out of the stable-yard. As she left, the assistant
pointed out to the groom, “I hope Miss Arnold is as strong-willed
with Flower as she was with you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You usually only ride Flower to the pubs, don't
you? I hope for you that horse don't take it into her mind to only
walk her usual, to one of your usual haunts.” The groom looked
shaken, and replied with a quake in his voice, “Do you think she'll
mind?”

“I wouldn't be worried about Miss Arnold. It's
what Miss Wood will say to you that will sting.”

Jane found Flower a steady, if slow, ride. She
pointed the horse up the country lane at the bottom of Cwm Bwlch,
and the horse walked along slowly. Jane gave her mount a short
whack with her switch, the way both George and Cecelia had shown
her. Flower walked along a little faster for a few moments, then
reverted to her normal pace. The next time she tried her switch the
horse didn't even bother to speed up. Riding alone on the lane, she
let the horse know how she felt with much less guarded language
than she would ever use in company. “All right you bloody-minded
damned sorry excuse for a horse. As long as you walk me to
Llanthony. I can always get Julia to drive me home.”

All went well, albeit slowly, until they reached
the Queen's Head pub, about a quarter of the way to Llanthony.
Flower stopped. Nothing Jane could do would make her walk a step
farther. Finally, in frustration she pulled the horse around to
point back towards Penyclawdd. Flower cantered back, past the turn
to the farm and into the small town of Llanvihangel Crucorney.
There she stopped at the pub on the Hereford road and halted.

Jane caught her breath. “That's it, you damned
horse.” She dismounted and tied it to a rail. Then she sat on a
bench in front of the pub, a low and common place, and let loose
with her tears. Things like this just did not happen in either Bath
or London. In her distressed state she didn't notice an elegant
carriage turn up the lane towards Penyclawdd.

The two horsewomen who trotted along behind the
carriage noticed her and stopped.

“Miss Arnold, Jane?” It was Cecelia and
Mary.

Jane looked up at them, then glanced away in
shame. Cecelia tried again, “Jane, what is it?”

“That horse, Flower. She won't go where I want
her to.”

“I'm not surprised. She’s a deuced stubborn and
unpleasant creature. Why are you riding her?”

“My horse had a loose shoe and I wanted to ride
to Llanthony today. I was going to surprise Julia. Your groom said
she was safe for me to ride.”

“I'll have to talk to him. I can see that he's
spending too much time in the public houses.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you think the horse is coming here and
not returning to her stable?”

“Oh. Is that what they do?”

“Sometimes.” Cecelia thought for a few moments,
then asked Mary, “Would you like to visit the Landors today?”

“Why not?”

Cecelia dismounted, and passed the reins to
Mary. Then she told Jane, “Get up on my horse. She'll take
you.”

“Is she well-mannered?”

“Mostly, but she's also tired and a tired horse
is a well-behaved one. She'll do well by you.”

“What about you?”

“I'll take that sorry nag. Then we'll ride
together to Llanthony if you'd still like to go.”

“I would, I think Mr. Landor would have told
Julia to expect us. Even if he asked me if I'd like to surprise
her.”

“Then up you get.” Cecelia helped Jane mount her
horse and made sure that the saddle was properly adjusted for her.
“Why don't you two ride on? Make my apologies to Julia if I'm late.
This miscreant will get a little training.”

Mary asked, “Are you sure you'll be fine, Miss
Wood?”

“Of course. Flower and I know each other well.
We are old friends.” She slapped the horse on the back and
addressed it, “Aren't we Flower?” It whinnied discontent. Clearly
its idea of an 'old friend' didn't completely tally with Cecelia's.
Returning her attention to her friends, she continued, “If I pass
you, just keep going. Flower and I are going to have a little
fun.”

She watched as Mary and Jane trotted down the
lane. Jane was having a much better time of it with a reasonable
animal. Cecelia turned to her unreasonable one and told it, “You
will behave, won't you? We're going to talk with John, the groom
first, and then you will happily take me to Llanthony.”

Cecelia untied Flower and mounted her. Flower
stolidly stood still and refused to budge. She gave the horse a few
well positioned kicks with her left foot and a hard whack on its
backside. After this encouragement Flower walked down the road
toward Penyclawdd. With a little additional urging, Flower began to
trot.

Julia had about given up hope that Jane would
visit her when she heard the noise of two horsewomen approaching.
They were chatting to each other and enjoying the ride. When she
met them in the farmyard, she recognized Miss Arnold. The other
woman looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place her. Jane
introduced her partner.

“Mrs. Landor, this is Miss Mary Somerset,
Georgie for short.”

“I'm delighted to make your acquaintance.
Weren't you at the Raglan fair last week?”

“I was.”

“Oh and please call me Julia, we're informal
here.”

“Where is Captain Wood?”

“He and Mr. Landor are still far up the Cwm.
Georgie, they are hunting wood pigeons. So if they're lucky we'll
eat well tonight. I'd be very pleased if both of you would like to
stay for dinner.”

“I'm a little worried about Cecelia. We left her
with a stubborn horse, Flower was it?”

“Oh, Flower. That's her groom's horse. He mostly
rides her to the pubs.”

“I'm late because of that animal. Yet I'm also
glad it was stubborn because I would not have had the chance of
knowing Miss Somerset so much better.”

Mary added that, “Cecelia told us not to worry
about her and not to wait for her either.”

The Landor's groom came over and took their
horses. The three women went inside for a cup of tea. They had
barely finished the first cup when a loud cat-calling howl of a
noise accompanied by the clatter of hoofs reached them. They ran to
the window just in time to see Flower gallop into the farmyard with
Cecelia howling at her while she whipped it with her switch. She
gave the horse to the groom and strode over to the main door of the
house. A few moments later she was enjoying a cup with the other
women.

“Cecelia, what was all that noise about?”

“That blasted horse. She stopped at the Queen's
Head, and didn't respond to my commands. So I gave her the 'what
for'. I don't normally do that.”

“Is that why you were yelling?”

Cecelia smiled and laughed as she said, “You
heard me, did you? I don't think Flower will soon forget. You have
to be secure on the horse, but you can make them think a wild-cat
is riding on their back. Then they move.”

Jane asked, “Cecelia, weren't you worried about
your dignity?”

“Not really, they all know me around here. I
doubt I have much dignity left to lose. I'm going to have.” She
remembered that Penyclawdd was no longer hers and paused, “Captain
Wood is going to have to tell that groom off. Letting you ride such
a sour old screw of a horse. She's not a good ride for anyone,
especially not a rider who is finding her way.”

Jane pouted, “George said I was a good
rider.”

“Jane, I didn't say you were a bad rider, just a
beginning rider. If Captain Wood says you're a good rider, then I
believe you are one. He ought to know. That awful horse would tax
almost anyone. It's just I know her and used a few tricks on her
that elegant female equestriennes are not supposed to know.”

“So I shouldn't scream like that at my
horse?”

“At least not in Hyde park. From what you've
told me it would cause all the horses there to bolt.”

“Horses, horses, horses,” Julia spat out, “can
we talk about something else? All everyone wants to talk about here
is horses and riding.”

“Sheep, it will be the rut soon.”

“That's not any better Miss Wood.”

“I'm worried about Bath. You've all been there,
to balls and concerts. Mixing with,” Cecelia paused in
embarrassment and lowered her voice as she blushed, “Men,
fashionable men. I'm worried that I will be seen just as an
untutored rustic. That I won't know what to say to them or how to
behave.”

Jane smirked, at least there was one chink in
this girl's armor. Something she wasn't confident about. “Miss
Wood, Cecelia, dear. I shall help you find your way. Bath is
wonderful by comparison to this desolate backwater.”

“I hope so. It's not often that I'm intimidated,
and the idea of going 'husband hunting' is giving me butterflies.
It seems so cynical.”

Julia added, “Cecelia, I wouldn't worry about
it. Men, even opinionated and stubborn men like Mr. Landor, are
much more tractable that horses. My circumstances were much more
desperate than yours, and I still found someone who loved me.”

“What happened?”

“My fathers' bank went rotten. That happens all
the time, so in itself it wasn't a problem, but he left town
between a flash of lightning and the thunder. If Walter hadn't seen
me at the ball and immediately fallen in love, I'm not sure what I
would have done.”

“How dreadful, still I suppose it worked out
well.”

“Even though he is dashed otherworldly at times,
often forgetful and more than a bit prone to ranting, I love him
dearly. So I'd say it did.”

A voice coming from the front door asked, “Who's
otherworldly?”

“You are my love, and don't deny it. You
wouldn't be a poet if you weren't. How did the shooting go?”

Captain Wood answered for him, “Very well. We
left our brace of pigeons with the cook.” His voice elicited a loud
series of barks from the stables. Cecelia asked, “Is that Heulwen?
What is she doing here?”

“She followed me. Couldn't take her shooting so
we left her in the stables.”

“She can't stay there, I will go release
her.”

Captain Wood added, “Let me come with you. Jane,
did you want to come too?”