The Duke's Alliance: A Soldier's Bride(20)

'Good morning, Zorro, I should be glad of your company.'

She had been warned by Carlos several times not to go out alone at night – not every Spaniard could be trusted and the French certainly couldn't. No one could object to her riding at dawn now she had this enormous dog at her side.

She guided the horse with her knees and a hand on his neck. They hopped over the stone wall at the end of the vineyard and into the olive groves. Here she had to crouch over his neck in order to avoid being swept from his back. The terraces that surrounded the village were fertile and grew all the food they needed. These had been painstakingly built centuries ago but the retaining walls were still sound.

She spent an enjoyable hour or so wandering around the terraces and was now a considerable distance from the town. 'We shall go through here and then onto that track up there. It will be light enough to travel safely through the hills soon.'

Her mouth curved as she finished speaking. As if either animal would understand a word she said – but talking to them was how you built up a bond even if they didn't know exactly what you were saying.

The light was beginning to creep up the hills and soon they would be bathed in early morning sunlight. Perhaps she would be wiser to turn around and go home before the town was awake and her mother realised she had gone out. A faint flicker of unease ran through her as she thought there was someone else who might disapprove more strongly of her behaviour and possibly take stern action to prevent her doing so again.

Just ahead the track split, one half led up to the town and the other down towards the villages a few hours away in which the French had taken up residence. They had fortified them and the partisans no longer attempted to raid in that direction as it was too dangerous.

The English army would have to remove these clusters of French soldiers if they ever hoped to push on and into France itself. She was lost in her thoughts, not taking notice of her surroundings when suddenly Zorro snarled.

Too late she understood the danger. She wasn't alone as she had thought and it was too late to turn the horse and escape.

*

Perry was still smiling when he returned to his own home. Life with his darling girl was certainly not going to be dull and he would not have it any other way. He hoped for her sake she wasn't increasing as having a baby arrive several weeks before it's due date caused unpleasant speculation.

He'd told his staff to douse all the candles and lamps as he was comfortable walking around in the dark. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. He might as well turn in, it was going to be a busy day tomorrow as he had heard from the Don that the priest would be arriving that afternoon. There were already three other weddings planned and his had been added to the list. The wedding breakfast would be held here, then he would set out in search of his missing friend and comrade, O'Reilly.

It was taking longer for his eyes to clear and give him back his perfect vision than he had hoped. He could see perfectly well when looking forwards but his peripheral vision was definitely impaired. He had to turn his head in order to see anything on either side of him.

If this didn't go then he would be no use as a soldier and would be obliged to resign his commission and return home – but to what? He had a substantial estate a few miles from Silchester Court but that wouldn't keep him occupied. Even being married to Sofia wouldn't be enough to prevent him from becoming bored. Perhaps when Aubrey returned, which he must do eventually, he would take his new bride on a world trip to visit exotic places like India and the Spice Islands.

They were not a family who stood on ceremony but even so his future bride was going to find it extremely difficult becoming the wife of an aristocrat, making morning calls and attending supper parties would seem tame after the life she had been living these past two years.

He slept well, a soldier learned to sleep when he could and he still had that facility. He was roused by a voice calling him from the bottom of the stairs. Why hadn't his dog barked?

He rolled out of bed and hastily pulled on his breeches as he didn't think his future mother-in-law would appreciate the sight of him buck naked. He was still pulling his shirt on over his head when he reached the head of the stairs.

'Perry, Sofia hasn't slept in her bed last night. Is she with you?'

A lump lodged in his stomach. 'No, she's not.' He was busy tucking in his shirt as he spoke. 'Give me a moment, ma'am, whilst I finish dressing and then I will be downstairs and you will have my full attention.'

Another thing a soldier could do was dress and be ready to fight in minutes – often lives depended on his speed. Only officers bothered to remove their outer garments, troops slept in what they had on. Small wonder the smell of unwashed bodies followed the army around.

'I'm ready. Have you checked her horse is there? I know that Sofia likes to ride at dawn. In fact, I'm certain she has gone out on her horse and taken my dog with her.'

He ran to the paddocks and checked the tack room then realised he didn't know which saddle and bridle belonged to her as he had never seen it. However, he didn't need to know as there were none missing from the pegs.

Mrs Appleby arrived puffing and red-faced. 'Does Sofia ever ride without tack? Do you know which of these horses belongs to her?'

'I don't know about riding bareback, I've certainly never seen her do so, but then I'm rarely down here as I am not overfond of horses. I couldn't tell you which one is hers as they all look the same to me. You need to ask one of the men.'