Aspire - Kanthony's continuation story

Chapter 22 - Summer of Love

Aubrey Hall, June 1817

The fields of Ferryhallow on the Bridgerton lands lay peaceful in the warm summer sun, disturbed only by the light buzzing of insects and some birds chirping in the distance. A little brown mouse crawled up on a long grain stalk and sniffed the fresh breeze, but quickly scurried away at the sudden booming of approaching hooves. The mouse had just managed to disappear into its hole under a small rock as a dark bay horse whooshed past the grain stalk it had just sat on. The small animal peeked up from its hole, but turned back into safety when a chestnut horse soon followed the previous one. On top of the dark bay horse, Viscountess Kate Bridgerton gave out a little squeal of joy as her mount thundered into an even faster gallop over the fields and the air that was rapidly whistling against her face made her eyes tear up. Kate could only come up with a few things that could top this feeling, most of those things involving her naked husband, but racing over a field at full speed on a thoroughbred was without a doubt one of the best things in her life. She had never travelled in a hot air balloon, but she did not need to, this was as close to flying as she needed to get. All too soon, the edge of the forest was towering up ahead of them, so she reluctantly slowed her horse down to a trot, made a large circle to see how far away the other horse was, halted her own with a grin and let it graze on the green grass. Then she leaned back as far as she could, until she was laying flat out on the horse's broad back, crossed her arms behind her neck and enjoyed the sunshine with her eyes closed. She would not have done this with any other horse, but High Flyer was a perfect gentleman. He was pure explosive speed when needed to, but otherwise he was happily munching hay or grass and behaved like a lazy old carriage horse, afraid of neither loud noises, wild animals or anything else one could encounter out in the terrain or at a crowded racecourse.

"Ha-ha, I did not take that long." Anthony huffed when he finally halted Nectar next to High Flyer and Kate, who opened one eye where she lay and cast a smirk at him.

"Yes, you did." She grinned, stretched out her arms and sat up straight in the saddle again.

"Well, perhaps I would do better, if you would not give me this stupid horse who is afraid of his own damn shadow...!" Anthony growled and yanked angrily at Nectar reins when it was about to rear at Kate's sudden movement. The horse was still huffing and puffing while staring at Kate and High Flyer, incapable of understanding what kind of weird wildcat had just laid on the other horse's back. "I despise thoroughbreds, why did I ever let you talk me into this..." He muttered. "It feels like I am sitting on top of a powder keg."

"Stop complaining!" Kate laughed and steered her horse towards the woods. "It is about time you ride something other than your chubby ponies."

"My horses are not ponies, they are most honourable cobs!" Anthony rejected.

"Cob is just a word horse salesmen use to sell slightly overgrown ponies to 'most honourable' and most gullible lords." Kate grinned broadly.

"I will have you -" Anthony began, but was interrupted when an old farmer and his oxcart appeared from the woods, spooking Nectar again so badly that it almost threw off its rider.

"Good day, Mr Brown!" Kate greeted the man while Anthony was still fighting to make his horse walk past the ox and not turn around and flee back home.

"Good day, Lady Bridgerton! Lord Bridgerton." Mr Brown nodded politely to them with a smile. "Fine day for a ride. How is the little lord? Is he walking already?"

"Oh, he is running already. Soon we will be chasing him all around our grounds." Kate smiled warmly at him.

"Yes, be sure to send him back home if he comes running all the way down to your farm, Mr Brown." Anthony stated with a smirk, having finally managed to calm down his mount.