‘Good.’ Samuel made a show of adjusting the bridle, pretending not to have noticed. ‘Now give her a nudge and we’ll walk to the gate.’
‘I thought you said we weren’t going anywhere!’
‘Miss Fortini.’ He gritted his teeth, starting to lose patience. ‘Must we dispute every single detail? I said to the gate, not beyond it.’
‘Oh... All right. How do I tell it which way to go?’
‘It is a her and don’t worry, I’ll hold on to the bridle for now.’ He handed over the reins, wrapping his fingers around hers for a brief, somewhat unnecessary moment, before leading them casually towards the gate. A quick sideways glance revealed Miss Fortini’s expression to be one of sheer terror.
‘Try to relax.’ He rubbed a hand over Bramble’s neck in case she sensed her rider’s fear. ‘And don’t hold on to the reins too tightly.’
‘I don’t like being so high up.’
‘You’re really not.’
‘I don’t like wobbling from side to side, either.’
‘You’ll get used to it after a while. Try rolling with the movement. Imagine you’re on a boat.’
‘I’ve never been on a boat either and I still think this is unfair.’ She sounded belligerent again. ‘I apologised to your grandmother, I shouldn’t have to risk my life, too.’
‘You’re not going to die, I promise.’
‘What if I fall and break my legs? I suppose your grandmother still wouldn’t receive me out of principle?’
‘No one’s ever accused her of being fair and reasonable.’
She made a harumphing sound. ‘What about you? Are you fair and reasonable on board your ship, Captain?’
He looked around, surprised by the question. ‘I hope so. I try to be.’
‘Will you tell me more about life at sea?’
‘What would you like to know?’
‘Anything to distract me. Sebastian’s a terrible correspondent.’
‘Well, a lot of what we do can be quite monotonous and repetitive. Take the last two years, for example. We’ve spent most of the time blockading the French ports, stopping enemy ships from getting in or out, which meant a lot of time doing drills and preparing for battle, but not much real action.’ They reached the gate and he started to lead them around in a half-circle. ‘Although it paid off in the end. When it came to the battle, we were ten times better at reloading and aiming the cannons.’
‘Wait!’ Miss Fortini reached a hand out to stay him. ‘We can keep going. Out of the mews, I mean.’
‘Are you sure? I thought you were afraid of breaking your legs?’
‘I still am, but if you can bear to live on a floating collection of planks for months on end then I can manage a short, very short, ride.’ She looked down and then adjusted her skirts again. ‘Just as long as you promise I’m not making a public spectacle of myself.’
‘Not at all.’
‘All right, then, let’s go around to the Circus. If I can make it to the front door, then maybe your grandmother will say I’ve done enough.’
Samuel repressed a smile. If she thought that, then she really didn’t know his grandmother very well. On the other hand, he had to admire her courage, again, although he really wished that he didn’t. He glanced up as they turned out on to the street, just in time to see her twist her face away, a faint crease between her brows as if she’d just been studying him. The two of them must make a curious sight, he thought in amusement, her sitting stiff as a poker on horseback, him walking alongside like her groom, with one of his grandmother’s maids following as a chaperon several feet behind. Not that he cared what anyone might think. He was just pleased that they weren’t arguing any more. It felt like parley again, as if they might eventually come to terms after all...
‘You’re perfectly safe, Miss Fortini,’ he reassured her. ‘As for those floating planks, they’re very well constructed.’
‘That’s what Sebastian tells me.’
‘What made your brother join the navy?’
‘The spirit of adventure, I suppose. He said he wanted to travel like our father had.’ She smiled. ‘Not that our father travelled so far, but Seb and I always loved listening to his stories when we were children. It was a sad day when we realised the ones about giants and dragons probably weren’t true.’