Chapter 12

As Alessandra

dressed in her riding habit ,

she took note of the strangeness of it, compared to her usual daily

attire. Looking at her reflection in the looking glass, she also

appreciated how she looked in it. Edward's mother had chosen fabric

of a dark burgundy colour, with gold trim and accent. To

Alessandra, it felt luxurious.

Heading downstairs, she

met Edward waiting at the bottom of the stairs. His face revealed

exactly what he thought of the vision before him.

Looking up at her, Edward

thought she looked like she had been made for the outfit, rather

than the other way around. The colour brought out the brown of her

eyes - far more so than her usual clothing. He felt stunned as he

looked at her, but was brought out of his thoughts as she

approached him, stood at his eye level, and smiled at

him.

"I am thankful to your mother

for her kindness toward me, as I do love this," she said, running

her hands over the front of her new clothes. "Do you?"

Edward

took a deep breath and looked at her

full length before meeting her eyes again.

"Yes ," he said,

somewhat overwhelmed. "You look beautiful in it."

Seeing her start to blush

again, Edward smiled at her in amusement as they both relaxed once

more.

" Come, Alessandra, my

wife to be," he said. "It is time."

Outside, the groom had

already prepared her pony for her. Alessandra saw the groom walk it

forward, so it was closer to her. She continued to watch as Edward

took the reins.

"Before you learn to

ride, I think it might be best if you simply get used to being

around her. Come closer," he said, prompting her to move forward to

the animal that, to her, looked like a giant. "She is quite calm

and peaceful, but always approach her from this angle, and quietly,

so she can start to get used to you as well."

Alessandra moved closer

to Edward and the pony. She stood so that her back was to Edward,

and he was standing close behind her. They were both aware of it,

but it only felt right and not at all uncomfortable.

She reached up

tentatively, moving toward touching the great animal in front of

her, but found herself nervous again. Her hand stopped midair. She

felt Edward lean forward to take her hand and gently place it on

the pony's neck, guiding her in stroking softly. As he did so, he

moved closer to her so that his chest was lightly touching her

back. Alessandra felt comforted by his presence so close. Inside,

she could feel herself shaking, due to both the regal animal in

front of her, and Edward standing so close to her. Breathing

deeply, she determined to try to not let her anxiety

show.

Both sets of parents looked on

from where they stood. Mothers looked knowingly at each other and

smiled. Even if the young ones had no idea how they were affecting

each other, their mothers could see it clearly.

~~~~~

After what seemed like a

long time, standing close to her pony and adjusting to being in

such close vicinity to it, Alessandra heard Edward ask if she might

like to sit on the saddle. Although the prospect prompted fear in

her, she smiled at him and said she would try.

Edward admired her

braveness, whilst making sure he would not get ahead of himself in

teaching her to ride. He took his time, demonstrating to her what

she needed to do once he lifted her up. As he did so, he was

pleased to see her follow his instruction. It was easy for him to

see that, whatever she tried in her life, she had the right

determination to succeed.

Sitting up on

the horse , Alessandra felt

like she was on top of a mountain. She felt so high, even though at

a logical level she could see the ground wasn't too far away. She

let Edward put her feet in the stirrups, while he never let go of

the reins. There was reassurance in seeing him watch her sit still

momentarily, not knowing what to do next.

"Are you alright?" he

asked her.

Alessandra kept her eyes

on his while she nodded. She saw him smile up at her, with his hand

on her thigh. It was a small gesture that meant nothing, but felt

extremely intimate to her. To distract herself, Alessandra looked

over at her mother. Isabella was smiling the broadest smile

Alessandra had ever seen on her. Alessandra delivered a small,

scared smile in response.

"Hold on to this," Edward

said, placing her hands where he wanted them to be. "I am going to

walk her just a little bit. If it scares you, you must let me

know."

Alessandra nodded at

him, doing as he instructed, but feeling a greater fear begin to

grow inside of her. When the pony started to move, she held on

tight, finding the new sensation of sitting on a moving animal very

strange indeed. As she forced herself to relax and look into

Edward's eyes when he turned to face her, she found herself

adjusting to the movement, and her fear relaxed.

Edward kept looking at

her, even as he slowly walked the pony around the stable yard. He

could visibly see her face changing in its level of relaxation. He

considered how brave she was, as he tried to think of the last time

he'd tried anything completely new that he had never done

before.

Alessandra sat and rode the

pony for as long as it took before Edward stopped and looked up at

her, again with his hand on her thigh.

"How are you feeling,

Alessandra?" he asked, smiling, but at the same time looking

concerned that she might not be enjoying it after all.

Alessandra took a

deep breath and smiled down at him.

"I am fine.

With this , I feel alright,"

she reassured him. She could visibly see him let out a breath that

he had been holding.

"Would you like to take

the reins?" he asked but saw her shake her head in

reply.

"Could I perhaps try that

tomorrow, Edward? I would very much like to get used to only one

thing at a time," she said, letting out a little, frail

laugh.

Edward smiled up at her and

made sure the pony was secure before lifting Alessandra down to the

ground again. As he did, her knees almost gave way to her when her

feet touched the ground. He laughed with her as she almost fell

with nervousness. His quick responses ensured he caught her before

she fell.

"Remain still for a

minute, Alessandra," Edward said. "Allow your legs to adjust to

being on the ground again."

Alessandra

did as he'd suggested ,

revelling in being so close to him. With both of his arms

supporting her, she felt secure and safe.

"Thank you for being so patient

with me," she said, almost in a whisper, they were so close. She

was looking at his face so closely - his eyes and his mouth. In

that, she felt like she did not want to stop.

Edward felt her eyes intently

focused on him. He fought to control his emotion as he looked at

their parents standing not too far away.

" If you would still

like to, we shall do a little bit each day," he said, tearing his

eyes away from her lips. "I am sure you will be a confident

horsewoman in no time."