Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

G race galloped across the countryside, feeling free from the shackles of her future as she rode ahead, determined to reach her destiny at her own speed. She didn't like the idea of leaving Mrs. Mead and her daughters without speaking to them directly, but she'd left a note explaining her plans with the groomsman who'd helped her mount.

Mrs. Mead had been confined to her bed for the past four days, having taken ill. Her daughters had tended to her, and though Grace had tried to be useful, it had seemed that she was in the way more than she was helpful. After lunch at the inn, she'd gotten word that Mrs. Mead was not well enough to attempt the journey again today. Grace knew what she needed to do. She would ride to her cousin's house.

The groomsmen couldn't be spared but one of them gave her the direction to her cousin's estate. It was but a half- day's ride to her destination, and she could make it long before nightfall. The shortcut the groomsman described would get her there even faster. She'd ridden Honey every afternoon since they'd arrived, exploring the surrounding areas. Confident she could manage the last leg of the journey on her own, she'd put her plan into action.

Since the four-day delay in their journey, most of the time Grace was going to spend with her cousin before the house party began was gone. But it was no matter. She would see her cousin soon.

"I've figured it all out, Honey," Grace said to her mare. "Just watch. We will be at my cousin's house before nightfall. Horseback is a much more comfortable way to cross the country than by carriage, don't you agree?"

The tan-colored animal with a white mane didn't reply to Grace's words, only kept up the pace Grace had set for her. The matter of the trunks still niggled at her. Even if her caravan followed her tomorrow, they'd likely still take another day to get her trunks to her cousin's house. Thankfully, she and her cousin, Susan, were of a similar size, and Grace hoped that she would be able to borrow a few of her dresses until her trunks arrived. She'd stuffed one extra dress in her saddlebag just in case.

The sun momentarily broke through the screen of clouds. It was nice to ride with the sun shining, even if she didn't feel much of its warmth. They rode and with each mile Grace felt freer and more light-hearted than she had in a long time .

"This is the way to see the country," she said, looking at the tree lines and the rolling hills. It was breathtaking. "What is that you say, Honey? You want to know why I am leaving without the carriage? Well it is simple. Mrs. Mead is still very ill, and she is not showing signs of getting better. I did try to help in the situation, but her daughters were adamant that they had everything under control. I was going stir-crazy back at the inn. Do you ever feel like that, Honey?" Grace tilted her head toward the animal, as if she were listening and interpreting all of Honey's responses.

"For myself, I do not prefer carriage travel. Though now it will take a little longer to get my trunks, that is a small inconvenience. Traveling with a companion and her daughters was not my idea of a good time. I should have much preferred to ride. If I had to watch the groomsman ride on you one more day, I was not going to be able to stand it." Grace shuddered. The carriage they'd ridden in was much too small for five persons, even if three of them were younger than she was. But Mrs. Mead had insisted that Grace stay in the carriage instead of riding her mare, as she was sure to "catch cold" if she was out in the winter.

But Grace loved the cool, crisp air. She took in a deep breath and filled her lungs. Then she immediately coughed from the cold air. She pulled her dark blue cloak around her more securely. "I still love the cold air," she said defiantly to the silence around her.

She passed three different crossroads, and she made her way with confidence through each of them, sure she remembered all of the groomsman's directions accurately. There were more carriages on the road as the day progressed, so she cut through the woods, not wanting to attract attention to herself as she was on her own.

"Perhaps riding by myself was not the cleverest of ideas," she admitted to Honey, patting her neck. "But we must press forward unless I want to go completely back to the start."

Grace led her horse through the thick underbrush that paralleled the road, to make sure she was going the right direction. As the sky darkened with more clouds, she tried to make her way back to the road, but there was no path that would let Honey through the trees.

A light snow fell around them, and she adjusted her cloak tighter around her middle. She hadn't expected snow. There had been plenty up North, but it should have been milder down south. Isn't that what everyone had been saying?

The bare trees did nothing to block the snow from falling, and she shivered. She needed to get back to the road, and when she saw a small path in the trees, she took it, knowing it would eventually lead to the main road.

"Oh, do you want to know what my plans are, Honey?" Grace asked her horse, trying to distract herself from her current situation. She paused only briefly, as if waiting for Honey to reply, but the mare remained mute. "I'm going to marry the Duke of Norfolk. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to be the belle at Susan's house party, and I'm going to win the duke over, and then I won't ever have any problems again. I know Papa loves me, and that he wants what's best for our family. But arranging a marriage to a man almost twice my age who is not the option I want for myself. It's too much. The earl has children who are almost as old as I am. Did I tell you that, Honey?"

The snow came heavier, and picking out the trail wasn't easy. She pulled on the reins, willing the animal to go slower through the woods. Wind howled around her, sounding like wild animals against her ears. She swallowed her fear, not wanting to let Honey know what she thought of their current predicament.

Honey pulled against her, wanting to lead her in a different direction, but Grace held the reins steady and firm, winding through the woods, trying to stay on the path that would lead them back to the main road. She shouldn't have tried going through the woods, but to go back and retrace her path would lose what little daylight was left. She had to press on. She knew she could make it. Her cousin's house couldn't be too far from where they were, especially since she'd taken the shortcut through the woods.

Snow fell in heavier clumps, and she brushed the snow from the top of Honey's head, speaking softly to the animal. Honey's ears twitched, and before Grace could pull on the reins to steady herself, Honey reared, snorting, and bucked Grace from her saddle. She landed on the ground with a slap to her hip and leg, her head jostling with the motion. Dazed from the fall, she looked up to see Honey running wildly through the trees.

If Grace's pulse could have chased Honey down, Grace would have found the animal in no time, but Honey was now out of her sight, only a trail of hoofprints left in her wake. Grace pulled herself up, gasping when she saw her palms scratched and rough. Scarlet drops of blood fell onto the white blanket of snow in front of her. The same snow that had hidden the rocks she'd landed on. She rubbed at the side of her leg, that would likely be bruised. She took a deep breath.

It was going to be alright. She was going to follow her horse, give Honey a stern talking to for throwing her, and then they'd be on their way to Susan's hopefully before it was too dark. The trees grew closer together as Grace followed the hoofprints for several yards. Soon the trail became harder to traverse. Logs and thorny bushes blocked her way. She went around the obstacles as best she could. She climbed over a particularly large tree that scratched at her dress, tearing some of the fabric. She pulled to yank it free, then tripped over a root hidden from view by the snow.

Unable to grab for something to stabilize her, she landed hard, and her right ankle twisted. She screamed in agony. Snow stung her face and hands, seeping into her clothes before she righted herself. Grace yelped in pain as she tried to stand again, collapsing to the ground and hitting her knee hard against the ground.

Tears stung at the corner of her eyes, but she didn't try to brush them away as they fell. She was alone, in the woods, chasing after her horse that had thrown her. Pain throbbed from her injured ankle. She looked around for a stick or something she could easily use within reach so that she could stand with assistance. But everything was covered in a blanket of snow. It was impossible to detect if there were sticks or rocks beneath. Her hands began to stiffen as the cold seeped into her. Her ruined gloves were soaked from snow and blood. She wrapped her cloak around her trying to gain her bearings on which way the road was. She'd gotten turned around during her fall. She pulled herself up using a tree trunk and gingerly put only her toes down to the ground on her injured foot. The hopping motion helped to alleviate the pain on her injured foot. But she only made it a few steps before she fell again, this time into a bush.

The wind howled in her ears, creating a sense of urgency. She hoped it was only the wind that howled. But in the distance she heard another call, almost as if an animal answered the wind back.

Fear pricked her heart, panic rising and forcing her to move as fast as she could crawl. She didn't dare attempt standing and walking again. She crawled through the soft snow, her fingers pressing down until they hit mud and leaves underneath. With each passing moment she could feel the layers of her clothing getting more and more wet.

Cold poured through her, numbness becoming a friend to her scratched and bleeding hands. She cried out, calling for Honey, but her voice felt like a whisper through the wind. She called again and again, until she heard the howling again—the howling that didn't sound like wind pounding in her ears.

A dark shadow loomed ahead through the snow. The figure howled and raced toward her.

Grace couldn't contain the scream that came from her, as she turned and leaned on the tree for support. She stood and willed her legs to work as she attempted to run back the way she'd come in the woods, away from the wolf that was now pursuing her. Her prayer was not answered. Her leg gave out under the pain. She heard the wolf behind her, louder now, but as she tripped and hit the ground, a dark, cold welcomed her with deafening silence.