Read Online Lord Atherton's Ward by Fenella Miller - Free Book Online

going to need every ounce of strength the animal had before this incident was over.
    The grooms gestured towards a woodland up ahead. He waved back, there was no point in attempting to converse, the wind whipped away the words. Dickon was thundering along completely at ease in spite of the storm and his damaged leg. He smiled across at him and he raised his hand.
    Beneath the trees it was dark and although the path was flat enough to gallop he thought it better to drop back into a canter. He sat back in the saddle exerting a slight pressure on the reins and the hunter responded instantly. It was also quieter out of the rain and he was able to make himself heard.
    ‘Dickon, from what the groom told me before we left, the other side of this woodland are the cliffs. Miss Ellison must have met with an accident or are we would have seen them by now.’
    ‘I fear that you’re correct. I pray that whatever has transpired it’s nothing serious.’
    The trees were thinning out and Perry could hear another sound above that of the wind. For a moment he didn’t recognize it, then he realised it was the waves breaking on the cliffs that he could hear. He kicked his mount faster and rode alongside the grooms.
    ‘Is there a track that leads along the top of the cliffs?’
    The man’s face was pale. ‘No, my lord, you have to ride along the beach for a mile, then you can get back on to the track.’
    ‘Dammit! So we cannot get to where Miss Ellison intended to have a picnic until the tide has gone out again?’
    ‘No, sir. We can ride back the way we came and take the long way round, that would take us another hour at least, but it would be quicker than waiting here.’
    He reined in and turned to speak to Dickon. ‘Did you hear that? We have to turn back and go through the villages, it’s not possible to get through this way now the tide’s in.’
    ‘Let’s give the horses a breather, shelter here for a short while. Twenty minutes will not make any difference to Miss Ellison, but if we press on immediately and our mounts will be blown before we’re finished.’
    ‘Very well, you wait here. But I’m going to ride to the cliffs and check for myself.’ What he didn’t say was that the assumption that Sarah was safe at the other side of the headland could be erroneous. What if they’d been caught by the tide? He felt sick. Suddenly he knew he had to hurry, knew that every second counted. Twenty minutes was far too long.
    He rode around the grooms and slapped his reins either side of his horse’s neck. Ignoring the shout of warning from his friend he urged it faster, galloping flat-out towards the gap in the trees where the path down to the beach would be.
    * * * *
    It was so cold and wet. Where was she and what was that dreadful banging noise below her?
    Why did her head hurt so much? Slowly Sarah came to her senses and remembered that she’d taken a tumble when Bess had reared unexpectedly. Without moving she flexed her legs and found that they were both unbroken. Next she slid her right hand sideways - it touched a solid mass. Puzzled she spread out her left hand and found it was dangling in a void.
    She froze in shock. There was only one place she could be. Forcing her eyes open she carefully turned her head, a searing pain ripped through and for a moment everything went black again. When she came to she knew where she was, knew what had happened. She had fallen over the cliff but by some miracle had landed on a narrow ledge and was resting there, above the waves, but from the sound, not far enough.
    From a distance she heard a voice calling her. This time she knew better than to open her eyes or move her head. She opened her mouth and tried to call out but the sound was small, not nearly loud enough to carry to whoever was shouting at her. She tried to make sense of what she heard. It must be Bill shouting down to her; this meant at least he was safe. That was all that mattered, they were both alive. Jane would send