Read Online Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince by Jennifer Moore - Free Book Online Page B

You said your grandfather raises horses?”
    Meg nodded, running her hand over Bonnie’s neck. She glanced at him for a moment and then turned back to the mare. “Yes, racehorses. I learned to ride at his farm.” She sighed. “Charleston, my family, all of it seems so far away.” She continued to stare at the horse as she spoke, her hand moving automatically in the same repetitive motion. “I’d always dreamed of embarking on a grand adventure. Sailing across the sea to visit a castle seemed so magical, but now that I am here, I realize nothing is how I had imagined. I will likely never return home.”
    Rodrigo was taken aback. Why would Meg believe that she was not to return to Charleston?
    Meg turned toward him with a start, and he wondered if she purposely changed the topic. “I forgot to tell you, Lord Featherstone and I saw poachers in the forest. I hope you will be careful if you and Patito ride in there.”
    At the sound of his name, the horse lifted his head toward her, and she rubbed his nose. It seemed Patito was smitten.
    “I would guess they are not poachers,” Rodrigo said. “More likely soldiers. The prince and his sister are under heavy guard.”
    Meg tipped her head to the side and ran her teeth over her lip as she considered this information. “I imagine it is frustrating for them,” she said, “living in constant fear. It would make one’s house seem like a prison.” She patted Patito’s neck.
    Rodrigo turned the horses back toward the road.
    “I should return to the castle,” Meg said. “Lady Vernon expects me this afternoon for a gown fitting.”
    “Has the issue with the apricot dress been resolved to your satisfaction?” Rodrigo hoped the change of subject would lighten the mood as he helped Meg back onto the horse.
    “I am afraid not.” She took the reins from him, and once he was astride Patito, the horses began to walk side by side back toward Thornshire Castle. “Lady Vernon is quite adamant that I wear it to Lady Harrison’s musicale. She has even ordered a head dress with feathers for me. I shall either look like an Indian chief or a chicken.” Meg shrugged her shoulders, her eyes rolling.
    Rodrigo fought the impulse to laugh at her sentiment. Even when she did not intend to, Meg managed to lift his spirits, but right now, she looked so unhappy.
    “I wish we didn’t have to return so quickly,” Meg said. “I have enjoyed this more than any day since I arrived in England.” She rode with her gaze down.
    They rode to the stables, and he helped Meg dismount. One of the duke’s grooms took Bonnie away but knew that Rodrigo preferred to care for his own horse.
    Meg’s melancholy hung over them, and the air felt heavy. Rodrigo cast his eyes around, looking for something to say that would return her good humor.
    “Did I tell you what Patito means?” Rodrigo asked as Meg patted the stallion’s nose.
    Her eyes squinted in confusion. “I assumed it was simply a name.”
    “In Spanish, it means small duck—duckling.”
    A smile stretched her lips. It grew, lifting her cheeks and finally reaching her eyes, igniting the sparkle he had not realized had been so obviously missing until it was returned. “The prince’s white stallion is named Ducky ?”
    Rodrigo nodded. He smiled himself at the laughter in her eyes.
    “How did such a powerful animal come to have a name that is so . . .”
    “Sweet?” Rodrigo offered.
    Meg giggled. “Yes. Sweet.”
    “When Patito was a foal, he and his mother were housed in a large paddock that contained a pond. A duck built her nest near the pond, and when the ducklings hatched, they followed their mother in a line. Patito followed too.” Rodrigo smiled, remembering how comical it had looked to see the horse following along as if he were one of the ducklings.
    “I adore that story.” Meg laid her hand on her chest, sighing. “Patito, you are a warrior with a gentle heart.” She leaned close and kissed the stallion’s