Read Online Never Less Than a Lady by Mary Jo Putney - Free Book Online

“Perhaps now riding would be better than walking?”
    He muttered an oath under his breath. “Perhaps, but I’m not capable of riding when a lady is walking.”
    She didn’t mind walking while he rode, but since he did, she addressed the horse. “Turk, are you willing to carry two people? No more than three or four miles.”
    The horse turned its head and nosed her chest in a friendly way. She smiled and buried her fingers in his mane. “I think he just said yes.”
    “He does seem to be moving well despite the hard riding yesterday,” Randall conceded. “Turk is a first-class horse. I wonder if Townsend would sell him?”
    “He already refused an offer from a duke, so I think not.”
    “Ashton tried and failed? Then Townsend certainly won’t sell to me. Very well, Turk, since you look willing and we don’t have to move fast, we’ll try.” He mounted, wincing at the strain on his leg, then offered his hand to Julia. She put her foot on his and swung up to perch pillion style behind him. The horse made no objections.
    She rested her hands on Randall’s lean waist and they resumed their journey. Was touching him as unnerving as it had been the day before? She decided not. Modest progress had been made. Perhaps there was hope for her.
    After a mile or so, she asked, “Do you have a plan for when we reach Carlisle?”
    “Not really. We need to find transportation so we can continue as quickly as possible. Do you need to do anything besides writing your friends in Hartley?”
    “There’s a used clothing shop on the edge of the old town. I’d like to stop and acquire some more clothes.” She made a face. “But I’ll have to borrow money from you. I haven’t a penny to bless myself with.”
    “It’s not borrowing when you’re about to become my wife.” He frowned. “And as my wife, you should not have to wear secondhand clothing.”
    “I’ve been wearing used garments for years. A little longer won’t hurt me,” she said mildly. “A bonnet and cloak will make me less conspicuous.”
    “Very well. But I will do better by you in future.” He patted her hand where it rested on his waist. “I think you’ve earned some pampering.”
    “Pampering. What a remarkable concept.” She thought of the long hours of work, the scrimping to make ends meet. Her life in Hartley had been rewarding, but not easy. “I think I would quite enjoy that.”
    They continued in peaceable silence until they intercepted a grassy lane that led in the right direction. They’d progressed from wild country and sheep tracks to cultivated fields and recognizable roads.
    They crested a ridge and saw Carlisle ahead of them, the cathedral presiding majestically over the town. Randall said, “Time for a break. I need to stretch my legs.”
    He helped Julia down and dismounted himself, his face tight with pain. Julia wished she could help, but without her supplies, she couldn’t even make willow bark tea.
    A stream ran by the road, so horse and riders refreshed themselves. After drinking and splashing cold water on her face, Julia glanced longingly at the town in the distance. “Will there be time for a proper meal before we continue?”
    “There will.” His glance was admiring. “You’re a trooper, Lady Julia. Not a single complaint despite ample cause.”
    “You haven’t complained, either, Major, despite your leg acting up,” she retorted.
    His mouth quirked. “Yes, but I am a trooper. Stoicism is expected.”
    She chuckled, thinking that either his sense of humor was improving or she was becoming more attuned to his dry wit.
    Randall pulled out his wallet and handed her several banknotes. “Here’s money for clothing. Do you ride? It’s possible that I’ll have to hire riding hacks if there’s no carriage available.”
    She tucked away the notes, hoping he’d be able to find a carriage. The last thing the man needed was more hours on horseback. “I haven’t done much riding in recent years, but I can manage.