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things. Her bonnet, equally practical and uninspiring,
was also extracted.
Having had to dispense with a bandbox in order to
maintain her disguise, Alex had selected the smallest
and least prepossessing item of headgear she owned,
which she now surveyed with intense dissatisfaction.
Just for a moment she wished she could look forward
to donning the elegant white satin carriage dress that
she had admired as they had ridden in Hyde Park not
so long ago; it had sported a matching pelisse of white
twilled sarcenet complemented by an exquisite white
satin hat with pomona green plumes. Although it was
quite unlike Alex to notice such a thing, its wearer had
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been so lovely with her pink-and-white complexion,
retroussé nose, and glossy dark curls dancing under
the brim of her bonnet that everyone, even the major,
had been unable to tear their eyes from her.
Silly goose, Alex muttered fiercely to herself as she
struggled to banish such treacherous and unfamiliar
thoughts from her mind. You know that it is a great
deal more fun, and certainly more comfortable to ride
astride a horse in breeches, to feel free to walk into
whatever establishment you please without the least
thought of whether it is proper, than it is to ride
tamely in the park in a barouche accompanied by
some ape-leader as a companion.
Closing her trunk, she hastily finished dressing and
hurried downstairs to the taproom where Wrotham
was already digging into an enormous rasher of ham
and eggs. The welcoming smile on his face when he
looked up and saw Alex was enough to banish even
the worst fit of the dismals and she felt her ill humor
vanishing magically as she took her place in the chair
Christopher indicated.
Casting a cautious eye around the room, the major
spoke softly, As the crowd is a good deal more quiet at
this hour then it was yesterday evening, I felt no
qualms about having our breakfast here. I even took
the liberty of ordering for you. It is a good deal more
expedient and I know you are anxious to reach
Halewood as soon as possible.
Yes. Thank you. Alex took the plate of eggs that he
had served her from the platter next to him. However,
nothing could have been further from the truth.
Suddenly, she wished Halewood with its daily cares
and deadly dull routine were a million miles away.
Despite her best efforts to keep her mind alive with
books and journals, she knew her spirit had little room
to grow there. She wanted to go on forever seeing new
things, sharing them with someone who looked at the
world as she did and asked the same questions of it.
However, being Alex, she resolved to make the most
of what she had and, smiling gratefully at the major,
she ate her breakfast, paid her shot, and went to see
the horses put to as quickly and as efficiently as if she
did not wish to prolong every possible minute of their
journey.
It was another glorious day, and for the most part,
they rode silently, enjoying the rich green fields dotted
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here and there with fruit trees just coming into
blossom, the soft fresh morning air broken only by the
burst of song from some bird intent on attracting a
mate.
All too soon they reached Coltishall, where Alex
would do her best to reassemble herself as Lady
Alexandra de Montmorency and where it was agreed
that Christopher would stay the night while she drove
on to Halewood.
Once again Alex had tried to dissuade the major
from escorting her the entire way. After all, what could
possibly befall her within a few miles of her home, but
much to her relief, he would have none of it.
No. I shall not rest easy until I have seen you
restored to your brothers and sisters and am assured
that everything concerning the debt has been settled to
your satisfaction, he had replied firmly. There had
been a look in his eye that brooked no argument and
that augured ill for anyone who threatened to overset
the ultimate success of Alex s escapade. In fact, Alex
could not recall when she had ever seen the major
looking so severe. With a tiny shock, she realized that
if indeed complications did arise, he was bound and
determined to eliminate them for her. It was a novel
idea and so too was the feeling of happiness that
flooded through her at the thought of it.
Christopher even insisted on mounting guard while
Ned drove the coach into a thick copse and Alex, with
the shades on the coach windows open only a crack to
allow enough light for her to see, struggled into her
dress, fumbling with the fastenings as best she could.
Lord the skirts felt cumbersome after the freedom of
breeches! Finally, having smoothed her hair as much
as possible, and feeling about to make sure she had
left nothing undone, she firmly grasped the handle,
opened the door, and jumped down.
At the edge of the trees the major sat quietly on
Brutus, staring off into the distance until the swish of
skirts on the grass made him look around. She was
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