Haunted Knights (Montbryce~The Next Generation Historical Romance) by Anna Markland Page B

up falling from the horse, she tried to recall what Adam had done to soothe the beast. She patted the side of its neck and pulled lightly on the reins, mouthing the horse’s name.
    Her touch seemed to calm him. Relieved, she turned to see how her sister was faring. Abject fear distorted Paulina’s features as she clung to the horse’s mane, the reins dangling uselessly.
    Rosamunda had a choice. She could do nothing, leaving her sister to the mercy of Brevis, who might throw her off.
    She could somehow get off Nox, leave the beast to his own devices, and run over to try to calm Paulina’s horse. This had the potential of alarming Denis’ mount further.
    Or she could coax Nox over to Brevis in the hopes the big horse’s presence might calm him.
    In truth, she did not consider the first two choices. Digging her slippered feet into Nox’s side, she urged the huge horse forward. To her astonishment, he complied. Denis’ horse calmed as soon as she came alongside it. She reached for the reins. “Hang on, Paulina,” she mouthed, pulling the horse away from the edge of the cliff. Her sister sobbed, clutching the mane.
    ~~~
    Adam recognised it was a grave error to leave Rosamunda alone on Nox. In the panic of the moment he had forgotten she had never ridden before. Straining to lift the broken cart away from danger, his shoulder braced hard against the unyielding wood, he feared if he looked in the direction of his horse, the stallion would have run off with her. Or she might be lying injured, broken on the ground. He broke out in a sweat that had nothing to do with the exertion.
    His racing heart calmed when he caught sight of la muette seemingly in control of his sometimes temperamental beast. In addition, she had apparently calmed Brevis. So much for his ambition to be the great protector!
    Denis was assisting terrified servants to climb over the side of the cart to safety. Incredibly, some refused to take his hand, preferring to look away and trust their fate to the cliff.
    Adam and a handful of able bodied men managed to shove the cart away from the edge. The wheel was beyond repair. They either had to leave some of the servants here and return for them, or load everyone into the remaining cart.
    He sank to the ground, knees bent, breathing hard, rubbing his shoulder. Denis wandered over. He bent close to Adam’s ear. “That was a close call.”
    Adam frowned. “I did not hear your shout. It was Rosamunda who alerted me.”
    Denis shrugged, raking his fingers through his dishevelled hair. “I thought as much. It isn’t safe to load everyone into one cart. Many are already muttering about bad luck and curses.”
    Adam smiled. “Look yonder. Can you believe it?”
    It was a comical sight. A young woman, grinning broadly, dressed in a soiled bliaut stretched over a nightshift, led a docile Nox and Brevis, Nox’s reins in one hand, Brevis’ in the other. Her sister tagged behind, obviously trying to distance herself from the horses.
    Denis laughed out loud. “What a relief. My only thought when I left Paulina on Brevis was to get to these ungrateful wretches. Looks like Rosamunda has saved the day in more ways than one.”
    Adam chuckled too. Here was a woman of great courage and resilience. She had been cruelly treated by her own parents because of an affliction. Despite her muteness, Nox had understood her. Could he do the same?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
     
    Rosamunda and her sister had listened with interest when their brothers spoke of East Preston. Derelict when granted to Adam’s father, it figured in the tale of the heroic Montbryce brothers. Nigh on thirty years before, unable to stay in the rat and pigeon infested manor house, the brothers had camped out there on the eve of their first fateful visit to Melton Manor.
    Antoine de Montbryce had decided to reclaim East Preston from its dereliction, trusting it had good fields and could be made into a productive estate. According to Vincent and Lucien, the years had