Free The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson

seemed bent on killing her. As soon as he was almost close enough for her to jump, the stallion changed his direction so that Colin was on the opposite side, making it impossible for her to leap from the sidesaddle into Colin’s arms without landing upside down.
    The horse headed back toward the well again, galloping faster than ever, ignoring her shouts for him to stop. He drew closer and closer to the four-foot wall — it seemed inevitable that he would break his forelegs against the well. At the last moment, he halted.
    Only Margaretha kept going. She braced herself as she landed on her back on the ground a hand-breadth from the well.

Chapter
9

    She couldn’t breathe. She rolled over onto one side, and after a long, horrible moment, the breath came back into her lungs.
    As she clutched at her chest and gulped the air, sharp pain shot through her left arm and shoulder. Someone ran toward her, then fell to his knees at her side.
    She blinked hard.
    Colin leaned over her. “Are you hurt? Lady Margaretha, can you hear me?”
    She blinked again. The black stallion grazed placidly several feet away, beside the well where he had stopped. She shuddered. The horse’s wild plunge toward the well had jarred every bone and tooth in her body. A few more inches and she would have cracked her head open on the wall.
    She moaned.
    “Where are you hurt?” Colin leaned even closer, bringing his face more into focus.
    “I must have landed on the back of my shoulder.” Her shoulder hurt, but it would hurt more if any bones were broken. She hoped.
    “I’ll go get Frau Lena.”
    “No! Please don’t. I think I am well. Only help me sit up.”
    Colin leaned even closer as he slipped his arm underneath her back and lifted her into a sitting position. She gasped at how easily and swiftly he lifted her, then at the pain in her left shoulder. She cradled her left arm close to her stomach.
    “Is it broken? Are you in much pain?”
    “No, no, I am well. I’ve fallen off horses before, and I don’t think any bones are broken.”
    “Are you certain?” Colin still knelt in front of her. “I think you should see Frau Lena and let her look at you. I will carry you.”
    “That won’t be necessary. Perhaps if I could just stand, maybe have a drink of water . . .” She kept her left arm close to her side and let him lift her by her right elbow. Her left hip was sore, but her legs held her up, and her left arm hurt, but at least she could move it. She leaned on the well and drew a ladle-full of water out of the bucket.
    He hovered over her, making sure she was steady. She moaned again. What a disgrace she was. “Please promise you won’t tell anyone about this.” The bones in her legs seemed to have turned to water, but it was only from fear. “If I rest here a moment, I’ll be well. But I don’t want my father to know how foolish I was. Please don’t tell anyone about this.”
    “I won’t. But what about the stable master?”
    “He won’t tell. He is a man of few words and not a person to make trouble. But if my younger brothers found out . . .” She glanced around to make sure no one else had seen. “They would never let me forget it, and then my father and my mother might hear of it and be angry with me.”
    “I should think you would be more worried about whether or not you are injured.”
    Staring down at her wrist, she realized it was bare. “Oh no. I’ve lost my bracelet.” Her heart sank. She looked at the ground around her feet but didn’t see it. “How will I ever explain losing that bracelet? It was my great-grandmother’s. My mother will be so disappointed in me.” Tears filled her eyes. She blinked them back so she could better see as she searched the ground.
    “I’ll help you look for it,” Colin said. “If it fell off between here and the stable, we should be able to find it.” He began searching the ground just as she was doing.
    Du! ” someone yelled. It was the stable master, pointing at