Free Until You by Jennifer McNare

where Ashleigh sat proudly atop her mighty stallion.  She looked incredibly lovely in her stylish velvet riding habit of deep black and matching topper, too lovely in fact.  Though, if he were to admit the truth, he would have to acknowledge that he much preferred the sight of her in her shirt and breeches.  Glancing about the courtyard, he noticed several male faces staring raptly in her direction.  Obviously, he wasn't the only one captivated by her remarkable beauty.  With a slight frown of displeasure he turned his attention back to the huntmaster and gave the signal to start the hunt.  Moments later the trumpet blast sounded and they were off, the hounds having already been released to pick up the scent of the fox. 
    Ashleigh kept to the back with the other ladies as they started to move forward, her eyes never straying far from the duke's proud form as he rode near the front of the group.  However, as the field began to widen, she gradually started to move up.  Several of the ladies cast surprised glances in her direction, but she was far too caught up in the exhilaration of her first hunt to pay them any mind.  When she came abreast of two older gentlemen just as they were nearing a short stone wall, she pushed Raider to a faster pace so that the three horses cleared it in unison, their powerful lines appearing almost as one as they sailed over the low obstacle.  The maneuver was accomplished with clever timing and a tremendous degree of skill.  Not many riders would have attempted such a feat and even fewer would have executed it so perfectly.  Their expressions revealed mild disapproval as she passed by them a few seconds later, but she was fairly certain she detected a hint of grudging admiration as well.
    Minutes later, Ashleigh had all but forgotten the disapproving looks as her focus and concentration returned to the hunt.  She passed another rider and yet another smiling in sheer delight, utterly caught up in the thrill of the chase.  Urging Raider forward, she saw that a small ravine lay directly ahead, and tightening her muscles, she and Raider flew over it without breaking stride.  When she passed by a handsome gentleman whom Madeline had introduced her to earlier, the Duke of Ravenfield if she remembered correctly, she was pleasantly surprised when he tipped his hat and gave her a roguish wink.
    Ashleigh was steadily moving toward the front of the group when she saw two horses nearly collide as their careless riders recklessly urged them over a fallen tree.  Eager to distance herself from the crowd, she pushed Raider into a full gallop.  After another mile, she spotted the duke riding just ahead.  A four-foot brick wall lay directly in his path and she couldn't help but admire his flawless form as he cleared it with ease.  She too, took the wall with ease and soon she was nearly abreast of him.
    Sensing another rider's presence, Nicholas turned to look over his shoulder and was stunned to see Ashleigh closing the distance behind him.  “I thought I told you to behave,” he shouted as she came alongside of him, the two powerful steeds tearing up the ground with their mighty hooves as they raced side by side.
    Ashleigh ignored him as she prepared to take the next hurdle.  A moment later, the two horses sailed over the fallen logs in perfect unison.
    “Dammit Ashleigh, I'm serious!” he bellowed, once they had cleared the obstacle, furious that she had deliberately defied him.  He didn’t even realize that he had cursed, or that he had just called her by her first name.
    With an audacious grin, Ashleigh leaned forward over Raider's neck and whispered into his ear, urging him on as she followed the distant sound of the barking dogs.  The beautiful English countryside became little more than a fast-moving blur of greens, browns and the other muted shades of autumn.
    Nicholas couldn't believe that Ashleigh was riding with such reckless abandon.  Although he knew she was an accomplished