Free Truth Within Dreams by Elizabeth Boyce Page B

treat. “Hullo, dear girl,” Claudia said. “What do you think? Shall we grace these smelly males with the pleasure of our company?”
    Beside Coco, Henry’s new piebald gelding, Lava, turned his head away and blew out, as though offended. Claudia laughed. Behind her, Henry’s hands settled on her waist. “Ready?” he asked. He pressed against her back before boosting her to the saddle. To the casual observer, it was just a few seconds of contact, but Claudia felt the mark of his touch on her body well after he’d settled onto his mount and led her out of the stable yard.
    They rode in silence for a time, along a ridge overlooking a field awash in the vibrant yellow of rape flowers. In the distance, stone cottages dotted the landscape. The fresh air and sunshine did much to clear away the mental cobwebs left behind by Mr. Whombleby’s opium tonic. Claudia did not think she could tolerate another pointless dose, not even to appease her mother. Thankfully, Claudia had managed to convince her parent she felt well this morning.
    Henry drew his horse to a stop and Claudia pulled up alongside. Coco shifted, causing Claudia’s skirt to brush against Henry’s leg. He laid a hand on her knee and asked, “How are you, Claudia? Quite recovered? Sitting a horse does not cause undue discomfort, I trust?”
    His inquiry sounded like mockery. Claudia blanched. How unlike himself Henry was behaving! “My chief complaint is the laudanum I was pressed to take.”
    “Dreadful stuff.” He gave an exaggerated shudder. “Best reserved for grievous pains. You must have been in a bad way.”
    “Nothing extraordinary. It was all very usual, I assure you.”
    He nodded gravely. “Yes, I see. The usual dose of medication to stop the hurts of typical intercourse. It’s a wonder ladies’ little musical and literary societies are not fronts for opium dens, given the many hurts they must suffer.” A bitter sneer contorted his features.
    “Only the first time,” Claudia rushed. Why did he persist in the charade of having lain with her, even here, in private? It was a great mystery, but the cold aloofness of his demeanor forbade that line of questioning. “The dreams were the most disturbing I ever experienced. Each one so vivid, I could have sworn it was real. I dreamt the posts of my bed were all arguing with one another over which did the most work in supporting the canopy. What a strange vision! How does one’s mind even concoct such a thing? And then—” She halted, brought up short by the recollection of one of her last dreams of the night. Henry had been in her room. He’d flown in and kissed and held her until her body sang for his attentions.
    His eyes blazed. “And then what?” Awareness pulsed between them, as though he knew her mind.
    But she could not reveal such mortifying fancies. “What say you to a race?”
    He scoffed, seeming to soften a bit. “Coward.”
    She pointed to a path, which led through a wooded area, down a gentle slope toward the Avon. “To the riverbank,” she said.
    “What is the forfeit?” he asked.
    “If I win—”
    “Not going to happen.” She hoped his confident teasing marked a turn in his mood. “
When
I win, I shall claim my prize at the finish. Ready?”
    They leaned over their horses’ necks. Claudia gave the word, and they were off.
    Coco plunged forward. Claudia whispered encouragement in the mare’s ear. Beside her, Henry started to pull ahead, his mount churning up black clods of earth. The spirited mare would have none of that, straining at the bit to keep pace with Lava.
    The trees flew past in a blur and each of Coco’s strides ate up ground. A low branch jutting out around a curve caught Claudia off guard. She yelped and threw herself flat against her horse to avoid hitting it. The mishap gave Henry the opening he needed to take the lead.
    Around another bend, the river came into view. Sunlight dappled the surface, throwing brilliant diamonds across her vision.