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wasn't sure how her uncle had changed
her father's mind. When she had first asked him if she might ride to hunt, her
father had firmly refused, though there had been a certain wistfulness in his
eyes. After an hour closeted with Uncle Mercer, however, he had all but
insisted she ride, as though he had been in favor of it all along. Not for the
first time, she felt vaguely disturbed at her uncle's influence over her
father, even though in this case it had worked to her advantage.
    Her performance today would determine whether
she would ever ride with the Quorn again —or with any other hunt, for the
masters of the Belvoir and Cottesmore Hunts were also here for the opening of
the season. She was therefore determined to make a good showing, her mount's
temperament problems notwithstanding.
    "What is Miss Seaton doing here?"
Stormy asked as Anthony rejoined his friends. "Never say she means to ride
to the hunt?"
    Glancing back, Anthony saw that she and Emery
were moving into position, ready with the rest to follow the Master and his
whippers-in to the covert. "So she tells me."
    Rush and Thor followed his gaze, then both
turned back to him in consternation. "That's the very bay we told you
about last week," Thor said. "The one we saw in the paddock at
Seaton's. I'd swear he wasn't even broken."
    "Completely wild," Rush agreed. He
looked again. "Yes, it's definitely the same animal, for I noticed his
left rear sock was shorter than the other three."
    Stormy, after another long stare, concurred.
"I didn't even notice the horse at first, what with the novelty of seeing
Miss Seaton herself here, but they're right. He looks docile enough now,
however, so perhaps we simply caught him on a bad day."
    "Perhaps," said Anthony thoughtfully,
remembering how she had calmed Zephyr on the road last week. "It will be
interesting to see how they do in the hunt together."
    "Aye, I'm thinking she'll be a treat to
watch —if she isn't thrown," said Rush with a grin. "Maybe I won't
ride so far forward today."
    Anthony bit back a totally uncalled-for
response. Why should he mind if his friends admired Miss Seaton? Kindred spirit
though she seemed to be, she was really nothing more to him than an enigma. A
very attractive enigma.
    "Perhaps I'll join you," he managed
to say lightly.
    Mr. Smith set the hounds in motion then.
Flanked by his two whippers-in, they guided the pack uphill to the covert, just
over a mile away. The hunting field followed at a distance, most riding covert
hacks, with lightweight grooms mounted on their hot-blooded hunters. A very few
rode their hunters to the covert, including Miss Seaton. Because no one else
could safely ride him? Anthony wondered.
    He and Rush allowed most of the field to pass
them as they went, so that they could better observe Miss Seaton and her bay.
The horse moved beautifully, without the slightest sign of skittishness. If he
didn't trust his friends implicitly, Anthony would never have believed what
they'd told him of that bay.
    "Maybe Stormy's right," Rush
commented as they approached the covert. "I can't find any fault with that
horse today —nor his rider." He flashed Anthony a grin that made his
hackles rise.
    He longed to tell Rush to keep his eyes on the
horse, but knew better than to open himself to the ribbing that would follow.
"Their true test is yet to come," was all he said.
    While those on hacks changed horses, the
hunstman gathered the hounds and sent them out to draw the covert, a two or
three acre stand of trees and thick underbrush. Anticipation rose to its height
as all the assembled waited to see whether the hounds would find and flush a
fox, or whether they'd have to change horses again to try another covert.
    Long minutes passed, and Anthony couldn't help
stealing quick glances at Miss Seaton, a short distance away. She looked tense,
but that was not to be wondered at for her first hunt. Still, he might be able
to—
    The bell-like sound of the hounds giving tongue
distracted