Hey everyone!

So this story picks up the September after Kitty's wedding once Sabine has gone home from her season :)

I hope you like it!

Vote and comment - let me know!

Dedicated to stuffhappens because she just finished her exams today and I'm sure she aced them like the smart cookie she is :D

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Chapter One

Sabine sighed as she arrived home after her third season in London. It was always humiliating being the boring debutante in London, but it was ever more humiliating returning home with absolutely no offers and having the old ladies in town look at her as if she had leprosy.

She was fine with being unmarried, it was society that was the problem. She would be turning three and twenty in a matter of months and would start to be considered a spinster.

The ivy covered white house at Southerby came into view as the carriage entered the gates of her family home. She was glad to be back with her family, in a familiar place, and of course with Puissant.

She couldn’t wait to get back to her normal routine – riding each day with her mama and tending to the horses. As that thought crossed her mind, she remembered the new Scottish stable hand that had been hired a few months back. She felt sorry for him that he’d have to receive his notice, but she was home now and completely unmarried, so there was nothing stopping her from taking over his job.

The carriage stopped outside the front door which opened on cue. Mr Martin came out with a huge smile on his face. He personally helped her down from the carriage. “Good to have you home, Lady Sabine,” he said sincerely.

Sabine beamed at the old butler. “Thank you, Mr Martin, it’s good to be home. If you could have my things brought inside, I’m just going to go and see Puissant,” she smiled.

“Naturally,” he nodded. Sabine knew the staff were aware of the fact that she got along with horses better than she got along with people.  

Sabine walked around the outside of the beautiful Southerby manor house and down the hill of the estate. The stables came into view after a while and she was excited when she saw the chestnut coloured face of Puissant hanging out of her stall.

Lifting up her skirts, Sabine began walking as quickly as she could down to the stables. The damp grass dirtied the hem at the back of her sensible dress but she didn’t care. Pulling out the large wooden doors, she walked up the aisle and headed directly to Puissant’s stall.

Her beautifully bronze mare whinnied when she saw her owner. It had been too long since Sabine had been with her friend. Puissant was a pure beauty. Her name fit her perfectly. She was truly a ‘mighty’ horse. Never had one seen a horse with stronger legs then Puissant. Her shiny coat showed off every single muscle that made her one of the fastest horses she’d ever seen.

“Hello, my lovely,” Sabine cooed as she entered the stall. As she stroked her long face, she noticed how the straw on the ground was fresh and the feed and water pails were full and clean. However they were on the opposite wall to where she had left them. Looking around Puissant’s large stall she noticed several changes to the layout. Her blanket and saddle were no longer hanging over the edge of the stall, and were nowhere to be seen. Her tack wasn’t on the hook and brushes weren’t on the small shelves. “The stable hand,” Sabine concluded in a growl. If there was one thing she didn’t like, it was people disturbing her system. “Right,” she huffed. “Time to correct this.” She kissed Puissant’s nose and made sure her stall door was latched before leaving.

Down the end of the stable was a tack room where the general tack belonged. Puissant’s was special, which was why it was kept in her stall along with her blanket and the saddle that had been a gift from her father one Christmas. When she entered the tack room, her eyes found Puissant’s straight away. The saddle was stored with the rest of them as well. Clearly the stable boy had no idea what he was doing. She picked up Puissant’s tack and her personal bridle. As she was about to collect the saddle as male voice startled her.        

“Dinna steal anything and I’ll put in a good word for ye with the master,” came a heavily accented voice from behind her.

His Scottish accent was very apparent, as if he’d lived in his motherland until he’d received the job at Southerby. Sabine turned around slowly as she prepared to give the stable boy a piece of her mind. Before she could speak though she noticed his appearance … his very handsome appearance.

The stable boy was no boy at all, he was a man, a very tall and muscular man. She wasn’t guessing her was muscular, she could see it as the only piece of clothing he was wearing on his torso was a dirty and unbuttoned white shirt that highlighted every single line that protruded from his chest and stomach.

His dark blonde hair was longer than most men’s and was quite untidy, clearly he had never seen a comb before. But what caught her attention were his dark brown eyes. He was glaring at her. He really did think her a thief.

“I won’ repeat my offer, lass,” he said again, in a serious voice. “Put down that tack and I’m sure the master won’ call the law on ye.”

“You’ll put in a good word for me with the master?” she asked innocently, playing along.  

The man, who she presumed to be Mr McKenzie, nodded. “I will, lass, just don’ steal Lady Sabine’s tack, the master said she’d have my hide if anything belonging to her mare, Puissant, went missing.” Sabine tried not to smile when she heard him pronounce Puissant’s name in his heavy Scottish accent.

Sabine smiled sweetly. “Of course,” she agreed, putting the tack back in the place where he had wrongly stored it. “I surrender, take me to the master.”

Mr McKenzie took hold of her elbow and began to lead her from the tack room. She could feel the rough, workman’s hands through the thin material of her dress so she was sure he was used to hard work. If he had experience, she was sure that he could find employment elsewhere.

Sabine considered revealing her identity but she knew when her father saw her and he knew how grievous a mistake he had made that it would make the enjoyment of seeing him leave all the more pleasing. As soon as it was done she would be sure to right the stables again and have everything back to normal.

Mr McKenzie didn’t walk through the servant’s exit, instead he chose the household’s back door which she thought was a bold move. Servant’s never used the doors belonging to the house, they had their own hallways and quarters that kept them from sight.

A small smile crept onto her face as the familiar walls of home surrounded her. IT had been too long and she missed it. She knew her parents would be sitting in the drawing room at that time of day so that’s where Mr McKenzie was heading.

He knocked on the door twice, tightening his grip on Sabine’s elbow, though he wasn’t hurting her. He opened the door once he was summoned and entered with Sabine. Her father was sitting on the settee with her mother in front of him. They were both reading the same book together, a romantic hobby they both shared.

They looked up at her with a surprised look on their face. Before they could say anything though, Mr McKenzie spoke. “Lord Southerby, Lady Southerby, I caught this girl in the tack room, she was trying to steal Lady Sabine’s tack. Now, she agreed to come and see you so I don’ think the police will be necessary, but I still thought you ought to know.”

Coy smiles spread across her parents’ faces as Mr McKenzie released her arm.  

“Stealing?” Jane said in disbelief, playing along. “Did your mother not raise you better than that?”

“No, milady,” Sabine said in an innocent voice. “My mama was dreadful.”

“What about your father?” Daniel interjected. “Did he not have any influence on your morals?”

“No, milord,” Sabine answered. “My papa taught me how to steal.”

Jane, giving them away, burst into a fit of laughter. She tossed the book aside and got up from the settee, throwing her arms around Sabine’s neck. “Oh, I missed you so much!” she exclaimed.

“I missed you, too, mama,” Sabine said, enjoying her mother’s familiar scent.

“Mama?” Mr McKenzie repeated, sounding confused. “Wait –”

“Forgive us, Connor,” Daniel apologised. “For you’ve just been the victim of a nasty trick. This girl wasn’t stealing Lady Sabine’s tack, for she is Lady Sabine.” He, too, kissed his daughter’s cheek and told her how much he missed her.

His dark brown eyes widened. “You’re Lady Sabine?” he gasped.

Sabine nodded. “Yes, why else would I be handling my horse’s tack?”

Connor looked quite embarrassed at his mistake. Sabine began to feel guilty for fooling him. She knew exactly how to rectify the situation.

“Now that I am home, I will be taking care of the stables. You may leave as soon as you please with a glowing reference even if you disorganised everything,” she said kindly.

Connor’s eyebrows furrowed. Clearly he wasn’t aware of the arrangement. His eyes flashed to her father. “I wasn’t aware that I was to lose my job. Have I done something wrong?” he asked. Sabine noticed that his accent was thicker when he was distressed.

“You’re not, don’t worry,” Daniel said, frowning at Sabine. “Sabine, Connor isn’t losing his job. He’s very good at what he does, he’s been looking after Puissant very well for you.”

“But he’s moved everything,” Sabine said in disbelief. “It’s all wrong. I was going to do his job when I returned from London.”

Connor’s disheartened look disappeared and a cocky smirk appeared. “Ye like shovelling droppings then?” he asked, amused.

Sabine placed her hands on her hips and squared her shoulders. “I’m perfectly capable of doing all that is needed to care for the horses.” She wasn’t afraid of excrement.

“Sabine,” Daniel warned. “I will not have a lady like you spending her days in the stables.”

“She spends the days in the stable anyway,” Jane murmured. “Why can’t she?”

“Yes!” Sabine exclaimed. “Thank you, mama!”

“No,” he said firmly. “It’s good to have you back, sweetheart. If you want to rearrange the stable, then tell Connor what you want done and he’ll do it, won’t you?” Daniel prompted.

Connor nodded. “Of course, milady. I’ll be happy to oblige ye in your bizarre way of doing things.” He looked at her playfully.

Sabine pursed her lips, knowing that was a jab at her. “I had a system,” she snapped. She turned her head to her father. “Papa, he is practically undressed and you refer to him by his Christian name. And you’re obliging his wishes, are you sure you don’t prefer him to me?” she challenged.

Daniel rolled his dark eyes. “You know better than that, Sabine. Connor, please keep your shirt buttoned,” he instructed.

Jane sighed. “Why don’t they work together in the stables? We’re just going to hear about it every night at dinner until we give in,” she grinned. Sabine smiled widely, her mother knew her too well. She didn’t care if she had to work with him, once she showed him how things were done right, he might choose to leave of his own accord.

Daniel conceded, knowing his wife was right. “Very well,” he sighed. “But you’re just looking after Puissant, you’re not to be tending the other horses, I am paying him for that.”

Sabine squealed and pulled her father into a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, papa!”

When she released him she turned to see that Connor had buttoned up his shirt. His expression was one of annoyance. “I’ll be in the stables, milord. See that all the horses have their feed.”

As he went to leave the drawing room, Sabine called after him. “Wait for me, Mr McKenzie,” she called, refusing to use his Christian name as her parent’s had. “I’ll show you how things are done!”

“I can’ wait to have ye wisdom imparted on me, milady,” he said cynically.  

“This is going to end in tears,” her father said knowingly. “Behave,” he instructed. “And be back for dinner. We want to hear about all the young gentlemen you met in London.”

Sabine rolled her eyes. “Papa, I was with Kitty, they love her, not me.” She realised that Connor was still in earshot of their conversation. Her cheeks reddened slightly with embarrassment.

“Kitty’s married now,” Jane shrugged. “Besides, they loved Kitty’s confidence. Of course she’s a beautiful girl, but so are you. If you oozed the confidence that Kitty has then you would have dozens of suitors.”

“Mama, please,” Sabine sighed. “I have very limited interests, marriage and men are not included. I’m going to go down to Puissant now. I’ll be back soon.”

She walked out of the drawing room with Connor who didn’t say anything about the conversation he’d just witnessed. She was glad that he didn’t, she was embarrassed enough at how she repelled men. Perhaps her opinion of him could be redeemed.

“Ye really have your mama and da’ wrapped around your finger, don’ ye?” he said once they were outside.

Sabine’s angry blue eyes flashed to his dark, curious ones. As he furrowed his brows, his whole face creased with lines. It made him look rather … rugged. “What?” she snapped.   

“Ye ask and ye shall receive. English families are much more lenient than Scottish ones,” he shrugged.

Sabine glared at him. “I don’t get everything I want. You’re still here,” she sniffed.

Connor chuckled lightly. “True. All I know is that had I gone against my da’ like that then I would have been thrown over his knee and whipped,” he shrugged as if it was nothing.

“That’s barbaric!” she exclaimed.

“That’s life,” he retorted. “It’s no’ all tea parties and ‘suitors’. Life is hard, milady. No’ all of us have ‘papa’ to buy us anything we want.”

“Then why don’t you run back to da’?” she said sarcastically. “My papa doesn’t buy me everything I want. Why are you here anyway?”

“The job was goin’” he replied quickly.

“In England,” she clarified.

“My sister’s house go’ too small. So I came here. Have you any more invasive questions or can we get on with disorganising my stables?” he snapped. Sabine’s eyes widened. His past was a sensitive subject for him.

Sabine realised that their conversation had taken them all the way down to the stables. If he wasn’t going to give her any answers she was going to instruct him on how to order the stables. When they entered the tack room and sighed, discontent. “Now, why is all the tack in the tack room?” she demanded to know.

“Because it’s the tack room?” he answered slowly.

“Puissant’s tack belongs in her stall, as does her saddle and blanket. That way when I ride her everything is right there and I don’t have to go looking for it. It’s far too expensive to be mixed in with all of the other tack anyway.” Sabine collected the tack.

“Is this why your season was unsuccessful, milady. Are ye too bossy for your own good?” he asked, smiling with a crooked grin that made his face crinkle like before.

Sabine huffed, concluding that redemption was impossible. “I’m particular, not bossy. There’s a difference,” she sniffed. “There is a certain way I like things done, and this,” she said gesturing to Puissant’s collection of things in with the ordinary gear. “I don’t like.”

“I don’ think it’s your confidence that turns men away, Sabine,” Connor smirked, collecting the saddle and blanket for her. “You’ve got that in spades. I think it’s the fact that you’re too high maintenance. They didn’ want ye even with your dowry? Ouch.”

Sabine glared daggers at him. She would make it her mission to make him hand in his notice. There was no way he was staying at Southerby, not while she was around.