Chapter Two

A few days past and Sabine had spent the time correcting all of Connor’s changes. When she was satisfied that everything was as they way she left it, she felt that she could finally get back into her usual routine.

“Why do ye like horses so much?” Connor asked Sabine as she filled Puissant’s feed and water pails. “Don’ ye ladies like embroidery an’ things like that?”

Sabine arched one of her eyebrows in Connor’s direction. “Horses … well, they never leave you.”

“That’s not what Puissant was doing when I found her,” Connor shrugged with that same crooked grin on his face.

“It is said ‘Puissant’,” she corrected him. “The ‘t’ is silent as it is French. It means ‘mighty’. What exactly was she doing when you found her?” she asked, eyeing her beautiful chestnut mare. Puissant was watching them like the curious animal she was.

“Puissant,” he said correctly. “She truly is a fine horse, milady. She was a few miles from here, just running. I’ve never seen her equal in strong legs or speed.”

Sabine began to dress Puissant for a ride. She hadn’t ridden a horse in several months and she was desperate to feel the freedom again. “Why was she a few miles from here? She doesn’t leave the stables unless she is being exercised by me or by one of my family members,” she said icily. If one of her brothers had left Puissant’s stall unlatched then there would be hell to pay.

“It’s no’ like I let her out of her stall myself,” he retorted. “I happened upon your beautiful mare on my travels so I caught her and tracked her movements back to this estate. Her tack was too fine to be just a normal runaway. I knocked on the door and your da’ offered me a job. I guess you’re wrong then, milady. Horse do leave you.”

Sabine bit her lip to try to control her emotions. Abandonment was a very sensitive issue for her. She’d completely forgiven her father but sometimes the feelings still bubbled to the surface. Horses were the one thing she knew she could rely on. In silence she placed the blanket on Puissant’s back and fastened the saddle to her back. Fixing the stirrups to her height, Sabine seized the reins and made a point to push past Connor.

Connor didn’t say anything in response to Sabine’s abrasiveness, instead he just followed her out of the stables.

As Sabine was about to mount Puissant, she felt to hands on her hips. The ground disappeared beneath her as Connor placed her in the saddle. Much to her embarrassment, she felt her cheeks redden. She adjusted her position and tightened her grip on the reins. As she was about to thank Connor, he started speaking.

“You’re sitting in the saddle wrong, lass,” he noted.

Sabine furrowed her brows. She looked at her position and it was perfect. “No, I’m not.”

“Swing your leg over to the other side,” he instructed. “That can’ be comfortable.”

“Side saddle is how ladies ride, Mr McKenzie,” Sabine said firmly. “To ride with my legs apart would invite scandal.”

Connor scoffed and rolled his dark brown eyes. Sabine knew that he obviously had no experience when it came to propriety. The way he wore his dark blonde hair long and wore the least amount of clothing possible made it evident. “You’re goin’ for a ride in the woods, not to a damn derby,” he swore in a mocking tone. “How are ye supposed to get any speed when you’re riding like a priss?”

“A priss?” she repeated, alarmed. “Being ladylike does not make me a priss.”

“Milady, this horse can fly! Ye have no idea fast I had to run to catch her,” he pressed, stroking her neck.

“You caught her while she was running?” Sabine said in disbelief. “How fast are you?”

“Fast,” he shrugged. “Puissant had to tire eventually.” 

“Why are you so interested in horses, Mr McKenzie?” she asked, countering his question.

Connor’s sarcastic smirk was replaced with a look of inspiration. “Have ye ever watched a horse run, milady? I mean really run?”  

“I’ve seen horses run,” she replied, confused.

“I’ve been fascinated by them running since I was a wee lad. I always thought that it could be something more. I want to raise them, a whole lot of them for racing. I think that racing is the sport of the future,” he explained with a hint of passion in his voice. “It’s horses like Puissant that show me that this can be possible.”

Sabine pursed her lips. “Is that why you came to England?”

His body language changed as she asked the question. His eyes became reserved as he nodded once. “Yes, it is,” he replied unconvincingly.

Sabine wasn’t one to pry, but she knew there was more to him than meets the eye. She could make Puissant move when she rode side saddle, however she couldn’t push her without the fear of falling off. She was tempted to swing one of legs over but she was inexperienced.

“I’ll teach ye, if ye like,” he offered. “To ride like a man is fun. It might help ye to loosen tha’ stiff English upper lip of yours.” The crooked grin returned to his face as he slapped Puissant’s behind.   

Before Sabine could respond, Puissant took off in a quick gallop. Sabine slowed her down to a canter and relaxed into the familiar feel of ‘flying’. Perhaps she was not going as fast as Puissant could run, but she still felt as if she was flying.

The next day, when Sabine and her mother were out on their daily ride, they got to talking about her season, as they hadn’t had an opportunity to since she’d been back as they’d always been in the company of her father. There were some things that only mothers and daughters could discuss – namely men.

They’d ridden Puissant and her mother’s mare, Honey, up into the woods along a trail that was well explored by the Winchester family. They’d dismounted at a moss covered boulder that was perfectly designed for sitting.

As Honey and Puissant enjoyed themselves on the grass on the floor of the woods, Jane got to questioning her daughter.

“So, absolutely no offers then?”

Sabine shook her head. “What did you think, mama, some man was going to find me interesting and propose?” She was used to being ignored. She’d never thought about it from how Connor had said – they still didn’t want her even after her dowry was offered. What did men in the ton want? They ignored their wives anyway, who cared if she didn’t have anything to say unless it was equine inclined?

“You are interesting, darling,” Jane assured her. “You have plenty of valid things to say. Don’t let anybody put you down. If they don’t like you then it’s their loss.”

Sabine smiled at her mother’s attempts to make her feel better about herself. “Thank you, mama. I’m sorry you’ll have a spinster for a daughter. That’s got to be quite an embarrassment.”

Jane rolled her eyes and pulled Sabine into her arms. Sabine lay with her head against her mother’s chest as she rubbed her back soothingly like she had done when she was young. “You, young lady, will never be an embarrassment. You are beautiful, clever and you have a passion. There will be a man out there that is perfect for you,” she assured her. “I’m sure he’s on his way right now.”

“Well I’m sure he’s taken about twelve wrong turns,” Sabine quipped in an annoyed voice.  

Jane laughed lightly. “I was a year older than you when I met papa,” she pointed out. “And I got twice as lucky,” she whispered, kissing Sabine’s temple. “And so will you,” she promised.

Sabine sighed contently. “Can I just stay here with you for the rest of my life?” she asked, perfectly serious. “I can’t take trying to find someone who doesn’t think me dull. What moron invented the word ‘spinster’ anyway?”

“A man,” Jane replied immediately. “Let’s change the subject, shall we? How’s working with Connor going?” she asked.

Sabine sighed. “Why do you all call him that? He’s not your son,” she pointed out.

“He said he didn’t like formalities. He asked if we could call him ‘Connor’ so we agreed,” Jane said simply. “It’s an unusual name, isn’t it? I haven’t heard of it before. It must be very Scottish.”

“His accent is very thick,” Sabine agreed. “Do you know how he came to be in England?” she asked her mother.

“No,” Jane replied. “He didn’t say, and it’s really none of our business. He was very knowledgeable about horses so your father thought him perfect for the position. Frankly I’m surprised someone with his knowledge took a job as a stable hand but he did. He’s been excellent. He can even shoe the horses himself.”

That impressed Sabine. They usually had to take the horses into town to the blacksmith to get that done. That would save a lot of time. “That’s handy,” she commented.

“He’s very visually pleasing though, isn’t he?” Jane smiled guiltily. “He’s very ruggedly handsome.”

“Mama!” Sabine exclaimed. “What about papa? You’re married!”

“Married, not dead,” Jane shrugged. “I love papa very much, and he is timelessly handsome, but Connor is a very good looking young man. Surely you’ve noticed?”

Sabine scoffed. “No, mama, I haven’t noticed,” she lied. “He’s are too annoying and frustrating to be handsome. He picks on me and then adds ‘lass’ onto the end of it to make it seem less harsh. And you know what else? I don’t think he owns a clean shirt? They’re all covered in God knows what!” she growled.

“It sounds like you fancy him,” Jane commented in a concerned voice.

Sabine pulled back from her mother with an alarmed expression on her face. “I do not!” she scoffed.

“Alright,” her mother nodded. “Just be careful. Handsome men are tempting, Sabine, especially young, rugged, foreign ones. I don’t think papa really understands what will happen when his daughter becomes a romantic prospect for someone, so he probably doesn’t see the harm, but I’m very aware of what happens when two people work together in such quarters.”

Sabine furrowed her eyebrows. “Mama, you’re the one who suggested we work together,” she pointed out slowly.

“I know,” Jane groaned. “I regret that now. I should have been him alone or you alone. I just want you to be careful, darling.”

“Why?” Sabine challenged. “Be careful because of my reputation or be careful because he is a stable hand?” She really could not believe her mother would have such objections – not that they were needed – as she grew up as a farm girl.

Jane rolled her eyes. “I care about your reputation, darling, the rumour mill can be ruthless. All it takes is one kiss and you don’t want to be known as promiscuous on top of –” she started but stopped herself before she said anything further but Sabine was already angry.

“On top of being the most boring and uninteresting girl in town? It’s nice to know you think so highly of me, mama,” she seethed. “I love how your expectations of me are so low. Naturally when I am in the same room as a handsome man I will spread my legs,” she snapped and got up from the boulder. Grabbing Puissant’s reins tightly she climbed atop her.

“Don’t you dare speak to me like that and walk away, Sabine, we are not done talking about this!” Jane shouted, looking furious but Sabine didn’t listen. She wanted to be alone and she didn’t want to deal with her mother, and no doubt her father’s wrath at that moment.

She pointed Puissant in the opposite direction to the house. She wanted to be faraway and she knew her mother would go back to the house to wait for her to go back and apologise.

She didn’t know where she was going. She slowed Puissant down to a walk so she didn’t trip over any unknown obstacles. A loud clap of thunder boomed overhead and Puissant neighed in a panic. Sabine controlled her as she looked up into the sky to see sudden, ominous clouds. “Where did they come from?” she hissed. It was not just going to rain, it was going to pour. She had to find shelter to wait the rain out. Why did she have to go in the opposite direction to the house? Now it would take an age to find her way back.

The darkened quickly as the thunder continued to threaten rain. Sabine climbed down from Puissant and began to lead her, all the while stroking her to keep her calm. There was nothing but trees around her, there was no break in them.

Little droplets of rain began to hit her face quickly, so much so that in a matter of minutes her blonde hair was sopping wet. The rain soaked through her dress and chilled her to the bone. Looking down she saw that it had gone completely see – through.

“Come on, Puissant,” Sabine urged, using her other hand to shield her eyes from the rain. “Oh, mama and papa are going to be so angry with me! Why aren’t Philip and Louis at home? I could always count on them to do something more foolish so that my infringement wouldn’t look so bad!”

“Sabine!”

Sabine turned around in a flash when she heard her name being yelled in that familiar accent. She squinted through the rain but all she could see was trees. “Mr McKenzie?” she yelled back.

“Where are ye?”

She could hear his voice getting louder. He was close. “By the tree!” she shouted.

“I don’ know if you’ve noticed but there are a lot of trees!” he yelled.

Sabine laughed as she saw him leading one of the family stallions through the trees as she led Puissant. His dark blond hair was black with the rain and plastered to his face. His dirty, white shirt was completely moulded to his body so every distinct line was completely visible. Sabine disciplined herself, she would not let what he mother said be true.   

“Are ye alright?” he panted as he reached her, his dark brown eyes filled with concern. He took Puissant’s reins from her and looked around for somewhere to wait out the storm.

“I’m a little wet,” she replied.

Connor rolled his eyes. “Come on,” he said. “When I was walking around here I found a cave about a half mile from here. It’ll keep us safe from the storm and I’ll get you home in the morn.”

Sure enough, half a mile north there was a cave nestled between the rocks and trees. It was small, but big enough to fit the horses, Connor and Sabine in snugly. Connor took the saddles off the horses and collected both of the blankets. He wrapped one around Sabine’s shoulders and laid one on the floor for them to sit on. He then collected as much dry wood as he could find underneath the brush and brought it into the damp cave.

As if he were a woodsmen, he had a small fire going quickly.

“How do you know how to do all this?” Sabine asked as she warmed her frozen hands by the fire.

“My brothers … when we were younger my da’ used to send us into the woods. He told us he was making us men. We had to learn to survive. If ye came back before ye were called, ye failed. So we learned to make fires an’ hunt and build shelters,” he shrugged. “I could go an’ find us a doe but I don’ think ye would eat it if ye saw how it started out,” he said knowingly.

Sabine smiled as she began to remove her hairpins and let down her long, blonde locks to dry. “Your father sounds like an interesting man,” she commented, fishing for information.

Connor’s lips locked. “Interesting is no’ the word I would use,” he muttered.

“Do you have many siblings in Scotland?” she asked, trying to turn the subject away from his father.

“Aye,” he nodded. “Five brothers, and a sister, Merida. Ye would like her, ye both as stubborn as each other,” he said comically, his crooked grin returning.

“I’m not stubborn!” Sabine snorted.

“Why’d ye run away from your mama, then? She came into the stables all flustered and ordered me to track ye before the storm hit,” he said casually.

Sabine couldn’t believe that he had tracked her. What did parents do with their children in Scotland? “I ran away from my mama because we had an argument,” she replied quietly. She wished they hadn’t fought. She hated when they fought.

“What was the fight about, if ye don’ mind my asking?” he asked curiously.

Sabine looked up at him. “You.”

“Me?” he said in disbelief.

She nodded. “Mama is worried about my reputation. She thinks that you will tempt me into ruining myself.” She couldn’t believe how brazenly she was talking. Perhaps it was confidence.

“I don’ know whether I should be flattered or insulted …” Connor said in a confused tone.  

“I was insulted, hence my quick getaway,” Sabine murmured.

“If ye would like, Lady Sabine, I could tell your mama I won’ touch ye. I know how important reputations are to ladies,” he offered. “Trust me, I protected Merida’s until her husband came along,” he smirked.

“It’s alright, Mr McKenzie, I don’t expect you to worry about my problems. My parents are just very protective of me,” she sighed.

“They love ye, it’s nothing to shy away from, take my word for it,” he smiled. “Ye know, ye dinna look like either of your parents,” Connor commented.

Sabine smiled sadly. “I do,” she replied. “I look like my mother.”

“Your mama and da’ both have dark hair,” he furrowed his eyebrows.

“My mama died giving birth to me,” she admitted. Connor’s face fell as if he immediately regretted asking.

“I’m so sorry, I should no’ have asked,” he apologised.

“It’s alright,” she reassured him. “I don’t remember her, but there’s a portrait of her in the gallery in my house. She was very beautiful, and papa said she had my temperament … when I’m not frustrated.”

Connor smirked. “She had to be bonny if she gave birth to you,” he said, without realising. His eyes widened at his comment and he looked embarrassed, a look that she liked on his normally cocky face. “So, Lady Southerby – do you like her?” he asked quickly.

Sabine smiled and nodded. “I love Jane, she is my mama in every sense of the word. She and papa married when I was five. She loved me even before they married. We have horrific fights sometimes as every parent – child does, but we would do anything for each other.” She watched the flickering, yellow flames intently as they enveloped the small amount of dry wood that was there for it to burn. “I really have to apologise to her once we return. I overreacted. She only wants the best for me.”

“An’ let me guess, I’m no’ it?” he raised his eyebrows, cockily grinning.

Sabine rolled her eyes. “Mama is not like that, she was raised on a farm. She worked the fields and tended to the animals like any man would. She just doesn’t want the people in town whispering about more than my dullness.”  

“Your dullness?” he repeated in disbelief.

“Yes, my dullness,” she reiterated. “Why do you think I’m nearly three and twenty and unmarried?” she exclaimed. “I’m dull and boring and everyone knows it.”

Connor’s dark blond hair had dried with the heat of the fire and had started to curl at the ends, something she found very endearing. “Trust me, Lady Sabine, you’re anything but dull. If ye were, I would no’ have had to fight with ye for days about where we should store the feed,” he smirked. “If ye were dull, ye would sit in the corner and no’ speak.”

“I don’t know whether it was or not, but I’m going to take that as a compliment,” she smiled. She knew she was boring, but it was nice to hear different for a change.

“It was, milady,” he assured her. “Why does everyone think you’re boring?”

“I have few interests, and obsessive love of horses mainly,” she sighed.

“Horses are a fine interest,” he grinned. “Have ye ever thought about taking a few risks? No’ like jumping off a moving carriage, but like riding like man or wearing slacks? I don’ see how women can move from their parent’s house to their husband’s house without doing a little living first.”

Sabine smiled slightly. “Well, at this rate I won’t have a husband, so why don’t you show me how to be a rebellious woman then?”

Connor’s eyes widened. “We’ll start small, eh? I’ll make good on my promise to ye. If this rain even clears I’ll show ye how to ride like a man. Now, go to sleep. If the ground is slick tomorrow we’ll have to walk. I’ll no’ have ye riding a horse that might slip. Ye da’ would have my neck if I let any harm come to ye.”

Sabine realised that she was utilising both of the blankets. “Will you not have a blanket? I can’t imagine the stone floor is very comfortable.”

Connor shook his head. “I’ll be fine, lass,” he promised. “Shut your eyes, pray the storm will be over soon.”

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Hope you liked it :)

Next chapter might be up tomorrow if I have the time :)

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Photo on the side is how I imagine Sabine to look :)