Raina thought that it would be a mistake to shout, as the men in the far side of the wood might hear her.
She merely kicked Sunrise again and told him, in a voice that did not sound like her own,
“Hurry! Hurry!”
There was, she was to think later, such a desperate feeling within her that it made the Earl turn and look back just before he rode into the wood.
As he saw her galloping towards him, he drew in Firefly and they stood waiting for her to reach them.
As Raina then drew Sunrise to a standstill, the Earl stared at her in amazement.
She was riding astride! And without a saddle!
He also saw the expression on her face.
“What’s the matter? Why are you up so early?” he demanded.
Finding every word difficult, Raina blurted out,
“Come away – from the wood. I have something – to tell
