Dawn was beginning to paint the sky with streaks of dusty rose before Julien finally allowed his mount to slow to an easy canter and gave the animal’s neck an appreciative pat. He’d been dubious when the groom had led out the unimpressive gelding, but the horse was, as promised, “a real goer,” gamely keeping pace with Mayfield’s coach throughout the night.
Julien settled himself more comfortably in the saddle, which eased his aching muscles slightly. For the entire ride his focus had been narrowed to keeping the coach-lantern in sight while staying far enough back that he wasn’t seen or heard. Now that he no longer had to worry about losing the coach to the inky darkness, he was able to take note of his surroundings. Early on, he’d vaguely registered the fact that they were heading into H
