Kezia guessed that, because she was small and slight the Marquis thought that she would not be able to control a spirited animal.
There was no use in trying to explain that she had ridden since she could walk, so she merely said,
“Please, which horse may I ride?”
“I think you will find Thunderbolt, despite his name, the easiest,” the Marquis replied.
Thunderbolt was the chestnut that Kezia had admired earlier and, as she went eagerly to his side, the Marquis lifted her deftly into the saddle.
For a moment, because he was touching her, she was conscious of a strange sensation that she did not understand but which, she told herself, was of repugnance.
She lifted the reins and, without waiting for the Marquis and Perry to mount the other horses, started off down the drive that led to th
