“Thank you! Devinia replied. “That is just the sort of compliment I really appreciate, Your Grace.”
Then her voice dropped as she added,
“I thought when I went to live with my step-uncle I would never have a compliment again.”
“So he would not let you ride his horses?”
Devinia shook her head.
“No, he disapproved of women being fast riders. But I think actually that it was an excuse for not having to provide me with a horse, especially as Penelope only had one which she used in Rotten Row and had no wish to ride at any other time.”
“Now I have seen how well you ride,” the Duke said, “my horses, ma’am, are at your disposal.”
“You could not give me anything else that I would appreciate more,” she replied excitedly. “Thank you, thank you and it is wonderful for me to be able to race
