CHAPTER NINE
Angelica found that she quite enjoyed the freedom that came with riding alone. There was no need to ride in a rickety carriage to accommodate maids and ladies-in-waiting too delicate to mount a horse. There was no need to ride side-saddle, as propriety might have demanded had she been following along after a hunt. Even her riding clothes were a distinct improvement on the usual confinements of corsetry and tightly laced dresses.
Then there was the prospect of being rid of Sophia at the end of this. That was a pleasurable thought in itself.
Of course, there were downsides to the journey. Angelica didn’t like being away from Ashton for so long, because she had no doubt that the other women of the royal court would plot and scheme while she was away. Briefly, Angelica found he
