Meet Me at Dawn

Chapter Three

The steam from the horse’s body was visible and rising by the time I returned to the estate, while I was soaked through and filled with dismay. I was sure Mr. Finney would beat me down off the horse directly, but he did not, and it was not due to a sudden onset of compassion.

The man was asleep when I arrived back at the stable. Hugh, one of the liveried groomsmen, recognized me tearing across the fields and met me at the entrance of the stable.

“Where is his lordship?” he asked, pulling one of the blankets from a stall to hand me as I swung down from the saddle.

“H-h-he’s o-ou-out t-th-there,” I told him through chattering teeth, taking the proffered blanket. He looked at me curiously and anxious, but I could not command myself to attempt discourse once more.

The groomsman looked at me and then towards Mr. Finney’s quarters. He blew out a heavy sigh and then called to the old man. “George! Get out here. You’re needed.”

There was a crash, and then a dull thud. “What ya want?” he yelled from within his small room. I shuddered at the thought of what was to come. Before Hugh had a chance to yell again, Mr. Finney stumbled through the door and gimped over to us, all the while bequeathing me a withering stare.

“Kit,” he ground out, shaking a gnarled fist at me. “Where is ‘e? What did ya do, boy?”

My eyes widened in fear as he took a pitching step toward me, his mouth clenched in menace. “Answer me! What ‘appened?”

“George,” Hugh soothed, “Calm yourself. We ought to give the boy a chance to explain.”

Mr. Finney stopped all movement and waited for me to respond. I provided the groomsman with a weak but thankful smile. My teeth had all but ceased chattering, but at the very least I could speak, however much I feared the consequences of my speech.

“I…he…” I tried to explain, but I could not form a coherent sentence. Mr. Finney tapped his good foot impatiently, while the groomsman looked upon me with sympathy in his soft brown eyes. “I left him in the meadow,” I told them quickly and prepared myself for the worst.

There was silence, and I slowly backed away from Mr. Finney, attempting to remain out of his immediate grasp. “Ya what?” he said incredulously, stopping my regression into the wall.

“The horse…storm…lightning…” I stammered again. The slightest misstep with my story would implicate that the entire debacle was my doing. On the verge of having a conniption, I looked to Hugh pleadingly, and he returned an understanding nod.

“Compose yourself, Kit,” he told me. I attempted a calming breath, willing my heart beat to slow. I glanced between the two men regarding me with all seriousness. Mr. Finney’s cold hard stare was unnerving, while Hugh’s patient countenance was somewhat reassuring. A few moments had passed before I felt my composure return, and Hugh began asking his probing questions.

“Now, what is this about lightning?”

I nodded. “The lightning felled a tree and spooked the horse.” A mien of realization slowly spread across Hugh’s features.

“What of his lordship?”

“He was struck by the horse,” I explained quietly, looking down at my booted feet.

“And you left him out there?” I did not answer his final question, as the answer was a foregone conclusion, though I did chance a glance at both men.

Hugh looked to Mr. Finney, exchanging speaking glances. Silently, they took action, leaving me standing alone, wrapped in the blanket and confused as to why they were not upset with me.