Peggy goes for a ride

On the Wednesday following Mr. Tines’s funeral, Peggy is feeling restless and ill at ease. Her encounter with Percy and Annalise at the funeral reception plays again and again in her mind, and though she knows it’s improper she can’t help but feel a warm prickling sensation across her skin when she thinks about Percy pushing that bond girl to her knees. There’s a deep, longing ache in her sex at such times that she can’t deny, and it makes sitting around in the drawing room doing needlepoint feel both dull and awkward.

So on Wednesday she takes the family’s riding horse, Corbin, an old but faithful beast, and goes for a ride up over the fields and towards the woods. Though she’s only a barely competent rider, the fresh air and exercise are a relief, and she breathes deeply of the springtime breeze as she tries to banish thoughts of that inappropriate encounter from her mind.

Just as she’s beginning to feel successful, though, she hears a familiar voice: “Miss Foxhaven! I say! Over here!”

Peggy starts and swivels to look down the hill toward the woods: sure enough, there’s Percival Winthrop, grinning and waving up at her. {if Simmons-Peggy > 0}He’s accompanied by Captain Simmons, who also smiles at her warmly.{else}He’s accompanied by a dark-haired man with a chiseled face, bushy whiskers, and a British Army officer’s uniform.{endif} Peggy swallows, heart in her throat at having the subject of her idle musings so near, and waves to the two men as they trot toward her.

“Delighted to see you again, Miss Foxhaven,” Percy says with a saucy grin as they approach. “Captain Simmons, have you met Miss Peggy Foxhaven?”

{if Simmons-Peggy > 0}“Indeed I have,” Simmons says with a smile. “Glad to see you, Miss Foxhaven.”{else}“I have not,” the uniformed man says, “but I have met some of her sisters. They are all equally charming and I’m delighted to make your acquaintance now, miss.” He nods politely. “Captain Simmons, at your service.” Peggy smiles and returns his nod.{endif}

“We were just on our way back from a brief excursion to look for hunting grounds,” Percy comments. “May we accompany you into town?”

Peggy blushes slightly and smiles. “Thank you very much, Mr. Winthrop, but I would not wish to impose…”

“It’s no imposition at all!” Percy exclaims gallantly. “Come, let’s ride together.”

The three of them fall in side by side and ride together for a while. Peggy finds Percy surprisingly charming—the man who so crudely used the bond girl at the parson’s funeral seems to have disappeared. He’s the most talkative as they ride, illustrating their journey with vivid stories of his travels in Europe and snatches of poetry (both his own and better known writers’). Simmons is not as talkative, but Percy does a good job of drawing both him and Peggy into conversation, and Peggy finds the captain to be a warm, thoughtful conversationalist.

After a half hour, though, Percy squints at the clock tower and sighs. “Damn! I shall be late to supper with Annalise’s family at this rate…a bore, but they are lodging me, after all.” He grins at the other two. “I don’t suppose you two would be willing to engage me in a little race? First to the mile-marker outside of Highbury wins!”

Simmons chuckles. “I’m afraid my racing days are behind me, Mr. Winthrop—I need to focus my energies on the men I discipline.”

Percy snorts. “A shame. Well, Miss Foxhaven? What say you—will you race with me?” {if Peggy < 50}Peggy notices Simmons frown, as though he wants to object to Percy’s invitation but can’t quite find a polite reason to do so.{endif}