offered.
"Hello, Tommy," Quinn replied.
His smile came in a flash and in that moment, Quinn could see the man he was going to grow into. Oh boy, he was going to be a heartbreaker.
"What can I do for you, Quinn?" he asked.
"We would like to ride into the village."
"Should I hitch up a team?"
"No, thank you. We were hoping for a ride this morning."
"I'm afraid we don't have any side-saddles," he responded sadly. "The Lady and Miss Danvers do not ride."
Quinn had been riding since she was four and preferred riding bareback. She doubted she would have been able to pull off a side-saddle anyway.
"I'll ride astride and Nickie would like his pony Champ saddled."
Tommy looked over at Nickie before he said, "'Tis a fine pony, Champ."
Nickie all but beamed at the compliment and Quinn felt a wave of affection toward Tommy for his kind words. She didn't miss the look he gave her though, but she wasn't sure if it was one of surprise that she planned to ride astride or worry that she was going to hurt herself. She reached for his hand to reassure him.
"I've been riding since I was a very small girl. I'll be fine."
He seemed to relax at that and immediately disappeared into the stable only to return minutes later with a pitch black pony and a beautiful roan mare.
"Oh he is magnificent, Nickie, and she is a beauty," Quinn offered as she ran her hand down the mare's flank.
"Her name is Majesty. Lord Scarcliff only just recently purchased her."
Quinn smile faltered. "Perhaps then I shouldn't ride her?"
Tommy grinned as he slipped on the saddle. "His lordship left instructions that if you asked to ride, I should give you Majesty."
Quinn couldn't help the little thrill that lit along her nerves at those words. Archer might be ignoring her but he was still thinking about her and that made her ridiculously happy.
"Then I shall ride her," Quinn announced with authority.
After thanking Tommy, Quinn and Nickie set off and before long they found themselves in the village that Quinn had visited in the 21st century. She wasn't surprised to see that it looked remarkably the same, almost as if the three hundred years that past hadn't touched the place. They climbed from their mounts and wrapped the reins over a branch.
"Here Nickie," Quinn offered him an apple for Champ while she fed one to Majesty. Cook had prepared a basket for their trip into the village since apparently many of the villagers had a weakness for Cook's sticky cake.
"Shall we find some people to share Cook's cake?" Quinn asked as she held out her hand to Nickie.
"Yes. The school is up that way."
"Perfect."
Quinn noticed that there were more people in the village now than in the future and the landscape was dotted with the small dwellings of the tenant farmers. As they walked along, people gave her side-ways glances but no one seemed to want to make eye contact with her. Nickie noticed this too and pulled on her hand. Quinn lowered her head to his.
"Lady and Miss Danvers came into town a fortnight back," he confided.
That explained the looks. Katherine and her mother no doubt made it clear to the masses that they would be reigning over them soon. It was just something those two wicked women would do, looking down their noses on these hardworking people while they shamelessly sponged off of Archer. It wouldn't surprise Quinn to learn that they had even insisted these people pull out their finest offerings -- provisions that were being saved for special occasions -- just to wield power over them.
"That certainly explains their reluctance to see us," she muttered as they reached the town center where a group of children were all sitting around a young woman. This was obviously the school and though it was primitive by modern standards, the children were clean and what books they had were in good condition.
"Good morning," Quinn offered cheerily.
The children stayed quiet but the teacher offered a greeting albeit weakly.
"Morning, Miss," she answered with her
"Hello, Tommy," Quinn replied.
His smile came in a flash and in that moment, Quinn could see the man he was going to grow into. Oh boy, he was going to be a heartbreaker.
"What can I do for you, Quinn?" he asked.
"We would like to ride into the village."
"Should I hitch up a team?"
"No, thank you. We were hoping for a ride this morning."
"I'm afraid we don't have any side-saddles," he responded sadly. "The Lady and Miss Danvers do not ride."
Quinn had been riding since she was four and preferred riding bareback. She doubted she would have been able to pull off a side-saddle anyway.
"I'll ride astride and Nickie would like his pony Champ saddled."
Tommy looked over at Nickie before he said, "'Tis a fine pony, Champ."
Nickie all but beamed at the compliment and Quinn felt a wave of affection toward Tommy for his kind words. She didn't miss the look he gave her though, but she wasn't sure if it was one of surprise that she planned to ride astride or worry that she was going to hurt herself. She reached for his hand to reassure him.
"I've been riding since I was a very small girl. I'll be fine."
He seemed to relax at that and immediately disappeared into the stable only to return minutes later with a pitch black pony and a beautiful roan mare.
"Oh he is magnificent, Nickie, and she is a beauty," Quinn offered as she ran her hand down the mare's flank.
"Her name is Majesty. Lord Scarcliff only just recently purchased her."
Quinn smile faltered. "Perhaps then I shouldn't ride her?"
Tommy grinned as he slipped on the saddle. "His lordship left instructions that if you asked to ride, I should give you Majesty."
Quinn couldn't help the little thrill that lit along her nerves at those words. Archer might be ignoring her but he was still thinking about her and that made her ridiculously happy.
"Then I shall ride her," Quinn announced with authority.
After thanking Tommy, Quinn and Nickie set off and before long they found themselves in the village that Quinn had visited in the 21st century. She wasn't surprised to see that it looked remarkably the same, almost as if the three hundred years that past hadn't touched the place. They climbed from their mounts and wrapped the reins over a branch.
"Here Nickie," Quinn offered him an apple for Champ while she fed one to Majesty. Cook had prepared a basket for their trip into the village since apparently many of the villagers had a weakness for Cook's sticky cake.
"Shall we find some people to share Cook's cake?" Quinn asked as she held out her hand to Nickie.
"Yes. The school is up that way."
"Perfect."
Quinn noticed that there were more people in the village now than in the future and the landscape was dotted with the small dwellings of the tenant farmers. As they walked along, people gave her side-ways glances but no one seemed to want to make eye contact with her. Nickie noticed this too and pulled on her hand. Quinn lowered her head to his.
"Lady and Miss Danvers came into town a fortnight back," he confided.
That explained the looks. Katherine and her mother no doubt made it clear to the masses that they would be reigning over them soon. It was just something those two wicked women would do, looking down their noses on these hardworking people while they shamelessly sponged off of Archer. It wouldn't surprise Quinn to learn that they had even insisted these people pull out their finest offerings -- provisions that were being saved for special occasions -- just to wield power over them.
"That certainly explains their reluctance to see us," she muttered as they reached the town center where a group of children were all sitting around a young woman. This was obviously the school and though it was primitive by modern standards, the children were clean and what books they had were in good condition.
"Good morning," Quinn offered cheerily.
The children stayed quiet but the teacher offered a greeting albeit weakly.
"Morning, Miss," she answered with her
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