The Bride Price by Tracey Jane Jackson Page B

Sophie her full attention. “What did you have in mind?”
    “Well, for starters, washing their hands and boiling the instruments. It would go a long way to stopping the spread of disease. Also, do the doctors ever splint broken legs, or do they immediately amputate?”
    “I know that we rarely see soldiers with broken bones. For the most part, their legs have already been amputated in the field. You know who you should discuss this with?”
    Sophie held her hands up. “Don’t say it, Christine.”
    “Richard,” Christine said with an impish smile.
    “Right, like I would ever be able to talk to Mr. Arrogant about any of this. He would never listen to a lowly woman,” Sophie grumbled.
    “He may surprise you, Sophie.”
    “I won’t hold my breath.”
    Christine squeezed her hand. “I’d better get to the hospital. We’re hoping to discharge a few soldiers today.”
    Sophie nodded. “Thanks for having breakfast with me. Will I see you later?”
    “Yes, Mama and I will be joining you for dinner. Andrew said he would also come, and since Nona hasn’t seen Elizabeth’s children for a few days, she told them to feel free to come for dinner as well. You may have the whole Simmonds family to deal with tonight.”
    Sophie walked Christine to the door and watched her walk down the drive. The clock in the foyer read a little past ten, and Sophie didn’t really know how she was going to the kill the next four hours. With the house empty other than the hustle and bustle of the servants, Sophie knew she would have to provide her own entertainment.
    Gathering borrowed outerwear, Sophie took off down the side path that led to the stables and the soldiers practicing their military movements. Hearing the commotion of hooves and men’s raised voices as she approached, she fought the urge to peer inside the arena. Unwilling to draw attention to herself, she snuck into the dark tranquility of the barn and smiled as a few of the horses stuck their heads out to greet her.
    She recognized the gelding that had taken her on the ride of her life the previous day, and she made her way to his stall and pulled a sugar cube from her pocket.
    “You are a beautiful boy, aren’t you, Samson?” Sophie ran her hand over his muzzle. “I’m sorry I confused you yesterday. I wish I could ride you the right way so that we could really become acquainted.” She sighed. “But that would be entirely too risqué in this day and age, I’m afraid.”
    Immaculate lines, unusually tall but still, no doubt Arabian somewhere in his lineage, Samson was larger than life. Muscular and lean, with a quiet disposition, he nickered his pleasure as Sophie held her hand flat for him to take the sugar. Hearing a slight rustle to her left, Sophie turned to find Richard in the open doorway of the barn, looking as arrogant as ever.
    “Mrs. Ford, I didn’t mean to startle you. Is anything amiss?”
    “Of course not, Mr. Madden. Why would you automatically assume something was wrong? Is it because I walked out to the big ol’ barn all by my little ol’ self and me being a lowly woman and all, there must be something amiss? Or were you getting ready to tell me that it isn’t appropriate for me to be walking around by myself? Will you be giving me commentary on my outfit today as well?”
    His hands went up in surrender. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. And, please, call me Richard. I saw you slink into the stables and wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything. I also wondered if you would like to watch some of the training. I noticed you watching from your window this morning and thought you might enjoy it.”
    “Well, first of all, I didn’t slink anywhere and, no, I won’t call you Richard. Mr. Madden works perfectly fine for me.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Sorry.” She took a deep breath and forced a smile. “I must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Yes, I believe I’d enjoy watching the