Due to Serena being very busy with her family and whatnot, Daniel spent most of his time trying to finish the clubhouse. Even though he would have rather liked to focus his attention on Pride, he knew that he had been neglecting his project for too long and had to get back to it.
He only got to meet up with Serena once or twice every week. It was painful. He had yearned to see her again for so long, but it was almost even more unbearable to have her be only a short walk away from, yet unable to meet up anyway. At least he got a long way with the clubhouse, and Serena didn't suspect anything at all. It was perfect.
Sometimes, even when she had told him that she couldn't meet with him, he went to her house, just to see if he could catch a glimpse of her. He never did – but he saw a lot of other people, though, people that Daniel was certain wasn't part of her family.
It seemed that Serena was indeed very busy; her parents constantly had a lot of guests over, and there was never any peaceful moment at the large estate – at least not when Daniel occasionally went there to look for his friend. There was obviously a lot going on, and it seemed like not only Serena was stressed about it. One day, when Daniel once again found himself hiding behind the tall row of trimmed bushes that enclosed the garden, he heard a couple of female voices.
"Jem, give it back!" a blonde young woman, Daniel recognised as one of Serena's older sisters, yelled, "It's mine! I'm going to use it this evening!"
"But I wanted to use it, Regina! You promised that I could!" Jemma bit back, holding on to the object, the siblings were fighting about. It was a small but pretty hair clip.
Regina looked furious. "I never promised anything! I said you could use it if I wasn't going to! Stop being so childish all the time!"
In that moment, Serena's mother showed up in the door leading inside the house. She looked frustrated. "What are you two fighting about now? Can you just give her the hair clip back, Jemma, we don't have time for this!"
Jemma looked betrayed. "Why do you always side with Regina? It's so unfair!"
"You know that Mr. Howard will be coming over tonight! It's important that your sister looks her very best!" their mother said, her prominent South American accent very clear in her speech. She looked tired, but also about to lose her patience. Apparently all female members of Serena's family were very temperamental.
The younger sister looked ready to throw a tantrum – and she did. She threw the hair clip onto the ground, and her mother and sister looked at her in shock. "Fine, take it!" Jemma cried, "I don't want to use your ugly accessory anyway! You're all so mean!"
She ran into the house, while Regina yelled after her. "You're such a child! Why do you always act like this? Ugh!"
"Easy now," Magdalena, the mother of the fighting sisters, said, "You know Jem. I don't want you two fighting any more. She just needs to calm down."
Regina was so furious she was on the verge to tears. "I'm so tired of that behaviour! I know that she has difficulties, but it's exhausting! Especially when we are living with Father, it's just impossible to deal with when he and Susannah keeps spoiling Natasha!"
Daniel did not hear any more of the conversation, as they went inside the house. He was overwhelmed by the scene. If those kinds of fights were occurring on a daily basis at Serena's home, it was no wonder why the mood was always so strained. That would definitely take its toll on a young girl.
He decided that it would be better to leave. That had been very uncomfortable to witness. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of difficulties Jemma was facing, since it could cause the family so much frustration, and also who Susannah and Natasha were. Serena had never told him much about her family – Daniel just hoped that Regina and Jemma would make up soon, so that everything would be fine again.
Daniel was going to meet Serena today. It was the loveliest weather, and Daniel wanted to make sure that they used it to their advantage. "All right, Pride, you're looking all fine and groomed now," Daniel said as he fixed the colt's bridle. Pride looked at him with calm, trusting eyes, his ears turned forward.
The boy smiled at his loving horse. "We're going to meet my friend today, so I also saddled Lady Margaret," Daniel said, itching Pride between his ears, "You know, the mare you're so fond of. You like her, don't you?" Pride nudged Daniel's hand, encouraging him to fondle his muzzle. Daniel chuckled, feeling all warm inside. He had never had a pet before; he knew that a horse wasn't quite the same as a dog, but the loyalty and love shared were no different.
When riding along the riverside of the Great Stour, leading Lady Margaret the mare with him and Pride, he once again felt appreciative of the idyll of Canterbury's countryside. Even though he longed for moving to the big city of London, he knew that he would miss the calm atmosphere here. The meadow had always been his escape when the drunkenness of his father became too much.
He had intentionally decided to show up from an angle, Serena wouldn't be able to see from the place they had decided to meet up. When he came riding around the corner of the large trees by the outskirts of the Blean, Serena's eyes nearly rolled out of her head. "Daniel!" she exclaimed, "Whose horses are that?"
"Mine, of course!" Daniel said as he stopped and dismounted Pride while still holding on to the saddled mare, "Well, at least the colt is. This pretty girl here belongs to my parents."
Serena got closer to the palomino horse, caressing the white muzzle. "She really is pretty," Serena said, then looked at the brown young stallion by Daniel's side, "And you've gotten your own horse! That's incredible! He's really beautiful."
"I take it that you know how to ride a horse?" Daniel chuckled, as he started to tighten the girth of Lady Margaret's saddle.
The younger girl looked at her friend with wide eyes. "Yes, but I can't ride her like this!" she blurted, "The saddle is completely wrong! It would require me to sit astride!"
Daniel looked at her thoughtfully. He hadn't thought about that, but it wasn't going to ruin what he had planned for the two of them. "So?" he said in a casual tone, merely continuing to make sure that all of Margaret's gear was fitted right.
"So?" Serena echoed, giving him a look of disbelief, "It's inappropriate, Daniel!"
"I don't see what the big problem is," Daniel said, clapping Lady Margaret's hindquarters. Pride was tripping by his side, becoming impatient. "It's just me, there's nobody else around. No one is going to see you."
"Well, no, but it's not decent for a lady to ride a horse in anything other than a side-saddle!" Serena argued, crossing her arms.
Daniel chuckled, shaking his head as he went to give his neglected horse some attention. "You're being way too prudish. You should try and relax."
Serena stared at him with her mouth agape, but she was unable to keep a smile from forming on her lips. "Prudish? Me? Do you even know me?"
He looked at her with raised eyebrows and a wry smile, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know. You tell me!"
The upper-class girl stared at him for a while, tapping her shiny leather half-boot against the grass. She looked like she was offended, yet amused all the same. Daniel tried to contain his laughter, giving her a challenging smile. At last Serena grabbed Margaret's reins, placed her foot in the stirrup and swung herself up on the mare. It did look a bit awkward at first, with Serena's long dress hanging down each side of Lady Margaret's flanks, but Serena managed to uphold an appearance of confidence as she sat straight and proud in the saddle.
Daniel laughed, eyeing his friend with an impressed look. "All right!" He mounted his own horse and placed himself beside Serena.
She looked down at her dress, showing small signs of discomfort. "I don't even know how to ride a horse like this," she said, "I've never been taught anything else than the side-saddle. This feels … strange."
"You'll get used to it," Daniel said, "Don't think so much. I want to show you just how beautiful the countryside of Canterbury can be in the summer." He turned Pride around and pushed him forward in a trot. "Come!" he called back to Serena, "Just press your legs against her flanks and give her a soft kick with your heel."
Serena looked down at her horse, doing as Daniel said. As Margaret started moving forward, a relief suddenly washed over Serena by the realisation that she was taking a step, no other woman in her place of society would have dared. She smiled brightly, feeling renewed.
The day was perfect. Daniel had never felt so satisfied with one of his own ideas before. Serena sitting astride of Margaret really brought something out in her, as if she was freed of all her stress and frustration and pressure. She sparkled in the sunlight, and Daniel had never thought she looked more gorgeous.
They ran across the fields on their horses. Daniel struggled to keep Pride at bay, so he wouldn't go into a full-fledged sprint and outrun Lady Margaret – the poor mare would have no chance of keeping up with him. Beside him, he heard Serena's laughter above the sound of thundering hooves, and he turned his head to look at her, seeing the twinkling in her eyes and the bright smile on her face. It was a stunning sight.
Daniel never realised until now how beautiful Serena was. She emitted strong feelings of happiness, confidence and passion, and Daniel felt empowered. He suddenly realised how much he cared about her, and seeing her glowing under the bright sun like this, he actually saw her in a different light – in a sense that was more than literal.
Not even the unpredictable weather of England could keep them from enjoying the day. When the rain began pouring, they quickly sought shelter under a fully grown sycamore tree.
The rain was merciless. Even the horses couldn't endure it, so they kept under the cover of the wide crown. Serena laughed, "How are we supposed to get home now? If it keeps pouring like this, we'll be stuck here forever!"
Daniel leaned up against the trunk of the tree. "I wouldn't mind spending the rest of the summer right here under this tree, as long as I'm with you."
Serena turned towards him, a wide, silly grin on her lips. "Oh, how charming you are, Daniel!" she laughed, "Does that line work with all the lasses?"
He nudged her shoulder with an irritated look as she laughed even harder. "Why do you always have to come up with some stupid remark when I'm trying to be nice?" he said, pouting, "What is even so great about all those fine gentlemen in London, anyway?"
"Nothing! They all pale in comparison to you!" Serena exclaimed loudly and made a grand exaggerated gesture with her hands, "Is that what you want me to say, Daniel?"
"You know, you're not even funny," Daniel laughed and chased his friend up against the tree, tickling her. Serena began laughing hysterically, begging him to stop, but he completely ignored her protests. He didn't go at it for long, though, knowing that Serena wouldn't be able to endure his tickle-torture for an extended amount of time; it wasn't the first time he had punished her for her dumb comments.
When he stopped, Serena struggled hard to catch her breath again while still laughing, which only made it even more difficult to her. For a while Daniel just watched her while she giggled in between strained breaths, clutching her stomach. A small, delicate ribbon adorned her slender neck like a choker, something he had never seen her wear before; it seemed strikingly mature, giving her appearance a discreet suggestion of the woman, she was yet to become.
He still had her caught up against the tree, and realising how close together they were standing right at this moment, he became curious.
Serena was still laughing, unable to calm down. It seemed that she had gotten a fit of laughter. It was cute. Her giggles were like music to Daniel's ears. Without thinking, words suddenly made their way up through his throat via his vocal cord, to his tongue and out of his mouth, all by themselves.
"Can I kiss you?"
She kept laughing, her eyes closed, shaking her head. "I don't think my father would like that very much," she said through soft chuckles, still unable to perceive anything around her other than the humour of the previous situation.
Daniel leaned closer, his forehead meeting hers. He could feel the warmth of her body against his chest. "No one has to know," he said softly.
Slowly, Serena's laughter subsided. She kept her gaze low, standing completely still. Her body tensed, her quiet breath shaking.
He carefully leaned further into her, feeling her small frame tremble a bit by the touch that she was usually so accustomed to. He came closer to her bit by bit, hesitating for a short moment before he finally pressed his lips softly against hers.
It felt as if small fireworks went off within him. The tingle became an explosion of emotions that had longed to be released for a long time.
Her lips were soft and a bit moist. She stood completely still, just letting him do whatever he wanted. Their foreheads and noses gently bumped together in a brief moment, but he quickly learned and tilted his head. He moved his lips against hers in soft motions, experimenting with the touch, and after a bit of hesitation, he felt her dance along with him.
He gently placed a hand on her neck, right underneath her jawline, running his fingers through her long hair. The smell of the fresh, wet grass in the damp air as well as her sweet scent like vanilla sugar in Mrs. Philips' kitchen, or Henrietta's Damask rose incense back home in the living room, filled his nostrils. Feeling a bit more confident, he deepened the kiss, pressing his body against hers. The rapid beating of her heart against his chest, the warmth of her lower body against his own abdomen sent waves of strange, tickling sensations through him that made him tremble, but he refused to let go of her.
When she let out a soft moan, he parted his lips and let his tongue slide in between hers. She stiffened as he offered a tentative lick. Their teeth clashed against each other in an inexperienced attempt to get closer. He tilted his head even more and closed his mouth over hers, beginning his exploration.
This was like nothing he had ever experienced before, and although he didn't know what he had expected, this was definitely not it. Her taste was singular; he didn't know what it was, but it was sweet and luscious, perhaps the lingering flavour of whatever she had eaten for breakfast. He dug deeper into the hot, moist cave. Her warm, shivering breath in his mouth only fuelled his hunger even more.
Underneath the hand he had on her neck he felt her pulse going faster and faster. He gently ran his fingers down along the fair, golden skin to her collarbone and even lower. She shivered by the touch. He stopped right above her chest; he could feel her heart thump violently against his palm, as if it were about to burst.
He stood still for a moment, then pulled away. He gazed down at her collarbone to gather himself, feeling overwhelmed and panting slightly from the lack of air. His mind was a turmoil of impressions that he didn't let himself register; he only gave himself a second.
He leaned in to continue – but she turned her face away.
"The rain has stopped," Serena said.
Daniel stopped in his tracks. It took a moment for him to process her words. He followed her gaze out to the wet landscape. Sure enough, the rain had stopped, leaving only dewy grass and humid air behind, and in the distance joyful birds were singing from the treetops of the Blean.
Daniel felt weird. It was as if he had just involuntarily been put on pause, and now he was left in a state of confusion.
While he was distracted by the strange feelings within him, Serena managed to wiggle out of his hold. She ran towards Margaret and mounted her in one quick movement. Turning towards Daniel, she looked as amused as she had before the events that had just transpired. She sent him a challenging smile.
"Catch me if you can!" were her mere words, before she sharply turned the mare around and pushed her forward in a gallop.
Daniel was left behind by the tree, completely disoriented – but he quickly decided with himself to put it aside for now, since Serena was only getting further and further ahead of him. He didn't have time to be confused about anything right now.
He ran over to Pride and swung himself up on his back, then kicked him in the sides, causing the stallion to set directly into a sprint after the girls. He was going to get her, even if he had to give in to a chase.