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Right, here you go!
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It rained steadily for the next week. Alanna was miserable, cooped up inside her house with only her embroidery for company. Twice she tried to sneak outside, but was caught both times. So she settled with staring glumly out her misty bedroom window, wishing to be free of the monotonous routine.
She sighed and leaned her head against the window, letting the coolness of the glass wash over her. The rain had finally begun to slacken off, and now it was only drizzling. As soon as it completely stopped, she would be free to go outside for the first time in a week.
Alanna let her mind drift back to the subject that had been bugging her constantly ever since the dinner party at Bentworth Manor: her rudeness to Tyson McConty. She couldn't help but feel guilty whenever she thought of her unfounded coldness. Alanna really had no logical reason to be mad at him. The only thing he had done was be slightly overprotective of Nolan.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Alanna called, uncurling her feet from beneath her as she pushed herself into a sitting position.
The door opened and Lady Annette stepped into the room, a heavy cloak wrapped around her shoulders. Alanna sat up straight and raised an eyebrow at her mother. "Please tell me you're here to say I can finally go outside."
Lady Annette smiled. "Well, in a manner of speaking. Since the rain has finally slowed down a bit, I decided that it would be a perfect opportunity to go visit the Montgomery's. I thought you would like to go with me and see Sara. I know it's been a while since you last saw her."
Alanna brightened. "When can we leave?"
Her mother laughed. "You just can't wait to get out of here can you?"
Alanna gave a sheepish smile as she grabbed her cloak from her coat rack. "You know how I am. I can't stand to be inside for more than a day."
Lady Annette shook her head. "We always were different in that regard. I can't stand being outside, with all the wind and rain."
Alanna gave a dramatic sigh and draped her cloak over her arm. "I suppose we'll be taking the carriage again instead of riding?"
"Yes," Lady Annette agreed, hiding a smile as they left the room, closing the door firmly behind them. "Riding does horrible things to one's complexion."
Alanna rolled her eyes. She knew her mother was referring to the number of times Alanna had gone riding and come back sunburned, windswept, and glowing. It had irked Lady Annette to no end, and although she tried to explain to Alanna that proper young ladies did not gallop around on horses, her words fell on deaf ears.
As Alanna climbed into the coach, she noticed her mother talking to the driver in a low tone. She only had a moment to wonder what they were talking about when they ended their conversation and Lady Annette hurried to climb in beside her.
As they drove along, Lady Annette chattered on and on about this and that. Alanna hardly paid attention. Instead she stared out the window at the passing countryside, extremely glad to be free of her house.
After a few minutes, Alanna focused her thoughts enough to notice that it was not the Montgomery's manor that they were approaching. It was the McConty's.
Alanna turned to stare at her mother. "What are we doing here?"
Lady Annette smiled unconcernedly. "The McConty's are on the way to Sara's house. I thought we could stop by and say hello."
Alanna sat back in her seat. "Great," she mumbled.
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"Annette! Alanna! What a pleasant surprise!"
Alanna smiled at Lady Evelyn and gave a small curtsy. "It's nice to see you again."
"It's good to see you as well," Lady Evelyn said warmly, then turned to greet Alanna's mother. Alanna glanced inconspicuously around the sitting room. There was no sign of Tyson.
Alanna turned back to the two women when she heard Tyson's name being spoken.
"You two really have magnificent timing. Tyson returned from a business trip just a few minutes ago. He's down at the stables right now, helping with the horses."
Points for him, Alanna thought with a wry smile. Not many noblemen were willing to do manual labor. That seemed different with Tyson.
Suddenly Alanna remembered how rude she had been the last time she had met him. A small wave of guilt passed over her. She really should apologize for how she had acted.
Alanna acted on impulse. Turning to address Lady Evelyn, she gave a curtsy. "Would you mind if I had a word with Lord Tyson? I have a small matter to discuss with him."
Lady Evelyn gave a surprised, but pleased, smile. "By all means! Would you like to wait here at the house or would you like to walk down to the stables?"
Alanna grinned. " I think I'll walk, if that's alright with you."
The two older women exchanged a look. "Of course."
Alanna quietly left the room, and headed for the front door. Stepping outside, she took a long deep breath and started off towards the stables.
Walking along, Alanna pulled her cloak closer around her, glad for it's warmth as the slight wind rustled around her. The rain had finally stopped, but the sky was still a mass of stormy gray clouds.
As she neared the stable, Alanna noticed a mud encrusted coach alongside the building. Two manservants, armed with buckets and rags, were scrubbing away at the mud. She approached them.
"Excuse me," she said.
They looked up. Immediately, they jumped to their feet and gave awkward bows.
"Hello, Miss!" the younger one said, grinning at her with a bright smile. "How can we help you?"
"I'm looking for Lord Tyson. Is he still around?"
The older servant nodded. "Yes'm. He's inside putting Lady in her stall."
Alanna smiled and nodded at them. "Thank you."
As she rounded the corner, which hid her from the servant's view, Alanna paused. From inside the stable, there came the snorts and neighs of a horse, and not a very happy horse at that.
Frowning slightly, she approached the door and looked inside. A few feet in front of her stood Tyson, his back to her, with his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows and his dark blonde hair in complete disarray. His hands were filled with the reins of an extremely agitated horse.
The red-brown mare was rearing up on her hind legs, shaking her head, trying to free herself of the tight grip Tyson held on the reins. Taking his time, Tyson spoke soothing words to the horse, all the while holding the reins firm.
Eventually, the beautiful horse calmed down, with only a few annoyed snorts every few moments. Alanna watched in amazement as Tyson, still holding the reins, gradually approached the mare, gathering the rope in his arms as he went. The horse watched him warily, still slightly skittish.
When Tyson at last reached the mare, he slowly reached up his hand and caught the bridle. The mare tossed her head, but Tyson held firm.
Alanna shook her head. She had had no idea Tyson was so good with animals. This was another thing she hadn't thought was possible for him. She was learning there was more to him than she had thought
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"There, you're alright, aren't you, girl?" Tyson said quietly, stroking Lady's nose. It had taken him longer than usual to calm his extremely skittish horse. Lady would have been fine if she hadn't accidentally kicked a spare bucket lying on the stable floor. That was all that was needed to set of the mare. Tyson would have sold he long ago if it weren't for the fact that he loved her so much.
"You're pretty good with horses," a familiar voice from behind him said.
Tyson jumped, startled by the sudden sound. Lady snorted and tossed her head, but didn't rear up. Tyson knew who it was before he had even turned around.
Sure enough, Alanna Thetcher was standing in the doorway, wrapped in a dark gray cloak, her brown hair pulled back in a loose braid. She gave an uneasy smile and nodded at him politely. "Good day, Lord Tyson."
Tyson shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "Please, just Tyson." He furrowed his eyebrows. What was she doing here?
As if she had read his thoughts, Alanna explained. "My mother and I were on our way to visit my friend's family, and decided to stop by and say hello."
"Oh."
Tyson was extremely confused. A week ago, at the dinner party, Alanna had clearly shown she didn't want anything to do with him. Now she was acting polite and civil. What had changed?
Again, Alanna answered his unasked question. Clearing her throat, she began. "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for acting the way I did last week. It was perfectly horrid of me, especially as I had no legitimate reason to be rude."
Tyson was slightly miffed. "Did your mother put you up to this?"
Her green eyes flashed angrily. "What makes you think that?"
Tyson remembered, a bit too late, that Alanna was not the type of girl who would do whatever her parents asked her to.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, hanging his head slightly. "I'm just used to girls who can't think for themselves."
Alanna looked as if she might refuse his apology, but then she gave a small grin. "Well maybe you should get unused to them."
"I'll try," Tyson said, giving an inward sigh of relief. "I'll be right back."
Tyson turned back to Lady, who was watching Alanna suspiciously, and took her bridle again. He led her into her stall, removed her gear, and closed the door behind him. He found Alanna leaning over the stall door of a jet-black stallion that had belonged to Tyson's father.
'What's his name?" she asked, stroking the horse's side. The stallion neighed and nudged her hand.
"Admiral," he answered, standing a couple feet away with his hands in his pockets. "And when he does that, it usually means he wants a carrot."
Alanna glanced at him briefly over her shoulder. "Got any handy?"
Tyson shrugged. "There might be some left in the feed box. I'll go check."
When he returned with the carrots, Tyson handed them to Alanna and watched with amusement as Admiral attempted to steal some from her hand. He grinned as she scolded him, then fed the carrots to him one by one.
When she finished, Alanna smiled and patted Admiral's head one last time before turning back to Tyson.
"I really ought to head back now. My mother's waiting for me," she said.
"I'll go with you. I have to head on up anyway," Tyson volunteered.
After closing the stable doors behind them, they started back up the hill towards the manor. The silence between them grew so awkward that finally Tyson had to say something.
"So, do you like riding?" he asked. He ran a hand through his unruly hair, hoping to straighten it somewhat.
Apparently he had asked exactly the right question. Alanna's eyes lit up. "Yes, I do. But my mother disapproves, so I don't often get the chance to."
That topic carried them all the way back to the manor, where both their mothers stood waiting for them.
After bidding farewell, Alanna stepped into the coach after her mother. She couldn't wait to get to Sara's. She had so much to tell her best friend.
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Hey, eveyone! Sorry the end was kinda sudden but I really wanted to post this today and I have to leave for a choir concert in like two minutes. So make me happy and please review!!!!