Here's chapter 4. Enjoy.

Maria's POV

We had been riding in silence for about 10 minutes when I decided that if we were going to spend the next hour or so together then we should probably talk "So... where's home for you?"

"Moonacre Valley, you probably haven't heard of it. It's abouts a days travel from London"

"That's quite a distance to travel for a horse"

"Ha, yeh well we couldn't find anything nearer and Loveday and Benjamin were going to the Peak District to visit a friend so we just tagged along and stopped by here on the way home, it's only a short "

"Well hopefully it wasn't for nothing, you seem to be getting on with Jet rather well"

"Yeh, he is what I was looking for and it helps that he is black"

"Why does that matter? He would still be a great horse even if he was a bay or chestnut"

"I doesn't really, apart from the fact that black is kind of my families colour. I mean we are the De Noir's"

"Then it is fitting..."

"What about you? Where's home? You don't have the same accent as Bill and Cassie"

"I don't actually know, Cassie and her friend Sarah found me on a beach 2 years ago all I could remember was my name. So I don't know where home is not my real home anyway"

"Did no one look for you? I can't imagine that you aren't missed"

"Billy asked around but no one had heard of a girl that had gone missing that matched my description, after a year I stopped asking"

"Did you enjoy the Peak District? It's lovely at this time of year"

"It was stunning but I miss home and the forest there"

"Well it may not be your forest but we can take the trail to the forest here if you'd like?"

"That sounds good"

We carried on in a comfortable silence, for some reason I feel like I've known Robin for years I know that that sounds stupid but it's true. We kept riding for another 2 hours before it started to get dark so we headed back to the barn, when we got there it was dark and I knew that everyone would be having dinner

"We'll put these two away and then head up to the house for food, Billy has probably invited your Father and Sister to stay for the night since it's gotten so late"

"I hope so, I don't think I could stand being in a carriage any longer today"

As we walked into the house we could hear everyone chattering away in the kitchen I motioned for Robin to follow me through

"Ah Maria we were beginning to think that something had happened to the pair of you"

"Yeh Billy you seem soo concerned" I said sticking out my tongue "I just lost track of the time and how long it would take to get home and get the horses settled for the night"

"Well there's food in the oven for the two of you"

"Thanks Jane"

I had been right Billy and Jane had invited everyone to stay the night, after Robin and I had gotten in everyone else headed off to bed knowing that we were both back safe, we had our diner and then headed off to bed.

I was woken up by a streak of lighting followed by a horrendous clap of thunder. I could hear the shutters outside the bedroom window being blown about in the wind. The horses. The barn wasn't closed down for a storm like this. I launched out of bed, pulled on a set of clothes, careful not to wake Cassie although I'm pretty sure she could sleep through a bomb going off. I quietly opened the door and closed it behind me

"Hey" I jumped when I heard a voice behind me, spinning to look at whoever was there

"Robin, you scared me" I said smacking his shoulder

"Sorry princess" Princess? Why do I feel like I've been called that before, maybe my minds just playing tricks on me

"What are you doing up?"

"The thunder and lightning woke me, I'm a light sleeper, you?"

"Same thing, I realised that the barn isn't closed up for this weather so I was heading out to do it"

"I'll come give you a hand, it's not safe for you to be out in this weather by yourself"

"I'm a big girl, I can handle a little rain but I won't turn down the help" We creep down the stairs and out the front door, running down to the barn. All the horses put their heads out their stalls and whinnied at us but thankfully none of them seemed to be all that bothered by the storm "Ok if we chuck them all a pile of haylage and then go in and close the windows in the stalls"

"Alright" we got to work, it wasn't until we reached the last two stall that I realised that Brego and Argento were spending the night out in the pasture "Robin, we have to go and get Brego and Argento in, it's just asking for an accident if we leave them out in this weather"

"Ok where are they?"

"Follow me, they are sharing a pasture" I said and we rushed out of the barn to get them in before the weather got any worse as it was now chucking it down with rain. The boys were standing at the gate looking miserable but looked up and pricked their ears when they heard us coming, we quickly put the halters on them and opened the gate. By the time we got back to the barn we were soaked to the bone, we put the boys away and put a rug on them so they didn't get a chill "Alright that's everyone in and safe for the rest of the night, lets get back to the house" we locked the main barn doors and sprinted back to the house. As we stood in the porch I looked at Robin, both of us soaked to the bone and shaking with the cold, and burst our laughing. He gave me a confused look and then he started laughing with me, about what I don't know but we couldn't stop. Finally after about 5 minutes we managed to get it together and stop "Well I think we should get into some dry clothes, light the fire and get a cup of hot cocoa"

"Sounds good to me, do you know where your luggage was put?"

"Yeh it's just over there, I'm gonna get changed in the bathroom while you find your clothes then you can use it" he just nodded at me. I quickly got changed and walked out of the bathroom, Robin going in. I walked to the kitchen and started to make some hot cocoa, after a couple of minutes Robin popped his head in the door and said "I'm gonna go and light the fire"

"Ok, I'll finish making these and bring them through" He disappeared heading for the lounge, I followed him 5 minutes late to cups in my hands. He had the fire roaring and was sitting on the sofa "Here" I passed him one of the cups as I sat down next to him "Thanks"

We sat and talked about stupid things, he described Moonacre to me and I felt like I knew some of the places he was talking about, I had finished m cocoa and was still freezing, Robin must of noticed because he grabbed the blanket off of the back of the sofa and wrapped it around me. He was really close to me and I could feel my heart speed up, I don't know why I've only just met him. He pushed back a strand of my hair that had fallen onto my face, finishing with his hand cupping my cheek, I leaned into him and closed my eyes. I reopened my eyes and said "Why do I feel like I've known you for years and that I can tell you anything?" he shrugged and settled on the sofa pulling me next to him, pulling the blanket so it covered him as well. I could feel my eyelids getting heavy, closing them and snuggling closer into is side I fell asleep.