Chemsworth Hall - Marigold
Kate Archer
Marigold Granger has always considered herself the odd man out amongst her sisters. She is not delicate, she has little acquaintance with the feminine arts, and she has only recently been convinced that she cannot live in her filthy riding habit. Baths, once fought off with the virility of a polecat, are now a more regular occurrence.
The one thing Marigold has always excelled at is horses. She can ride anything, as evidenced by her mastery of The Turk. She is fiercely protective of that creature and will threaten bodily harm to anyone wishing to go near him. Of course, her habit of being out on her horse without a groom means nobody in her family has certain knowledge of where she goes or what she gets up to. She has not mentioned any particular person she might be in the habit of encountering.
Theodore Mayberry, Viscount Winkelman, eldest son of the Earl of Farraday, has been lured to Chemsworth Hall to see a horse. The Turk is said to be an eighteen-hand Desert Norman who is unlike anything he has seen before. He cannot think of a better way to escape the studies he has not been studying. His father sent him to Oxford as he did not believe his son was accomplishing anything by riding round the Northumberland countryside all day long. He certainly would not find a bride there. At least, not a bride the Earl would approve of.
James Weston is the son of a local squire. He’s been casually encountering Marigold Granger while out riding for years. Or not so casually, as he does wait around quite a bit until he spots her. They began as childhood friends, but his feelings have grown into something more. He is bound to go unrequited though, as Henry Granger has brought another one of his friends home. So far, those friends have ended up walking off with one of the viscount’s daughters. Now it’s Marigold’s turn.
An evening paying homage to Henry Tudor, an elopement that involves several people rushing in different directions only for nobody to elope, a mysterious trip to Town, and unfortunate neighborly speculations seem to doom any hope of a happy ending.
But on the other hand, perhaps an unusual broach might straighten the whole thing out.
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