I fell in beside Ella and Emily, Emily rolling her eyes when I explained how I'd managed to exchange the gelding for such a gentle mare. James' horse was dun-colored, with big brown eyes that watched the world calmly. She responded daintily to my commands, noticeably far less agitated by the excitement of the imminent hunt than the other horses.

When the prince strode out from the palace, there was an audible titter among the debutantes as they wheeled their horses around to display themselves from the prettiest angles. Andrew bowed perfunctorily in their direction, a polite smile on his face before he greeted his courtiers, his smile relaxing with the familiarity of the other men. As soon as he was mounted, ladies started jockeying for key positions behind him. Ella urged us forward, using our three horses to block Mary Marquette's path towards the prince.

We rode as a retinue out of the palace grounds and through the city's merchant quarter, exiting via the north gate into the Kingswood forest. I couldn't help my head from swivelling to and fro as we crossed the city, taking in the merchants and their wares, stifling my grin at the backlog of carriages and wagons in our wake. We drew stares, cheers, and some jeers as we made our way through the streets. Penelope Roxton's nose pointed skyward the entire time, Mary Marquette next to her sneering in distaste as she looked over the wide-eyed cityfolk. Emily chided me as I offered a smile for a baker who had come out and cheered for us.

"We mustn't encourage them," she hissed over the sounds of the horses, "They're only common folk, they're not worthy of our attention,"

In response, I shot the baker a wink, earning an even louder cheer and some whistles from the apprentices surrounding him. Emily's skin flushed puce and she kicked her horse ahead to ride next to Ella.

When we finally broke out into the open fields leading to the Kingswood, the hunting party spread out while the dogs were unleashed. I covered my grin with a gloved hand as James struggled to dance the huge gelding off the road to follow the rest of the men. With a cry, Andrew broke into a trot and the rest of us followed into the open rolling field. We spilled out onto the grass, the dogs running freely with their noses to the air as they scented the wildlife. Courtiers fanned out, most of the ladies attempting to maneuver their way towards the prince. Ella and Emily cantered forward while I pretended to have trouble with my horse so I could hang back, away from the annoying tittering of all the other women.

Some of the hounds brayed and I felt the mare tense beneath me. Across the field, James had leaned up in his stirrups, waving his arms when he spotted me. He mimed pulling back on the reins, but I was too slow. As soon as the hunting horn sounded, his mare took off at a gallop behind the baying hounds. Belatedly, I realized she must have been trained for hunting, for she fell in next to the prince and his men despite my best efforts to steer her away.

As I fell in beside him, Andrew shot me a comical look as his eyes went from me to my horse.

"However are you riding Sable?" he shouted, the wind whipping his words away as we sailed towards the forest. I was too exhilarated and desperately trying to find my place in the saddle to reply, until James finally steered the gelding over and caught a hold of my reins. He shouted a brief command of "whoa" and Sable slowed to a trot, the rest of the hunting party pulling away from us.

"I'm terribly sorry, I should have warned you that she was trained to the horn," he said, handing the reins back over to me. Sable's ears flicked as the horn blared again, but this time I held the reins back.

"It's nothing I couldn't handle," I said, grinning despite knowing I must be disheveled from all the galloping. Truthfully, the rush had set my heart to racing in excitement. I almost wished he hadn't stopped the horse, already mourning the exhilaration.

"Clearly," he smiled, glancing back as the gelding took off towards the horses leading the hunt. Sable flicked her ears as her master rode away, dancing a few steps back and forth. I readjusted myself, bracing myself before I urged her forward. The hunting horn sounded again and I slacked the reins, allowing Sable to take off at a full gallop. The wind sailed through my hair again and I closed my eyes, relishing the memories of summers spent riding with my brothers without the confines of a corset or the need to act like a lady.

The sunlight faltered as Sable raced into the forest, the sounds of the rest of the hunting party ahead of us as they crashed through the brush. Sable slowed, daintily cresting fallen trees as I clung onto her for dear life, laughing with sheer glee.

Rifles fired in the distance and her eyes flicked forward, slowing. Behind us, the chattering of the ladies could be heard as their horses crunched through the forest at a much more demure pace. Not wanting to get caught up with them again, I urged Sable away to the west, towards where the main road would be.

We broke through onto a rolling green meadow that led west to the road and I smiled despite myself, urging Sable forward and relinquishing the reins to her. Heedless of appearances, I threw my arms wide, savoring the wind as it tugged at my hair, falling forward to the reins when Sable broke from a canter into a gallop. I laughed as she raced towards a farm fence, leaning down in the saddle as she kept pace, clearly ready to jump. I shrieked with glee when we landed and Sable wheeled around of her own accord to take the fence again. Her hooves thundered against the soft green grasses before we were airborne once more, my shrieks of glee escaping before I could muffle them. I pulled back when she started to turn back to jump again, slowing her to a walk.

"Perhaps next time," I said a little breathlessly as I gave her neck a good pat, "We can't have me unsaddled so far from the rest of them,"

Sable snorted, dropping her head to graze. I laughed again leaning forward to lie across her neck and take in her horse smell. I dropped from the saddle as she grazed, picking a bouquet of wildflowers that I wove through her bridle, humming idly to myself as I basked in the late morning sun. When Sable turned and tried to eat them, I chucked the rest and climbed back into the saddle, my own stomach already growling.

"Let's go find something for me to eat, now that you've had your luncheon," I said, wheeling her around back towards the forest.

Just as we were about to break the treeline, a whistle echoed through the forest and Sable's ears flicked backwards. No matter how I tried to maneuver her, she was insistent on turning and following the sound of the whistle. Branches snapped against my face as she made her way through the forest heedless of her rider.

"Now see here!" I snapped, when I very nearly ducked beneath a low-hanging bough. A laugh echoed through the clearing Sable had walked into.

"Sable can be a tad willful," the prince chuckled, his horse coming over to sniff Sable as she sniffed him. I distracted myself by plucking leaves and twigs from my hair and attire.

"I think that's putting it nicely. I seem to be clothed in more foliage than dress at the moment," I said, as I pried a burr from my sleeve.

"It's a good thing she still responds to that whistle," he chuckled, gesturing for me to follow him, "The ladies have already seated themselves,"

"So quickly?" I blurted out, dismayed. He shot me a grin.

"Don't worry, you won't be the last to arrive. But James is beside himself with worry that Sable went and took you jumping," he said.

"She most certainly did," I replied, following him deeper into the woods. At my words, the prince turned around in his saddle to face me.

"You jest!" he exclaimed, running his eyes over me as if to search for injuries. I couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

"Are you calling me a liar, your Highness?" I demanded, a smile on my face as I reached down to pat the mare's neck, "Ask Sable, she seemed all too inclined to keep jumping if I hadn't stopped her,"

"As I said, she's a willful beast, but thankfully a gentle one," he said, "Which reminds me that I must thank you for the endless entertainment your own horse provided for us this afternoon," the prince grinned, a glint in his eye as I glanced over at him. I laughed despite myself.

"Now that I do take offence to! That horse was one of your own, your Highness!" I protested, "It was extremely chivalrous of Lord Amberly to offer up his own, but I'd have managed even if the gelding was my only option,"

"You would have broken your neck!" he laughed in earnest this time, "James is the best horseman I know and he very nearly broke his today,"

"And I'd take a broken neck over another afternoon of sheer boredom at the palace," I replied. Andrew shook his head in disbelief, that same lopsided grin still on his face.

"What exactly would have been so mortally boring at the palace?" he persisted, as the trees around us thinned out.

"Gossip, cards, embroidery, backgammon...any number of mind-numbing pastimes that ladies fill their days with," I said.

"I have it on good authority that most ladies quite enjoy such activities," Andrew said. I looked over at him, quickly schooling my features to hide my disgust. He laughed again.

"Most ladies, perhaps," I offered mildly, scolding myself for speaking so brashly to the crown prince. Surely the "good authority" he was speaking of were his mother the queen and younger sister, Princess Anne, two exceedingly well bred ladies.

The tittering of ladies floated across the breeze and I ripped my eyes from the prince's, yanking back on the reins without meaning to. We were still shaded in the canopy of the forest, but the reality of emerging alone with the prince slammed home as Sable danced beneath me. Andrew turned when I didn't keep up with him, opening his mouth to say something when there was a crashing noise behind us. I had been of half a mind to turn and hightail back into the forest when the massive gelding I'd been assigned crashed out of the forest next to me.

"My what a challenge!" James puffed, his face shiny with exertion as the gelding danced beneath his firm hold on the reins, "Good to see you're still in one piece. Let's have a picnic, shall we?"

The gelding trotted off in front of me and my eyes met the prince's.

"You didn't really think I'd sneak off alone with a lady in waiting, did you?" he grinned, shooting me a wink. I puffed my cheeks in a sigh of relief, suddenly grateful that I hadn't managed to pick all the leaves and twigs out of my hair and incredibly thankful for James' timely appearance to spare me a scandal.

When the ladies caught sight of the prince, the volume of their chatter escalated, dainty laughs echoing all the more through the clearing. They fixed me, however, with the darkest of glares. When I dismounted, I studiously avoided their eyes as I found my way towards Ella and Emily.

"What on Earth happened to you?" Sarah Thornbury demanded before Ella could speak.

"I got lost," I lied, "I ended up in a thicket and if it hadn't been for Lord Amberly and His Highness I'd still be finding my way out,"

"It doesn't do for ladies to get lost in forests," Ashley Mayfair sniffed, "You really should keep a closer eye on your ladies, Ella,"

My cousin's cheeks flushed as she studied her tea and my stomach turned in a knot. I couldn't collect my thoughts quickly enough before Ashley and Sarah's ladies in waiting muttered in agreement.

"Although getting lost in the forest would be an excellent way to get a few moments alone with the prince," Ashley said, fanning herself as if not to swoon while the rest of the ladies tittered and squealed.

"Naughty!" Sarah giggled, batting her own fan in Ashley's direction. I watched miserably as Ella's shaky hands brought her tea to her mouth, thoroughly ignored by the other girls as Sarah and Ashley dominated the conversation

"You are in so much trouble," Emily whispered gleefully from beside me, unable to keep the smirk from her face.