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"No, I mean, tellto have a picnic there? Is that where everyone went?"

"Aye,to catch up with the laird and hisyoung John by leading hi Lily ’s authority She ’d had a lesson planned for hi for weeks to quiz him on sums and today was to be the day It was unacceptable for Rowena to swoop in and take hi anybody Unless she had asked Ewen Maybe he had given his consent and just not infor that the witch herself chooses to picnic near the Witch’s Pool, " Lily hissed

Lennox’s eyes widened in shock and confusion

"Sorry, Lenny I ’d just like to retrieve John Can you lead me there? To the river, I one"

A breeze stole under Lily’s skirts and chilled her Leaning out the barn door, she looked up and felt suddenly tiny underneath the o the ray wisps of cu the valley below beneath a slab of shadow Watching the thunderheadcolor froet John She didn ’t trust Roith John’s safety, and she shivered at the thought of what a swift downpour would do to an already swollen and raging river

"What about the ponies?"

There were a couple of shaggy old Highland ponies permanently put out to pasture She had seen children fro each other to catch and ride them bareback, but that was the extent of their use around the castle

"The old ponies, uffaw, but was silenced by an icy stare froet the laird’s son" Lily assumed her most imperious voice She hated to do that with dear Lenny, but she was starting to get frantic "Please saddle up the ponies "

"Those ponies don ’t have saddles Nobody rides the Just do what you have to do to get us out of here Now " For the first tiic for a car A nice four-wheel drive Range Rover perhaps

Lennox had two ponies harnessed and ready to go in a surprisingly short amount of time Lily looked with dread at the ancient and most certainly flea-infested blankets that were to serve as saddles She hoped she ree not killing herself The ponies themselves didn’t look lassy-eyed, twitching their tails lazily at unseen insects

"Here goes nothing " Lily grabbed the halter of a shaggy white pony, jurace that surprised both her and Le nny She saw that the pony’s legs were covered in ently that she had to get to John as soon as possible

Fro, it was all about bruising her botto desperately not to fall off She hoped her out-of-shape leg ait of the ponies would be no help--she was certain she would get her brain rattled once they started with a brisk trot Lenny ish beasts ere shocked that they were being asked to do anything but graze

After riding for what seemed like an eternity, they reached Rowena’s party Lily’s head pounded fro her jaw repeatedly clack shut fros Her hands and nails were filthy frohs burned fro on for dear life

In another circumstance, Lily would have felt a flush of shame at the amused looks that she and Lennox received upon their arrival She supposed they did look a sight as they burst into the clearing, bouncing frantically on the backs of the old ponies Rowena meanwhile looked particularly pleased with herself, crisp, rosy, and well put together, gloating over an adoring clutch of wonize But Lily didn’t care about appearances or her rapidly waning dignity just then It was John she was concerned with, and he was nowhere in sight