When Kitty next awoke it was to a familiar sight, upon opening her eyes and drawing her gaze down from the ceiling, it fell on her old friend the rocking horse.

"Hello you." She croaked, smiling at the horse as the fog of a deep sleep faded from her mind, it seemed to take a while to open her eyes properly and for her brain to process the images her eyes were feeding it. She was in her own bed, in her room, she was home. Kitty wondered how long she had been asleep and why she didn't remember leaving the inn.

Worry was not usually an emotion Kitty employed, especially now, with drugs in her system to help her sleep off the pain until her broken arm healed. She found thinking much more taxing than she remembered it being before her accident. When she woke lately, she found herself having to take time to assess her surroundings, trying to decipher which bed she was in, which room, which building. She slowly pieced together the events since her accident, she spent some time drifting in and out of sleep, it could have been minutes, it could have been days.

To everyone's great relief, Kitty was sleeping peacefully most of the time, her sister took charge of her care and was administering pain relief, water and food whenever Kitty woke. Her sister would sit at her bedside until Kitty drifted back to sleep, which would usually occur after a short conversation, until the drugs took hold in her system.

On one such occasion she woke up and believed she could see the rocking horse at the foot of her bed rocking back and forward as if ridden by an invisible child. She shouted and shouted until her sister came running, but once Kitty had taken her eyes away from the horse to beg her sister to look, the horse had ceased it's rocking.

Kitty tried to explain,without sounding as though she belonged in Bedlam, her sister looked concerned as she cast a glance over to the stationary horse and back to her sister in the bed. Kitty's parents joined her sister in the room, stirred from the downstairs drawing room by Kitty's shouting,they were equally unmoved by Kitty's insistence the horse had moved.

Once her family had convinced Kitty the moving horse was merely an hallucination from the laudanum, exacerbated by not yet being fully awake, the family pulled up chairs around her bed and began to talk of more mundane issues to distract her. Kitty loved to talk and spend time together as a family, they had all been missing her bubbly chatter and laughter around the house since they had returned. It wasn't the same without her endless smile and unfaltering optimism, the servants felt it too and the mood of the house was that of a sombre quiet – something Kitty wouldn't have approved of. Her family were painfully aware that, had Kitty been well enough, she would have been actively cheering everyone up, ensuring all within the house were happy, that was Kitty's prerogative. They felt guilty for not living up to her usual standards, it was so strange for them all to see Kitty like this, still and unsmiling, it broke their hearts to see her injured.

Her family asked how she was feeling, they offered her water and food, glad of this chance to talk to her now she was awake. Kitty refused to be distracted or placated for long, she would let go of the rocking horse moment, as her family wanted, she wished to convince them she was mentally sound in order for the conversation she must have, to be taken seriously. Kitty shot the stationary horse at the foot of her bed the occasional glance, to ensure it remained still. Once she was satisfied it had been a trick of her mind, the laudanum, the light, her tiredness, she was able to set it to one side and concentrate in the main issue at hand. Firstly, she needed to know how long she'd been at home.

"It's been five days,Kitty, we left the inn the next day after your accident so you could recover in the peace of your own bed, your own home. We all thought that would be better for you this way, we asked the doctor to check you over thoroughly and he said it would be fine to move you."

Her mother explained patiently, as if speaking to a child.

"But I don't remember saying goodbye to Richard or Bess before we left, I can barely remember anything from that day..." Kitty was thinking aloud,frowning in concentration, still trying to piece together her missing memories, willing them back into her consciousness.

"Kitty...you were in no fit state that day...you were in a lot of pain so the doctor gave you medication to help, which made you very sleepy, that will be the reason you can't remember, it will all come back to you in time, I'm sure."

Kitty frowned at her mother's tone and choice of words. "I'm not a child, mother,please speak plainly."

Her mother smiled,clearly Kitty was further along in her recovery than they were giving her credit for.

"At the time, all we thought about was how best to help you recover, and we all came to the same conclusion – you should be at home. The doctor at the inn put you on medication to sleep off the pain and we asked him if we could bring you home..if travelling would be suitable for someone in your condition. He told us it would be fine, so we decided to leave straight away to get you settled back home as soon as we could. It did not feel right to stay at the inn with you in the condition that you were...I confess we did not spare a thought for Bess or Richard,thinking only of you."

"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye." Kitty murmured, looking as close to tears as she had done since her accident.

Her father reached across the bed for her hand, squeezing it gently to hold her attention, "now you are well enough, you can make these decisions for yourself. At the time we did what was best for you, we meant no malice by it. I would like to send Bess and Richard some money –on top of what we owe them for the farrier and the doctor, which Bess kindly paid for. I had wanted to wait until you were recovered enough to help me decide what that amount should be."

Kitty smiled, this was typical of her father, he was wholly a good person and would always see to it that people received what they deserved and more if he could help it. She took a deep breath, considering her words before she replied with what she knew what must be said, this was the perfect opportunity to bring this up.

"Father, I would ask you do one better than send them money...as payment for their invaluable services on top of what they have paid out of their own pocket of course. As an additional reward....I need to ask you a favour."

"Then ask away."

"I need you to consider this proposition seriously, with all of the business acumen you would usually apply to your work and investments. What I have to propose would be a sound investment indeed, with massive returns, far outweighing the cost, arguably it would benefit us considerably more than the other person it concerns."

Kitty's father smiled,"you're not one of my advisors who need to compete for my ear, you have my undivided attention. If you believe this to be a good investment, of course I will give it my full consideration. Please enlighten me with your proposal."

There was an uncharacteristic fierce determination in Kitty's eyes as she spoke again. "I want you to employ Richard as a groom here...he is desperately unhappy at the inn, that's not what he wants to do with his life, he told me while we were riding. We talked about it at length. He wants to work with horses, that's all he wants – and he's good, he's a natural. I promised him I would ask you...before I fell...I feel such guilt now, he must think I have forgotten, or changed my mind, or that you don't agree..."

"Well, I wouldn't object as such, he does seem to be a conscientious young man."

"He's much more than that, father. You must believe me when I say how serious this is. He told me that night he was considering becoming a highwayman, we can't let that happen! He's so much better than that life would give him, I could not see him be sent to the gallows when he should have the opportunity to make so much more from his life. He would be a credit to you, I know it, he would make the finest groom this house has ever seen. "

Kitty's sister spoke up for the first time in a long while, roused from her silent musings at her sister's bedside, pondering on the future,"what? Richard?"

"Please don't interrupt your sister, go on Kitty."

Kitty shot a disgruntled look at her sister for the unwelcome intrusion on her speech before she continued, with passion, Kitty would not allow this issue to rest until she had her own way.

"He's desperate, so unhappy where he is, but the only way out he can see is living outside the law, to get a chance to ride, to do what he loves. Father you must believe me, this is our chance to save him...I was thinking...William is getting older now, he'll need to be replaced in a few years, why not take on a young groom now to ease his workload and to be ready to take over when William can no longer manage the horses? There'll be plenty of work for Richard on the estate, he's acquainted with turning his hand to every job at the inn, he can manage the grounds here, when there's nothing to be done with the horses...we could buy a point-to-point horse, I know you take an interest in the sport. Richard would make a fine jockey....just before I fell, I watched him clear a five bar gate as though he was stepping over a log – on a horse that wasn't even his. Imagine what he could do with a yearling? Give him the time to work with a horse and he could win a lot of races, we could expand into a livery yard..."

"Kitty," her father gently stemmed her animated flow, fearing she was tiring herself out too quickly. "I have heard your argument, you make some strong points. Let us both reflect on this and we'll talk about the finer details tomorrow, after you've rested. Rest assured I will give it my full attention, especially since this is a matter that is clearly close to your heart, I will deliberate on the logistics and we shall discuss this tomorrow.

"Thank you father," Kitty smiled happily, confident she had made her point well enough to convince her father, her family left her to rest and she gazed distractedly at the rocking horse as she drifted back to sleep. Again she dreamed of riding, of flying.