Word Count » 315
She simply beamed. Beamed. Her hands tightened on the reins and she gave a laugh of success as she clapped her hands together, reins muffling the noise. "Oh wonderful!" she exclaimed, suddenly aware of her over exuberance at so trivial a thing. Isabella pulled back a bit, shrugging her shoulders up tightly as though to recoil from her own excitement. She glanced around as though flustered, avoiding his glance especially with the broad smile on his face. After so much smiling, there was no way her face was going to get a chance to relax. Her lips were spread so wide she was afraid it would give her wrinkles early when the skin on her face loosened. The things she did for pleasure.
Thankfully, her assumptions had been right and Vasiliy had been a fisherman as well as a sailor. It pleased her to no end she could make such an assumption and be correct. It did nothing to temper her ego and it only helped to fan the flames of her own self-centered interests. She simply nodded at him, demure. She had to cede all control of the situation to the man, but it could not be helped. He knew the land and he knew what she needed to learn. "No, it's alright. She's temperamental and I don't think she'd like it." In reality, Ducky was skittish and nervous at times but did not hate strangers.
Pulling her arms behind her, reins tight in her fists, Isabella followed behind, chest jutting forward because of her posture. "This is definitely prettier than further north. More trees, shrubs. Very pretty. Must be happy here," she mused, eying the man carefully. "What do you do here besides sail and trade?" It was all mindless chatter but it helped to fill the air and aid her image of innocent and empty headed.
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