“Sally, of course, you deserve them. You’ve made me feel so very welcome and helped me out. Here I am, invading your world.” I paused, looking up as it looked as if Sally was about to burst into tears. “Look, whatever happened, it’s water under the bridge. If you want to be less of a bitch you can share those chocolates. I’ll let you have the flowers; I think they will look better in your cottage than they would in my caravan…”
The shy look I got from Sally was a joy. To see the smile, return to her face made up for the cost of some cheap flowers and a box of sweets.
We sat together, eating chocolates and polishing leather, like old friends. “Look, Adam, what I did to you…”
“Shh Sally… I am here to help you.” I leaned over and hugged her. “I am sorry if you got upset and I’m really sorry I wasn’t there to support you when you felt bad. I heard that you and Hilary had a quarrel.”
“Oh, God… I really don’t know what to say to her. I was really childish, and now I’m too embarrassed to see her… I’ve been keeping out of her way. How stupid is that?”
“It’s already dealt with.” I ignored Sally’s confused look. Without her knowing, I’d taken the opportunity to copy her handwriting on an apology card along with more flowers and chocolates. This job was costing me dearly, but I would do anything for a happy environment. I hadn’t realised both Sally and Hilary had cried receiving their inexpensive gifts, but as it had led to domestic happiness, it was worth every penny.
5
Fresh Faces
We were mucking out when Hilary rushed over to hug a confused Sally, thanking her and apologising for being so cross. She, in turn, taken unawares apologised for acting like a stroppy teenager.
“Hello?” I cleared my throat, leaning on my pitchfork. “Are we all friends again?”
Hilary composed herself. “Adam, Sally. You need some more help around here.”
“Wow! … Madam is going to get her breeches dirty and help us poor grooms muck out!” I tugged my forelock. I deserved the slap I got from Hilary.
“You know that you’re a cheeky sod! No, although I promise, I will help out more with yard work… I have employed a new working pupil to support you.”
“Really?”
I could see the excitement in Sally’s face, no doubt someone else to boss around and overall, less work for her.
“Yes, Now Adam, I will still ensure you have riding time, but Olivia will have to share my attention.”
“Sorry? Olivia?” Sally’s face had dropped. “Do you mean?”
“Olivia Wright-Turner. You know Olivia, Sally. Adam, she’s the daughter of my main sponsor.”
“No…” Sally stuttered. “Hilary, Please, I’m fine… I don’t need help. At least not from her!”
“What? No, this will be good for all of us. A new team member. Come on, be positive.”
Sally turned on her heel and walked rapidly away.
“Oh? Can I tell from Sally’s reaction that Olivia’s reputation goes before her?”
“Sally used to ride in events. Nothing too advanced, she’s an amazing groom but falls to pieces in the arena under pressure. Olivia used to ride against her, there was a bit of rivalry between them, but when I happened to mention I needed more staff to her mother she suggested Olivia could benefit from this.”
“Okay, and her mother is?”
“Grace Wright-Turner. She owns Turner Performance Horse Feeds.”
And there was the kicker. It was Grace’s picture and not Hilary’s who adorned the side of our horsebox, it was her company who effectively bankrolled Hilary’s operation not only providing horse feed but also most of the income to allow Hilary to take part in one of the most expensive sports there is. I could see there was some animosity between Sally and Olivia, however, I guessed for the good of our survival it would need to be rapidly put aside. For all of Hilary’s ability as an event rider, she was better with horses than with people.
* * *
“Are you okay?”
I sighed as Sally looked up with tears in her eyes. I realised that stepping into a room where a full-grown woman is bawling her eyes out, asking if she was okay ranks as one of the most stupid and ridiculous things you can say. However, I needed to start somewhere. I sat beside her, putting my arm around her shoulder.
“Not her… The bitch. You were bad enough… But her!” Sally moaned through sobs.
“Thanks, Sal…” She turned around apologising. “No… None taken, honestly!” She gave me a confused look through teary eyes. “You’ll get to boss her around; she’ll be your stable bitch…”
“You wouldn’t understand. She’s a real bitch… Spiteful and nasty, Hilary hardly knows her. I spent my life riding against her in Pony Club. My parents scrimped and saved to get me my pony, yet her mother could afford the best and my God, didn’t we know it. If one horse wasn’t good enough, get another. They were just like machines to her; she has no respect for animals or people.”
“Do you want me to speak with Hilary, see if I can get her to change her mind?”
* * *
Despite Sally telling me not to try, I did have a conversation with Hilary during my next riding session. She assured me Olivia was much more mature now. She was twenty-one and making a good impression on the event circuit. Sally was overreacting and didn’t want to share the limelight, and neither did I.
Hilary had turned on me, telling me I was a guest on her yard, I should remember my place. I’d pulled up the horse, turning to face her. “Hilary, I don’t have any issue here. I appreciate what you are doing. I welcome someone new. It’ll make everything better. I just think Sally is upset by your decision.”
“Sally has to remember her place. She is my groom. I make the decisions around here Adam, not her!”
“Hilary, she knows that. But I think she has some genuine concerns about Olivia. Please, spend a moment to put her mind at rest.”
“She’ll come round. It sounds like she’s had a tough few days. Give her some time and she will be back to her usual happy self.”
Her happy self was certainly not in evidence as I groomed and skipped out the horses. Sally was still moping and slinking off to the tack room where she would cry, compose herself and get back to work at a furious pace.
At the end of the day, I offered her dinner, she’d declined, saying she wanted to be alone, so I watched as she pushed open her cottage door. I returned alone to the caravan.
* * *
“So, who is this new person?” Kate was keen to hear more as I told her about the incidents of the day.
“Olivia Wright-Turner…”
“Oh…”
“Oh? So, I take it you know her?”
“Adam, I know of her, or at least her reputation. Honestly, do you not remember her? She was the one who was disqualified last year at Burghley.”
The penny finally dropped. I’d remembered the scandal from the year before. After a pretty average dressage score, she had been riding on the event course when her horse had refused quite a simple fence. She had fallen off, taken unawares, but instead of getting back on and going again she had taken her crop and beaten the horse around the head in front of the crowd and TV cameras. My laptop pinged as Kate sent me the YouTube link, not that I needed to watch it, I remember how it had shocked me at the time.
Naturally, there had been an outcry, she had been asked to leave the event immediately. In fact, she was almost lynched.
“She gave some excuse, didn’t she?”
“The nasty cow said she’d seen a horsefly on her horses head and she was trying to swat it away. I mean… She’s a nasty piece of work. And fucking stupid!”
I sighed, considering Kate’s assessment. She was cruel, nasty, stupid and worse still, coming to work here. Shit…
* * *
“Sally!”
“Oh hello…” Her shoulders were hunched, there were bags under her eyes.
“Oh goodness. Did you not sleep?”
“Not mu
ch…”
“Look, this girl. Kate reminded me of what she did last year at Burghley.”
“Yeah, and did she tell you how mummy tried to pay them off? She was, at the time, a key sponsor for the event and threatened to pull funding if they disqualified her daughter. They told her they didn’t need her money and basically told her to piss off.”
“Wow! But Hilary…”
“Hilary needs funding. If she lost her as a sponsor, she would be out of business overnight. I do realise she has to do this. But…” Sally turned and faced me; her teeth gritted. “If she touches one of the horses…”
“You and I both… Sally, I would not be responsible for my actions if she hurt one of the horses.”
Sally had smiled, hugging me tightly. “I’m sorry I’ve been a bitch. You’re alright…”
“Praise indeed…” I laughed as I watched her walk away.
* * *
“She’ll be here tomorrow so I want the yard looking spotless.”
I stepped in before Sally could say anything. The yard was always in immaculate condition Sally prided herself on ensuring there wasn’t even a blade of grass out of place.
“The yard will look amazing because it always does. Trust us, Hilary, we won’t show you up…”
Hilary blushed, stuttering an apology before rushing away. I glanced at Sally and was pleased to see her smiling.
* * *
At the end of the day, Sally invited me in for dinner. She hadn’t cooked anything so I offered to rustle something up while she got showered and changed. I quickly put together a chilli con Carne, using up various leftovers in her fridge, spicing it with a strong dose of chilli powder, I was just serving it up with rice when she stepped back into the room.
“Oh Adam, that smells so good… I’m starving.” She paused, stepping towards me and gently placing her hand on my arm. “Look. I know I said sorry, but I was really childish before…”
“Sally, say no more… You’d had a crappy few days but remember, I’m on your side. Right, let’s eat this while it’s hot.”
The chilli was fiery and we were left gulping down bottles of beer to try and quench the heat of the dish. I quickly washed up as Sally slumped on the sofa, inviting me to join her. She laughed hard at my lame attempts at jokes, her fingers fluttering at my elbow, my knee. I found myself enjoying the attention. Noticing the way her eyes caught the light in the room and the simple motion of her tucking her hair behind her ear. I missed Kate but this was comfortable. I sat down and we chatted, enjoying more beer. It was dark when I glanced at my watch.
“Right, early start…”
“Aww! Stay longer…” Sally slurred.
“No, you have an early start too and you’re drunk.”
“No…” She hiccoughed. “You’re drink. Drunk…” She stumbled towards me falling into my arms.
“Whoops!”
Sally looked up at me for a moment before grabbing me and kissing me. I tried to fight away but found myself enjoying her attention. Thoughtlessly I reciprocated, my tongue entering her mouth, my hands feeling her firm body. I snapped to my senses, pushing her back, she stumbled and fell onto the sofa. She sat staring at me, equal parts confused and angry as I fled the room.
* * *
I woke with a banging headache and a deep feeling of regret. I’d stood outside Sally’s door for a good few minutes the night before, my resolve almost breaking. Part of me wanted to slam down the door and take what was on offer. But I was married and loved Kate.
I picked up my phone and dialled Kate… What was I doing? Was I going to tell her I’d got drunk and had almost cheated on her? I shoved my phone into my breeches pocket and walked back towards the caravan.
6
Mother And Daughter
The next morning, we worked quickly, feeding and mucking out, there was little conversation, I put this down to our collective hangovers. I was in the arena riding when the white Range Rover pulled up in the yard. Hilary looked across excitedly.
“She’s here! … Right cool him down and put him away. Then you can come and meet Olivia.”
I nodded, letting my horse walk on a long rein. We had been schooling for just over an hour, I was sweaty and no doubt not in a great state to meet visitors, however, I told myself she was just a new working pupil.
It was almost half an hour later when I’d finished cooling off and putting away my horse. Sally was sitting in the tack room, a mug of tea in hand, I noted the cool reception and the fact I was not offered a mug as I would have been normally. It was clear from Sally’s nervous looks and the way she was biting her fingernails that something was on her mind. I just hoped it was Olivia and not me. I poured myself a brew and sat down beside her. I felt her nervousness, having the sponsor’s daughter with us on the yard filled me with some dread, but, as I told myself, I was only a working pupil, it was none of my concern.
“Sally, what’s up?”
“They’ve been in the house all this time.”
“I am sure Hilary is catching up with Olivia and her mother, setting out the ground rules. Look, Sally, I know this is difficult. But I’m here too. I’ll support you, however, I can.”
Sally hugged me, before wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She drained her mug and stepped out of the tack room.
* * *
“Adam!”
“Hilary. And I presume this must be Mrs Wright-Turner.”
“Please. Call me Grace.” She held out her hand. Grace was instantly recognisable; her face was not only on our horsebox but also on every sack of feed and across regular full-page adverts in the equestrian press. She was blond with a slim body and the sort of nails which clearly never had to undertake stable management tasks. Dressed in country boots with highly polished toes, brilliant white breeches and a matching white blouse, she looked more catwalk model than working equestrian. Her daughter was standing a few feet behind her. Staring at the phone in her hands, dressed in a similar way to her mother apart from her highly polished leather riding boots. She was clearly muscular with strong arms and a slim, well-formed body. “Olivia, say hello to… I’m sorry.”
“Adam, Adam Bishop…” I held out my hand but the girl ignored me, still staring at her phone. “Okay…”
“Adam, will you show Olivia to the accommodation please?” Hilary must have noticed my puzzled look. “She will share with you, there are two bedrooms.”
“Oh? Okay. It’s this way.”
Olivia reluctantly followed me. Some weeks before I’d laid some spare paving slabs to allow for a dry path through the mud, but she sighed, shaking her head at the sight of the static caravan. Unlocking the caravan door and stepping inside was the first time she looked up from her phone. She gasped, turning on her heel and stepping back outside where her mother and Hilary were waiting.
“No!”
“No?” Hilary stuttered. “Is there something wrong?”
“I will not be living in there. Mother, tell her.”
“Now Hilary, when I agreed to let Olivia work here, I was assured there was somewhere for her to live. Now, it’s clear your other groom may not have standards but let me assure you, my daughter certainly does.”
Death Rider (The Rider Series Book 2) Page 5