Joe was deep in conversation with Eliza and David, no doubt discussing the up-coming races. He obviously couldn’t have seen her, for he didn’t look her way at all, and hadn’t even said hello.
‘This is all frightfully boring,’ muttered Dolly, twirling her parasol. ‘I saw a champagne tent as we came through. Let’s go and have a drink.’
‘It’s a bit early,’ replied Lulu. She glanced across at Joe, who was still engrossed with Eliza. ‘But why not?’ She turned her back on them and went to follow Dolly through the crowd.
‘Hold up. Where are you going?’
‘In search of champagne,’ said Lulu, not breaking stride.
‘Then take Charlie with you.’
‘Whatever for?’ She came to a halt.
‘It’s better if someone escorts you,’ Joe blustered. ‘There are some rough types at these meetings.’
Lulu’s eyes narrowed as she regarded him thoughtfully. ‘You seem very keen to safeguard us,’ she said coolly, ‘and we’re most grateful. But Dolly and I have managed to cross from one side of the world to the other without coming to any harm. I hardly think Elwick Racecourse is more dangerous than Port Said.’
‘But …’
‘No, Joe,’ she said firmly. ‘We wish to enjoy our day, and not have your minder follow us about. Go back to your horses and we’ll see you when you are less occupied.’ She turned, hooked her arm in Dolly’s and marched off.
‘Well, that told him.’ Dolly laughed. ‘What has the poor man done to deserve such a dressing-down?’
She was puzzled by his attitude. He’d obviously known she was there all the time and had been deliberately ignoring her – until she left the yard – and then he hadn’t even said hello, or complimented her on her outfit, before bossing her about. And as for insisting upon Charlie escorting them … ‘Nothing,’ she lied.
Dolly’s knowing look said it all as they entered the champagne tent.
*
He climbed out of the utility and slammed the door. It had been a restless night, but he wasn’t at all tired, for the excitement was mounting. He could see her and her friend sipping champagne and laughing with some of the other owners as they wandered towards the parade ring. She looked very lovely in that blue, her hair a shining mass of tawny browns and gold that caught the sun and emphasised her femininity.
He followed them to the ring where the runners and riders paraded before the first race. Ocean Child was not due to run for about an hour, so he had plenty of time to watch her. Leaning against the rail some few feet away, he had his first close look at the young woman he’d been following. It was a strangely familiar face, and as he watched the animation light up her eyes he wondered how she would feel if she knew she was being regarded with such interest and curiosity.
‘There you are. You could have waited for me, Dolly, I adore champagne.’
He froze at the sound of her voice. Eliza Frobisher was an unexpected stumbling block to his plans. He ducked his head as he swiftly turned and walked away. All he needed now, he thought anxiously, was to bump into Gwen Cole.
*
Lulu had won place money on Eliza’s Moonbeam as well as on Friar’s Lass, and was celebrating with the owners in the champagne tent. She discreetly set aside the foaming glass, for she’d already had three and was beginning to feel light-headed. ‘I must go and wish Bob luck,’ she said. ‘Ocean Child’s running next and I’ve put all my winnings on him.’
They waved their betting slips to show they too had backed Lulu’s colt, and she was smiling as she left the tent and headed for the yard. Her smile faltered as she saw Charlie emerge from the side of the tent and follow her. It seemed Joe had ignored her request to be left alone, and she wondered why he was so determined to have her chaperoned. Surely he didn’t really think she was in any danger?
She brushed off the irritation as she caught sight of Ocean Child. He was wonderfully turned out, his coat gleaming, neck arched as if he knew he looked handsome. Bob, who wore the Galway House silks of the Irish tricolour, stood proudly beside the Child as Joe gave him last-minute instructions.
Lulu ran her hand down Ocean Child’s neck, and he nudged her cheek and tried to nibble the feather in her headband. She stepped back. ‘I don’t think that’s a very good idea,’ she giggled, her fingers massaging his ears. ‘You’re not supposed to eat just before a race.’
‘Don’t do that thing with his ears,’ said Joe sharply. ‘He goes all unnecessary and he needs to stay alert for the next half-hour.’
Lulu stopped petting the horse and turned to Bob. ‘You look very handsome,’ she said. ‘Best of luck, and have a good race.’
‘Bob knows what to do,’ said Joe rather tersely.
‘I’m sure he does,’ she replied coolly.
Joe gave Bob a leg-up. ‘We have to go. Charlie will see you back to the stand.’
With a toss of her head, she marched back to the grandstand, all too aware of Charlie lumbering behind her. As she was about to turn the corner and climb the steps she came to a sudden halt and spun around. ‘Why did Joe ask you to follow me?’
He looked shifty as he shrugged massive shoulders. ‘The boss …as …is reasons. Not my place to ask what they are.’
‘I think you know very well why,’ she said crossly. ‘Come on, Charlie, out with it.’
‘I dunno really,’ he said, avoiding her gaze. ‘He just said not to let you wander off, and told me to keep an eye out.’
‘For what?’ The hairs on the back of her neck were prickling and she shot a wary glance over her shoulder – although she had no idea what she was looking for.
Charlie scuffed his boot against the cinder path. ‘I reckon …e’s worried about that Carmichael bloke turning up.’
Lulu noticed he looked shiftier than ever. ‘Carmichael poses no threat – why should Joe think otherwise?’
‘He don’t trust …im.’ His gaze flitted over her before returning to his boots. ‘I’d appreciate it if you don’t tell …im,’ he mumbled. ‘He’d …ave me guts for garters and I’d be out of a job.’
Lulu heaved a sigh. The poor man didn’t deserve to lose his job. Joe was being over-protective, and Charlie was merely following orders. She smiled up at him. ‘No worries, Charlie. Your secret’s safe with me.’
‘Good on ya, Miss. I knew you was a dinkum sheila the minute I saw yer.’
‘That’s nice,’ she murmured, as she climbed the steps to join the others.
The twelve colts were milling about on the far side of the track. The eight brush hurdles were placed intermittently down the two-mile course, and to Lulu they looked rather daunting for such young horses. Her mouth dried and her heart began to pound as she borrowed David’s binoculars and waited for the starter’s flag to go down.
The colts were nudged and cajoled into a ragged line. The flag went down. They were off.
Lulu lost sight of Ocean Child and began to panic. Then she saw the flash of green, white and orange silks and relaxed. He was in the middle of the bunch and heading for the first hurdle.
They all went safely over and headed for the next – a particularly devious fence with a trench of water in front of it. Ocean Child flew over it, narrowly missing the horse next to him, who stumbled and almost fell. He was well placed and storming through the field.
Two fell at the next, and there was a refusal at the fourth. A loose horse ran right in front of the leaders as they approached the fifth and there was a collective gasp from the crowd as it brought down the favourite. There were six left in the race – and Ocean Child was steaming up on the inside to contend with the leaders.
The six colts thundered over the next two hurdles, but they were more spread out now, and as they prepared to fly over the final hurdle, Ocean Child stretched his neck and drew alongside Firefly, the leader. They landed together, and the crowd roared encouragement.
Ocean Child stumbled as Bob appeared to lose control and almost went over his head. Lulu gripped the binoculars and adjuste
d the sights. The jockey on Firefly was kicking out at Bob’s stirrup, doing his best to unseat him.
The crowd were on their feet, their voices rising with excitement.
Ocean Child recovered from his stumble and Bob clung on low in the saddle, one foot free of the stirrup.
It was a cruel climb to the final straight and the finishing post, and some of the back-markers began to lag. Both leading horses looked to have plenty of running in them despite the antics of the men on their backs – and they passed the winning post at what looked like the same time.
As the horses drew to a halt Bob leapt down, hauled Firefly’s jockey from his saddle and punched him. Firefly’s rider retaliated and within seconds they were beating the hell out of each other.
The crowd roared encouragement and waved their programmes. The other jockeys milled about, uncertain as to what to do. Ocean Child and Firefly ambled off to the other side of the circuit and settled down to munch on the long grass beside the track.
Lulu gasped as Bob was punched to the ground and Firefly’s jockey started kicking him. ‘Why doesn’t someone stop them?’ she shouted above the roar of the crowd. ‘Bob’s going to get seriously hurt.’
‘Joe’s going in there to sort them out,’ said David grimly.
Lulu saw Joe storm across the track and grasp both jockeys by the collar. He held each wriggling, kicking man at arm’s length until the stewards came to haul them away. Joe’s face was dark with rage as he confronted Firefly’s trainer. The two men were almost nose to nose, fingers pointing in their heated exchange. The crowd was hushed and the raised voices could be heard all around the course.
The crowd was enthralled. This was why they came to the races.
‘I’m going down to make sure Ocean Child’s all right,’ Lulu muttered, handing back the binoculars.
‘Best stay well out of it, love,’ David replied, ‘and as you can see, the Child’s come to no harm.’
Lulu glanced back at the track and sighed with relief when she saw her colt being led towards the stables. ‘What will happen, David? Will he be disqualified?’
David shrugged. ‘Probably, though it wasn’t really Bob’s fault. If the silly bugger hadn’t lost his temper and hit the other jockey, then he’d have been guaranteed a win.’ He sighed. ‘As it is … that’s up to the stewards.’
The chatter around them rose in volume as the speculation mounted and the fight was replayed and discussed with great relish.
Lulu saw Joe striding towards the stewards’ office, his face grim. ‘How long before we know?’
David shrugged. ‘Could be a while. Tempers are frayed already, and no doubt there’ll be another punch-up before nightfall.’
Lulu was shifting from one foot to the other in frustration, her gaze fixed on the closed door of the stewards’ office. Bob and the other jockey appeared from the stable-yard, both sporting black eyes and bloody noses. It was clear they hadn’t settled their differences, for they glared at one another and jostled their way through the door.
Dolly gripped Lulu’s hand. ‘I’ve never had so much excitement in my life,’ she gasped. ‘Nothing like this ever happens at Ascot. You Tasmanians certainly know how to put on a show.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ replied Lulu, ‘but I do wish they’d hurry up and make a decision one way or the other. The suspense is killing me.’
Joe finally emerged from the stewards’ box. He looked more grim than ever as he hauled Bob out of sight towards the stables, and Lulu feared the boy was in for another battering.
The voice over the loudspeaker echoed around the hushed, expectant crowd. ‘Firefly and Ocean Child have been disqualified. Both jockeys suspended for eight weeks. The winner is …’
Lulu didn’t wait to hear the rest of the announcement. ‘I must get down there to check Ocean Child and make sure Joe hasn’t beaten Bob to a pulp.’ She raced down the steps and pushed her way through the crowd towards the stables.
‘You bloody idiot!’ Joe’s voice rang out from behind the stable door. ‘You threw that bloody race the minute you hit that bastard. And although he deserved it, you cost that horse his first really important race.’
Lulu came to a halt in the yard. It seemed everyone had stopped what they were doing to listen in to Bob being torn off a strip.
‘He was trying to knock me off,’ Bob protested, ‘and he got me with his whip on the blind side of the course. I’ll have that bastard if he comes anywhere near me again.’
‘You’ve been suspended, Bob, for eight bloody weeks. You won’t be going near anyone – least of all a flaming racecourse. And what the hell am I supposed to do for a jockey in the meantime? Eh?’
‘I’m sorry, Joe. I didn’t think. I was that angry.’
‘You want to thank your flaming stars I don’t give you another black eye.’
Everyone started as the stable door was slammed back and Joe marched out. ‘What the hell are you lot standing about for? There’s bloody work to done. Get on with it.’ His angry glare settled on Lulu. ‘This is no place for you,’ he growled. ‘Go back to the stands.’
‘I want to see Ocean Child and make sure he’s all right.’
‘He’s fine,’ he said curtly. ‘Go away, Lulu.’
Lulu tried not to let his brusque rejection hurt, but after his fleeting kiss and the intimate moments in the yard and on the gallops at Galway House it did. She swallowed and turned away, sad but relieved she would be leaving at the end of the month. Joe had shown a very different side to himself today, and she wasn’t at all sure she liked it – but that didn’t stop her yearning for what might have been.
She began to push her way through the tightly packed crowd that encircled the winners’ ring and betting stalls and spilled out past the tents. It was hard going – like walking against the tide.
The hand grasped her arm, pulling her to a halt. ‘Commiserations, Miss Pearson. Ocean Child would have won that race but for your jockey losing his temper.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, without giving him a glance. ‘You’re very kind, but I must get back to my friends.’ His grip tightened and Lulu felt a charge of alarm.
‘I would appreciate it if you could give me a minute, Miss Pearson, only I have some important things to discuss with you.’
She looked at him then and gasped. It was Dolly’s handsome cowboy from Melbourne. ‘Who are you, and why are you following me?’
‘That’s what I need to talk to you about.’
‘Then let go of me,’ she demanded.
His grip lessened, but remained firm enough to keep her close, and her fear of him gathered strength. ‘What do you want of me?’
‘Just a few moments of your time.’
Lulu realised that as they’d been talking he’d manoeuvred her out of the crush to the isolated area behind the row of betting tents. ‘Let me go,’ she snapped, fear making her strong as she wrestled to free herself. ‘I’ll scream,’ she warned.
‘Please don’t be afraid, Lorelei. I’m not going to hurt you,’ he said softly.
‘How do you know my name?’ She was cold with fear and her gaze darted beyond him in desperate search of a familiar face among the crowd.
He released her but remained close enough to block any escape. ‘I’ve known your name, and who you are, for almost two years,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve frightened you, but I needed to get you alone so we could talk.’
She rubbed her arm and took a step back as she warily regarded him. He was about her age, with thick curly hair, dark blue eyes and a pleasant smile – but she didn’t trust him an inch. ‘You’ve got precisely sixty seconds to explain who the hell you are and why you’ve seen fit to manhandle me – and then I’m leaving. Touch me again, and I’ll scream.’
He took off the bushman’s hat. ‘My name is Peter White,’ he said, ‘but you’d know me better as Carmichael.’
*
Joe had given Ocean Child a good rub-down and set him loose in the paddock. The colt had do
ne well today, but Joe still simmered over Bob’s lack of control which had cost him the race.
He leant against the railing, his anger ebbing. No doubt Lulu was furious with him, and he could hardly blame her. He’d been boorish and bad-tempered, and she hadn’t deserved that. Regret flooded through him. She would no doubt keep her distance from now on, for he’d shown a side of himself that shamed him to the core. The outbursts were extremely rare, and as swiftly over as a summer storm – and usually he managed to quell them. Now Lulu would think he was an oaf, and quite rightly refuse to have any more to do with him.
He gave a sigh and pushed away from the railings. Perhaps it had all turned out for the best. She would be leaving at the end of November, and he knew deep down that once she was back in England she would forget all about him.
He was in the middle of discussing tactics with the jockey he’d had to hire at the last minute to ride Danny Boy, when Dolly interrupted.
‘Have you seen Lulu? I can’t find her anywhere.’
He felt a tingle of foreboding. ‘I thought she was with you?’
‘She said she was coming here.’
‘She did.’ He reddened. ‘I sent her back to you.’ The foreboding strengthened. ‘Where did you see her last?’
‘In the stands,’ said Dolly and Eliza in unison.
‘I told you to keep an eye on her, Eliza,’ he snapped. ‘Why the hell did you let her just wander off?’
‘It wasn’t my fault,’ she retorted. ‘If you were that bothered, you shouldn’t have sent her back.’
‘Stop it, the pair of you.’ Dolly stamped her foot. ‘Lulu’s missing, and we’ve got to find her. I don’t know why you’ve had her followed all day, but it’s time you explained. It might give us a clue as to where she’s gone.’
‘Later,’ he said grimly. ‘Let’s go back to the stands. She can’t have gone far.’
Ocean Child Page 28