Country Rivals

by Zara Stoneley

Rory laughed. ‘Ah the old, it’s all me, all my fault, not yours.’

  ‘Rory, why are we arguing about this? You’re the only person I ever wanted. I just don’t know that I want children, but if I did it would be with you, honest. This is Pandora, isn’t it? What did she say? She’s just trying to cause trouble. She hates me. I’ve told you that what they put in the newspaper about Xander and me was rubbish, we hardly spoke a word to each other at school until,’ a flush of colour spread over Lottie’s face.

  ‘Until?’

  ‘Until that stupid bet.’

  ‘Bet?’

  Lottie squirmed. It was one of those memories that every so often would surface. Niggle at her conscience and tell her she wasn’t such a nice person after all.

  She’d been nasty, showing off, which was something she seldom did. But Xander had made her so cross, he’d made such a horrible comment about Rory and then made fun of everything her family stood for.

  ‘Go on, what bet?’

  ‘It was just before him and Pandora left Tippermere. My friend Becky dared him to ride my pony.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘Well it was completely bonkers. All the ponies Dad used to get me were. He said it was character-building, but what he really meant was that he’d got them cheap and wanted to make some money on them.’

  ‘Worse than Gold?’

  ‘Oh yes, you know how crafty ponies can be, it had learnt every trick in the book.’

  ‘Nothing wrong in letting him do it though. If he wanted to ride it, it was up to him.’

  ‘But he couldn’t ride, he didn’t understand. That was the point, he’d never been on a horse before and he was just going on about us making such a thing about nothing, and how,’ she gave him a look under her lashes, then jumped as Minty took a nibble of the end of her finger, ‘ouch, how you thought you were so great and you weren’t, you were just a show-off. He knew I fancied you. I told him it wasn’t that easy and he didn’t know anything. And, I don’t know, it was all stupid kid stuff, I suppose, but he got me so mad, he was slagging Dad off as well. So Becky said if he was so clever he should prove it. I did tell him he didn’t have to.’

  ‘He was trying to get your attention, darling, he wasn’t going to say no was he?’

  ‘So the first time Xander ever got on a horse was to prove me wrong.’

  ‘And got dumped.’

  ‘Oh yeah, she was a really naughty pony. First she wouldn’t move, and Becky laughed, so he kicked her. She bounced around like she was on springs. He must have had a really sore bum and when that didn’t work she took off. She jumped the fence out of the paddock and went straight down to the lake, and didn’t stop until her belly was wet and then she rolled.’

  They looked at each other and Rory couldn’t help but grin.

  ‘Becky thought it was hilarious and Xander looked furious, he really did hate me then, even though I said sorry. He glared and stormed off and never spoke to me again.’

  Rory laughed. ‘You silly moo. You shouldn’t feel bad about something like that. Me and the lads did far worse.’

  ‘But you’re a boy. Even Gran thinks I was mean.’

  ‘You’ve told Lizzie about it?’

  ‘Well no, but you know what she’s like. She knows everything. She even made some comment the other day about how much his riding’s improved. I’m sure she was having a go. I think she read my old diary.’

  ‘You had a diary? Full of girly secrets? Was I in it?’

  Lottie went scarlet. ‘You might have got an odd mention, but I’m not telling you. A diary is secret. Anyway, Xander could have got really hurt.’

  ‘Only his ego. I reckon he just wanted to get you to notice him. Boys are daft like that.’

  ‘Gran more or less said the same thing.’ Lottie said glumly. Rory raised a questioning eyebrow. ‘She said he probably just wanted to fit in, that he was like an outsider and didn’t know where he fitted.’

  ‘I meant he wanted to get you to notice him, not anybody else.’ Rory laughed. ‘There’s a lot of hormones whizzing about in a teenage boy’s body, you know. All we ever think about is sex.’

  ‘That’s all you think about now.’

  ‘When you’re about it is.’ Some of the tension in the back of his neck eased. Oh God, he really did love her, and they couldn’t let money, babies, Xander, Pandora or anybody else come between them.

  Lottie kissed him on the cheek. ‘Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that Pandora came down here, you know, to the yard?’ She frowned. ‘She was always one of those riders who wanted everything done for her, then she just climbed on board. She doesn’t actually like horses.’

  ‘Pandora doesn’t like anything but Pandora, especially four-legged furry things. But I do think it’s all a bit odd. No need for her to stick her nose in, is there?’ Rory put his arm around Lottie’s shoulder. ‘Oh God, I’ll be so glad when they’ve gone and we can get things back to normal.’

  ‘Me too.’ Lottie stroked Minty’s velvet nose. ‘Maybe I should talk to Gran.’

  ‘And what can Lizzie do?’

  ‘I don’t know. It’s funny, isn’t it, a few weeks ago all I had to worry about was the fire and insurance people. Now the film is taking up all the time.’

  ‘Not had anybody poking round for a bit, have we? Maybe it’s good news, if they’ve gone quiet it could mean it’s all sorted and soon we’ll have the go-ahead and a big fat cheque in the post and we won’t have to worry about court cases.’

  ‘That would be brill.’

  Rory hugged Lottie to him, and let the warmth of her body seep into his. Seeing Lottie with Xander unsettled him. But maybe, at the end of the day, she just wasn’t ready to settle down and start a family at all, and if he pushed she’d start looking for a fun time with other people. Having kids could be one step too far for both of them right now. They’d got enough worries as it was.

  This was just a hiccup – letting Pandora get under his skin and setting his imagination off on a wild-goose chase was a mistake. If he started to believe that hairline cracks were trickling into their relationship he’d be lost. Lottie was a part of him, without her he didn’t think he could function.

  ‘It would be fantastic, wouldn’t it?’ He really would be glad when it was over.

  * * *

  ‘Just how hard can it be to look good on a horse?’ Pandora scowled at Xander. ‘It will take five minutes of your precious time and then you can go back to combing their tails or whatever it is you want to do.’

  ‘I thought you were supposed to be shooting a scene by the house.’

  ‘Well as I’ve got all the gear on right now, I might as well refresh my memory. I mean, it’s like riding a bike, I’m sure. You don’t forget, do you?’

  Xander, who had been looking forward to some time with his dog and horses, away from Pandora and the rest of the crew, tried not to let his displeasure show. It just wasn’t worth it, she’d be twice as bad if she sensed he was annoyed. As far as he could remember, though, she’d never actually ridden a bike, and the few times she’d been on a horse was when she was around ten years old, and that could have been a donkey.

  ‘I am not letting Lottie upstage me. If she can do it then it can’t be that difficult. And look at you.’

  Xander grimaced. He knew all too well how appearances could be deceptive. ‘Lottie was probably riding horses before you could walk. Believe me, in a ride-off you’d be well upstaged.’

  ‘Well you didn’t start until you were quite old and you’ve managed. I will ride that horse that Tab was on, it was very pretty.’

  ‘No you won’t.’ If Pandora so much as broke a fingernail, Xander knew that Seb would blame him. Even if the man did know that it was impossible to divert Pandora once she had an idea in her head. ‘Here.’ He steered her away from the sensitive mare towards an older horse that would suffer flailing arms and flapping legs more kindly. ‘Hang on while I get a step for you to mount from.’

  ‘I’m not infirm. I’m quite cap
able of getting my leg over.’

  ‘So I’ve heard. It’s for the horse’s benefit, though, not yours.’ With a scowl Pandora clambered onto the step. ‘Foot in the stirrup and spring up.’

  Getting her ‘leg over’ wasn’t quite as easy as Pandora anticipated, and, whilst she would never admit it, she was very grateful she hadn’t attempted to do it from the ground. The ponies looked quite dainty from a distance, but up close they were surprisingly large.

  ‘Don’t worry about the reins, I’ve got him.’

  She hopped on one leg, hanging on to the saddle, wondering how the hell she was supposed to ‘spring up’ and muttering under her breath that she wasn’t in the slightest bit worried about the reins.

  ‘Do I have to come round that side and push you up?’

  ‘You touch me and you’re dead.’ With a super-human effort Pandora heaved herself up and managed to throw her leg over the saddle. She had to admit that after many years of Pilates and Ashtanga yoga she had thought that getting on the damned animal was the least of her worries. But this was absolutely nothing like working out in a gym. ‘Can’t you stop the thing fidgeting so much, it’s no wonder I can’t get my balance.’

  Xander decided it was safer not to comment. Instead he checked the girth. ‘Sit up straight, relax.’

  Pandora, who never relaxed if she could help it, scowled. ‘I am sitting up, stop fussing. You’re trying to make this such a mystery and it’s not, it’s only a bloody horse. People ride them all the time, including,’ she paused, ‘tiny children.’

  ‘These aren’t ploddy ponies, they’re well-trained horses. And you’re tipped back now.’

  ‘Xander.’ It was a warning.

  ‘You need to sit up straight. If you lean back like that you’ll fall off when he moves. Do you want me to help you or not?’

  ‘Well, quite honestly I’d rather ask Rory. He really has matured hasn’t he? He was such a naughty boy at school, but I can totally see the appeal now.’

  ‘Leave him alone, Pandora. I don’t know what your game is but forget it, concentrate on the film and then we can all go home.’

  ‘Hear, hear.’ Seb, who had been watching his wife and checking his watch, joined in.

  ‘I don’t have a game, Xander. Honestly you always need to look for ulterior motives. I just think he could help me. I mean, what he does isn’t that different to polo, is it? It’s all just riding horses. And Seb did say I should try and be nicer to them, didn’t you darling?’

  Seb rolled his eyes. ‘I meant be civil, that’s all. I’d rather they kept busy and out of my way. There really is no need for you to even sit on the animal, darling.’

  ‘A few shots, we agreed.’

  ‘Even the bloody so-called polo-player you’ve got the hots for isn’t seen on a horse.’

  Pandora pouted. ‘He does get her on a horse once.’

  ‘Only briefly, before he drags her off to the stables for a shag.’

  ‘Well, it has to look right. Honestly, you’re the one that demands perfection.’

  If there was one thing worse than trying to teach his sister to sit on a horse, it was being in the middle of one of Seb and Pandora’s tiffs, Xander decided. ‘Let’s walk, shall we, and see how it goes.’

  ‘Give me a stick. I want to hold the stick thing.’

  Reluctantly Xander handed her a mallet and started to head across the grass, the horse following obediently behind him.

  ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, I’m not a child. Even that horrible brat of Sam’s on that overgrown ginger guinea-pig does more than this. I have ridden before, you know.’

  Pandora flapped her legs, but the horse, recognising a novice, resolutely ignored her and carried on following Xander, its head lowered, nose inches from his shoulder.

  ‘Oy.’ Pandora liked to be listened to. She yanked the reins and it ground to a halt, tossing its head. Pandora pitched forward, her hat tipping over her eyes and her foot coming out of the stirrup. Which all served to annoy her. It really couldn’t be that difficult. Xander was just doing his best to make her look an idiot. ‘Stupid animal, I thought these things were supposed to be trained properly. Do you really know what you’re doing, Xander?’

  Sorting herself out, with both feet stuck firmly in the irons and her hat pushed back, she gritted her teeth and kicked. The horse started to walk again at an annoyingly slow pace, which made her look like a complete and utter amateur, so she swung her feet forward then kicked back as hard as she could. Taken by surprise the gelding shot forwards, lurching straight past Xander, who caught off guard, did nothing at all to stop it.

  ‘Oh God, what is this thing doing now.’ As the horse started to trot, Pandora decided to abandon her stick. Flinging it to one side and narrowly missing Seb’s head, she grabbed the reins in both hands and pulled. Nothing happened. She leaned back and yanked, the horse stuck its nose further in the air and sped up. Pandora bounced from side to side, her heels kicking the horse’s side with each step. It responded, breaking into a canter. ‘Stop, you stupid animal.’ She lurched forward. Doubled up over its withers, clutching on to the reins with one hand and the pommel of the saddle with the other, Pandora clamped her heels to its sides like limpets to a rock and it started to gallop.

  ‘Help me, Xander, this instant.’ On each syllable the pitch rose. ‘I can hear you, stop laughing.’ He did when he realised the horse really wasn’t going to stop. ‘Xannnnnnder!’

  ‘Sit up, for Christ’s sake. Lean in, put your weight in one stirrup so he turns.’

  But Pandora was either too far away to hear, or too frozen with fear to respond.

  ‘Oh shit.’ Seb, who had been watching with his normal detached air, recognised the note of panic in his wife’s voice. He grabbed Xander’s arm with a surprisingly firm grip. ‘Do something, man. Have you any idea how much it will cost if she falls off and injures herself?’ Then he did the unthinkable. Seb broke into a dignified jog.

  Xander was just about to follow him when he spotted Rory riding out from the courtyard and, realising just how futile it would be to run after a bolting horse, he headed that way instead.

  Rory was surprised to see a horse galloping across the lawn with no sign of an accompanying crew or cameras. He was even more surprised to see Seb trotting after it, his blond hair flapping in all directions as he jumped over the divots with a certain style, and Xander heading his way, pointing. It was then he spotted the bright-red hair that could mean only one thing. It was Pandora.

  For a moment he was very tempted to turn around and leave her to it. But he couldn’t. Seb had already ground to a halt and was doubled over, his hands on his knees, gasping for breath, his pale face bright pink with effort.

  With a sigh, Rory nudged his horse forward and started cantering after the runaway.

  The polo pony Pandora was riding, he noticed as he got closer, had barely broken a sweat. As a horseman he had to admire the beautifully turned-out thoroughbred, which Xander had brought to the peak of its fitness. But thoroughbreds were born to run, and he was fairly sure that a fair number of Xander’s were in fact ex-racehorses. Unless it got bored, or Pandora fell off, he might never catch up.

  Luckily as his horse hit its stride and sped up, the pony did a flying change and Pandora lost her balance. With a scream she lurched to one side and lost a stirrup. The horse slowed and, doing as it was trained to do, it responded to the shift in weight by turning in a large arc.

  Spotting his chance, Rory urged his own horse on to intercept it. Standing in his stirrups he leant forward onto his horse’s neck and, reaching out, managed to grab a rein.

  Pandora stared at him. Her green eyes were wide, her teeth clenched and her lips slightly open and then her whole body seemed to sigh with relief and relax. Within seconds she’d recovered, realising that the danger was over, and as the horses pulled up Rory didn’t know whether to admire her nerve or be afraid of it. They slowed to a walk, stopped.

  ‘What on earth happened?’ He was out of the sadd
le, wanting to get a proper hold of the horse in case it decided to take off again. ‘Did something spook it?’

  ‘Oh Rory.’ And then, with perfect grace, Pandora fell forward straight into his arms.

  ‘She really does faint quite beautifully, doesn’t she?’ Elizabeth shook her head, her lips pursed disapprovingly, as she turned away from the window to look at Lottie, who she had invited in for a drink and chat.

  ‘She’s quite a good actress, actually. You should have seen her yesterday.’

  ‘I did.’ Elizabeth sat down, still shaking her head. ‘She always was melodramatic when it suited her, even as a child.’

  ‘To be fair, you don’t really know her, Gran.’

  ‘I saw enough. Her poor teachers had a constant battle with that young madam, not that her mother cared. And now she has added lust and passion to her repertoire.’

  Lottie stroked Bertie, who had plonked his fat bottom on her feet and was refusing to move, with the result that she was getting cramp in her toes. ‘Don’t you think it’s a bit of a strange coincidence, you know, it being Pandora and Xander involved in this film?’

  ‘I do. Pour the tea, will you, dear? Young James tells me that it was Pandora who suggested he come and look at Tipping House.’ She handed Bertie a biscuit and Lottie heaved a sigh of relief as he moved his bulk and settled down on the rug, splattering it with crumbs as he wolfed the treat down.

  ‘Pandora? But I thought Seb was in charge.’

  ‘He probably does too.’ Elizabeth’s tone was dry as she added sugar and stirred her tea. ‘Yes, it was Pandora. She was quite insistent, apparently. Gave him cuttings from the newspaper and had a train ticket booked before the boy had a chance to object. That was why he arrived so late at night. Sebastian was already considering other locations and James thought it had all been settled. He did think at the time that it was slightly odd that she was being so helpful, but she flattered the poor boy. She told him that she wanted to help him get a permanent job with her husband, and that showing initiative would make the difference. It was to be all his own idea, she would never mention her part in it. Boys can be so stupid, so easily manipulated.’