Country Rivals

by Zara Stoneley

  ‘Oh God, what have I forgotten to do now?’ Lottie honestly thought she’d done enough judging for the day. She’d also agreed to supervise the pony rides, but she didn’t think that was for at least another hour.

  ‘Rory sent me over to gather forces.’ He looked pointedly at Jamie. ‘Tippermere forces. It’s us against you outsiders in the tug of war.’

  ‘We don’t normally have a tug of war, Dad.’

  ‘Well we do today, love. Rory’s got quite a book running on it and the losers are in the stocks, and if you think I’m letting that sanctimonious vicar throw a wet sponge at me you’ve got another thing coming. So flex your muscles, girl. That man hasn’t forgiven me for telling him that he had as much chance of being an extra in this film as he did of filling the church pews on a Sunday.’

  ‘Hang on, I’ve got an idea.’ And before anybody could stop her, Tab was off, dragging Jamie with her.

  Ten minutes later, Lottie looked at Rory and Xander facing each other over a scarf tied to the middle of the rope and hoped that this wasn’t going to get personal.

  It all looked rather one-sided though, with the vicar (persuaded to support his flock by Tab) being the only member of the Tippermere team who didn’t look like he regularly worked out. Her father, Billy, might not have been as young and athletic as he had been but he added weight as the anchor. Rory, Mick, and Dom looked the sportsmen that they were and with a handful of farmers and huntsmen thrown in they looked pretty formidable.

  The outsider’s team was formed mainly from film crew, one or two of whom were used to manhandling heavy cameras or props, but the majority never lifted much more than a coffee cup.

  ‘Pick up the rope.’ Elizabeth, who had sensed fun and homed in like an Exocet missile, issued the order as though she did this every day and Lottie wondered if she’d given Rory the idea in the first place. She really wouldn’t put it past her gran to decide Seb needed another dent in his armour of self-importance.

  ‘We should have David.’ Jamie who was half hidden behind Xander pointed towards the end of the Tippermere line. ‘David Simcock. He’s from Kitterly Heath not Tippermere.’

  Elizabeth gave him one of her withering looks then reluctantly agreed. ‘Well, go on Charlotte, join in to balance the numbers.’

  ‘But Gran, I need to get ready for the pony rides.’

  ‘Nonsense, nobody is interested in that at the moment. This is the main event. You boy, yes you.’ She waved at a guy who was more often seen in the catering van serving burgers and currently had one hand on the rope and the other on his mobile phone. ‘Put that away. Charlotte, if you do not hurry up I will go and get Victoria. At least it will stop her demolishing the cakes.’

  Lottie sighed and squeezed into the line behind Rory. If Victoria, known to everybody but Elizabeth as Tiggy, was eating the cakes rather than guarding them she’d kill her. Or rather the villagers of Tippermere would.

  ‘Take the strain.’ Elizabeth was enjoying herself. ‘Pull.’ And she blew a whistle, which Lottie didn’t even know she had, with as much force as she could muster.

  Lottie was still recovering from the ear-splitting sound, and the teams were throwing their collective weights back when there was a high-pitched squeal. It was followed by a shriek of ‘Uncle Worwy, Uncle Worwy look at me,’ and the bellow of a pony who had just spotted the love of its life.

  Lottie dropped the rope as Rupert the pony, with Roxy bouncing on his back, ploughed through what had been the judging ring, demolishing the flower arrangements as he went.

  ‘Oh hell.’ Rory let go of the rope, and the rest of the Tippermere team, unbalanced, lurched forward, sending the outsiders sprawling on to their backsides.

  Lottie tried not to giggle as Rory set off at a jog; the chestnut pony zig-zagged across the lawn like a sailboat trying to make headway against a strong wind, dodging all attempts at capture as he headed resolutely on towards his goal, his best friend, Bilbo, who had just emerged from the stable yard.

  Alice gave an unexpected squeal and started to giggle and a nauseous Amanda looked up in surprise that turned to horror.

  It wasn’t that the roly-poly ponies moved fast, it was more their determination to go that caused the problem. Spotting, and hearing, Rupert, Bilbo gave a series of welcome nickers that sounded like a hiccupping machine gun and putting his head down he set off to meet his friend midway. Amanda, staggering to keep up, tripped over the verge between gravel drive and lawns and waving her arms wildly to keep her balance she forgot all about hanging on to the pony.

  ‘Oh heavens, hang on, darling.’ Dom was already sprinting, leaving a laughing Lottie and Rory in his wake.

  An hour later, Lottie was surprised to spot Rory and Xander behind the barbecue, having obviously called some kind of truce.

  She’d given up on the idea of giving pony rides, as all the prospective customers were casting murderous looks at Bilbo and Rupert. She’d heard a few mutterings about the Stanthorpes being stark, staring mad, and several comments along the lines of ‘if they think I’m going to let my little Harriet sit on one of those wild animals they’ve got another thing coming.’

  Amanda was safely installed in the tea tent with a slice of carrot cake (not Lottie’s – she’d warned her friend not to risk that) and a nice cup of chamomile tea. Alice was being led astray by Roxy, who had finally agreed to let go of Rory’s leg – which she’d clung to for half an hour – and Rupert and Bilbo were safely locked up in their adjoining stables.

  ‘Hasn’t it gone well, babe? Did you see my Roxy? Isn’t she doing amazing with her riding? It was so good of Rory to go and catch her, though. She told him that when she grows up she’s going to be a princess and he can be her prince, they can get married and have lots of little princesses. He looked really chuffed. He’ll make a fab dad won’t he, babe?’ Sam passed Lottie a glass of champagne and giggled. ‘Here you go, doll. I thought you looked like you needed this.’

  Chapter 27

  ‘So, what’s your problem, mate?’ Rory decided that once you got to know him, Xander actually seemed an okay type. ‘Here.’ He handed him a burger and took the proffered can of beer.

  ‘Cheers. No problem,’ Xander shrugged, ‘though I think you staged that runaway pony so you didn’t have to admit defeat in the tug of war.’

  ‘Bollocks, we could take you lot on any day. You know what I mean, though. I’ve been watching you, you move as fast as that hairy little bugger did every time you see the press.’

  ‘Just call me camera-shy.’ Xander grinned and took a bite of burger.

  Rory raised an eyebrow, then stirred up the charcoal on the barbecue, sending a shower of sparks out.

  ‘Okay, look.’ He fed the rest of his food to Ella, who was sitting patiently at his feet listening to the conversation as though she understood every word, her eyebrows wriggling in concern. ‘When I said I understood what you were going through when Black Gold died, I meant it.’

  ‘You said.’ Rory shrugged. ‘Riding accidents happen.’

  ‘But I could have avoided that one. I should have stopped him, swapped ponies. And it was my fucking fault for riding the line. That rider had a reputation for smacking the ball straight at you, he needs shooting.’

  ‘But he’s rich?’

  ‘You got it.’

  ‘Autopsy?’

  ‘Heart.’ Xander picked up the dog and watched as she licked his fingers clean.

  ‘So it could have happened any time.’

  ‘That doesn’t help, to be honest.’

  ‘No, I suppose it doesn’t.’

  ‘But it wasn’t just that. The papers did have a field day, and there was enough hate mail to keep me in bog roll for the rest of my life – really bad. My girlfriend couldn’t cope with it – she wanted to be going out with the guy everybody loved, not the moody bastard that everybody hated.’

  ‘Yeah, I’ve seen that before.’ Rory winced, but he knew it was the price of fame. You soon found out who your real friends were, the pe
ople who loved you, when things went wrong.

  ‘I’d pulled out of the team, so no job, no adulation, complete loser, eh? The newspapers loved it. They all kicked off again and my ex sold more than one story saying how I’d changed. She slagged off polo, went for the cruelty angle, despite the fact she’d been at every bloody match for three seasons chasing the players before I was stupid enough to fall for her.’

  Rory gave up on trying to resuscitate the charcoal.

  ‘Then my parents split.’

  ‘I thought they had years ago? Pandora’s your half-sister, isn’t she?’

  ‘She is, but Dad never left Mum, well not back then. He wasn’t daft, just a dickhead. Pandora takes after her mum and would you marry somebody like that?’

  Rory laughed. ‘Well according to the papers I would.’

  ‘She’s probably responsible for getting that photo of the two of you in the paper.’

  ‘So I heard.’

  It was Xander’s turn to raise an eyebrow, and Rory winked. ‘We have contacts. So why did your Dad decide to go now, then, after all this time?’

  ‘A mix of stuff, I guess. Mum had a nervous breakdown, went to pieces, so it gave him the perfect excuse. He’d had enough. I mean she always was a bit different, a bit eccentric.’ He gave a sad smile as he fondled Ella’s silky ears. ‘She would have fit in well here, if Dad had let her stay, but he was a selfish bastard. Anyway she really went to bits, I was getting death threats and some of them were going to their address, and Dad was playing away again. Not that he ever didn’t. But the one he’s found this time is different. She’s got money as well as looks, which I think Mum realised. Pandora will blow a gasket when she finds out. So,’ he sighed, ‘life was a bit shit, and without polo to keep my mind off things I started drinking more than I should, so that added more fuel to the fire. Newspapers were having a field day, which is why I want to keep out of the limelight now. I can’t risk them starting to dig again and printing stuff about Mum – she doesn’t deserve it and,’ he paused, ‘Dad will turn nasty, he’ll think I’ve dumped to the press on purpose to get people on my side, make him pay up. If that happens he’ll do a Pandora and refuse, just to make a point.’

  ‘Pay up?’

  ‘He’s refusing to pay all Mum’s medical bills, or look after her. He just wants to dump her and move on.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘It’s what he does best. Trouble is, she’s used to being cared for. She totally relied on him providing for her, and in return she did everything he wanted, waited on him hand and foot. It might not be very PC these days, but it worked for them. My problem now is working out how to cover the bills until we get to court and get some kind of settlement.’

  ‘Why not get back into polo, go abroad? You’ll be off the radar.’

  ‘I sold all my best ponies to cover her care. She was admitted into a private clinic then, wham, he buggered off and left her without a penny.’

  ‘Joint account?’

  ‘You’re kidding, aren’t you? Dad had control of everything. He just saw her as the little woman and she trusted him to sort it all. I’d need somebody to offer me a ride to get back in, but to be honest I think I need a break from the game. I’ve lost the thirst, if you know what I mean.’

  Rory did – if you weren’t hungry to win then it showed. It was all downhill from there.

  ‘I can’t let him get away without looking after her, he owes her that much. But until we get to court I’ve got to be careful.’

  ‘You should talk to Tom about that – he’s an expert at keeping a low profile.’

  ‘Tom?’

  ‘Tab’s dad. He was a model, did the whole escape-to-the-country bit, but he’s an okay kind of guy. Surprised you’ve not met him yet, though he’s a real hermit when it suits him. You don’t think Pandora had anything to do with your headlines?’

  ‘Probably.’ Xander shrugged. ‘Wouldn’t put it past her, and I’ve got a sneaking suspicion she scared my ex off. Though I think she did me a favour there.’

  ‘So you didn’t have a reason to turn down her offer of a job on this shoot?’

  ‘Nope. I’ve always felt a bit sorry for her – all she ever got from Dad was money. He was a shit, and it wasn’t her fault was it? So I’ve stayed in touch and, to be honest, I thought maybe this time there was no ulterior motive, she was just being nice. But there was no way out, no easy way to say no, which could be just how she planned it.’

  ‘And she knew you fancied Lottie?’

  ‘Oh come on mate, I—’

  ‘I know you did, and it just looks, from where I’m standing, that Pandora wants to rattle her, cause trouble between us.’

  ‘Oh she does like to stir things, it’s in her nature; she doesn’t like people to be happier than she is.’

  ‘I’m not saying you’re still after Lottie, but …’ He gave Xander a long stare.

  ‘She’s a lovely girl, who wouldn’t fancy her? You’re a lucky man, Rory. I hope you know that. But I’m not the enemy, I’m no marriage wrecker.’

  ‘You leave that to Pandora, eh? There’s no need to answer that.’ Xander didn’t. ‘To be honest, mate, I really hate all this filming.’

  ‘I know. I can’t say I’d be impressed if I was in your shoes.’

  ‘Even before the helicopter incident I was getting pissed off with it all. I’d love to be able to tell Seb to bugger off.’

  ‘But you can’t, can you?’ Xander gave a wry grin, ‘and I’m not just saying that so I can hang around your wife.’

  ‘Not saying what?’ Tab bounced between the two of them, as though she was expecting trouble. ‘Hey, any burgers left? We’re starving.’ She stroked Ella on the head and gave Rory a hug so he didn’t feel left out.

  ‘Too late, we’ve just had the last two. You’ll have to eat Lottie’s cake.’

  ‘She warned us not to.’ Tab grinned, then pointed. ‘Hey, look at the WI tent. That is so cool.’

  The tent was billowing like Mrs Jones’ skirt had when Roxy had crawled under and released the air out of her balloon. And it wasn’t just the tent.

  The slight breeze that had been welcome earlier on in the afternoon had been replaced by hefty gusts of air that were scattering the embers of the barbecue and tugging at the marquees so that they flapped alarmingly.

  ‘Wind’s picking up.’ Rory batted at the embers with his spatula as they flew onto the pile of napkins, threatening to ignite them. There was an abrupt swirl of wind, which he hadn’t been expecting, and the whole pile took off, tumbling across the grass, with Ella in pursuit.

  ‘Look at that, look at that.’ Tab tugged on Jamie’s t-shirt and they all looked across the ground to where Pandora’s signed photos were being tossed about unceremoniously. She shrieked, one hand clutching the small tent, which seemed intent on taking to the skies, the other waving helplessly as she made a futile attempt to grab her precious pictures. The adjoining tent was airborne one minute, showing glimpses of Gypsy Rose, who was snoring, clutching a large bottle of cider to her chest, and then back down the next.

  ‘Do you think we should help?’ Tab looked at the three men, none of whom seemed inclined to move.

  ‘Bet you ten quid Rose has got an indecent red thong on under that skirt. One more gust and we’ll get a flash.’

  ‘No way. You’ve got insider knowledge.’ Xander looked at the barbecue. ‘Got a lid we can put on this thing?’

  The carefully strung bunting pulled free of its moorings, sending the dogs into a frenzy as they all tried to jump on it, and the crowds fled from the marquees, which were creaking rather alarmingly as they swayed in sympathy with each gust.

  ‘I suppose we’d better do something,’ Rory sighed. ‘Go on, Tab, you and Jamie help the gypsy and poisonous Pandora, and we’ll make a start on the bigger stuff.’

  The film crew might not have been particularly handy when it came to tug of war, but they excelled at packing stuff away. It was part and parcel of their job.

  By the time Jamie and Tab made the
ir way over to rescue Pandora, she was close to hysterical and they had to prise her fingers off the tent pole. As her red hair whipped around her face and her kohl spread so that her eyes were as wide as a frightened cat’s, Lottie was very tempted to take a picture and sell that to the tabloids. But that would have been mean.

  Nobody said anything, as she clutched the few photographs that had been rescued to her chest and demanded to know why nobody had checked the weather forecast, but they were all relieved when she pleaded a migraine and let Seb pack her into the car and take her back to the hotel for a long soak in the bath and a foot massage.

  ‘I rather think that James will be good for young Tabatha, don’t you?’ Elizabeth who had been supervising proceedings with Bertie at her side, waved a finger in the direction of the pair. Tab was laughing as Jamie fought to fold up a trestle table that was refusing to co-operate. ‘That girl has always taken life far too seriously.’

  ‘She was a goth, Gran, they don’t smile.’ Lottie, who had been just about to steal a cupcake before she put the remainder in a box stopped herself short. Elizabeth had a raised eyebrow that said she knew.

  ‘Insecurity is most unattractive, I always find, but that boy has a settling way about him.’

  ‘Tab’s not insecure!’ Tab had always walked with a confident swagger, never hesitated to rise to a challenge and had the power to scare every man under thirty that was unfortunate enough to cross her path.

  ‘Attitude is created for a purpose, Charlotte. Honestly I do wonder where your powers of observation are at times. You are perfectly capable of knowing that one of your blessed horses is out of sorts, but stubbornly refuse to acknowledge human traits.’

  ‘I’m not stubborn.’ She pushed the lid down firmly on the cakes, before one of them jumped out straight into her mouth.

  ‘Tabatha will find a happy outlook much more helpful in life.’

  ‘She’s been happy for a while, it’s not just Jamie.’ Lottie thought Elizabeth was being slightly unfair. True, Tab had been a stroppy teenager and slightly scary as she hit her twenties. But the crisp outer shell had started to melt as she’d grown into her own skin. She’d be twenty-five soon and when Lottie looked at her she wished she was that age again.