by L M Krier
Epilogue
Trev was tight-lipped and appeared tense about their destination for the weekend. All he would say was that he had a plan to deal with the trust issues they'd experienced.
As usual, he'd supervised Ted's wardrobe for the trip, packed for him, and laid out what he was to wear to travel in. Ted was relieved to see that it was an outdoor and smart-casual dress code. He'd promised Trev they would go wherever he wanted and he'd meant it. He was just glad that he was clearly not going to be expected to dress up like a dog's dinner.
They took the car. Ted drove, Trev navigated, as Ted resisted having a sat-nav in his personal car. He always said he hated being ordered to do things by a disembodied voice. All he knew was that they were staying in a high-end B&B near to Gloucester.
They arrived late but, far from a disgruntled greeting which would have been justified, given the hour, Trev was greeted almost deferentially. Their en-suite room was stunning, in the gable end of a converted barn, with huge windows, doubtless revealing a magnificent view in the daylight.
After an excellent breakfast, Trev, still quieter than usual, directed Ted a few miles away to a small village. They turned off a quiet road into an impressive driveway, which curved its way up to a large house. Trev leaned over to sound the horn and a tall, grey-haired woman in her sixties came to the door and stood smiling on the top step.
Trev bounded up the steps and wrapped her in one of his famous hugs, then turned, indicating Ted, who was following him cautiously, no idea where he was or why they were there.
'This is Mrs Payne. And this is my partner, Ted.'
'It's nice to meet you, and so lovely to see Trevor again, after all these years. Do come in.'
The hallway was wide, imposing, mosaic-tiled, smelling of wax furniture polish. Trev led the way into a downstairs cloakroom which was bigger than their kitchen at home.
'Are you going to tell me where we are, and why we're here?' Ted asked anxiously.
'Trust, Ted, remember? We're here because we're going riding. And don't look like that. There is only one horse I would trust with your life, because she's one I've trusted with mine many times.'
Ted was looking at him with a mixture of surprise and horror.
'You mean ...?'
'That's right. Welcome to my humble ancestral home. Well, one of them, at least. Here, put these on; we always keep plenty of spares for guests.'
He'd been rummaging round on a shelf beneath the coat hooks and thrust a pair of leather half-chaps and a skull cap at him. He had his own holdall with him and he quickly stripped off his trousers, replacing them with his own breeches and boots, then strapped his crash hat on over his black curls.
'But isn't your horse retired? Won't it be frisky, if it's not been ridden for a long time?'
Trev smiled patiently.
'Trust, Ted. This weekend is all about trust. I thought that if I brought you to the last place on earth I ever wanted to come back to, then you'd know how committed I am to winning yours, once and for all. And she's kept in very light exercise. It's good for her joints. So no, she won't be frisky, she's too well behaved.'
They went back out into the hallway then along a passageway, heading towards the open door of a large kitchen. Ted was dying to stop and look at the photos hanging there, looking for glimpses of Trev in his former life. He admitted to himself that he was also looking for stalling tactics. Getting on to a big horse was not his idea of a nice way to pass the weekend.
From the back door of the kitchen, they crunched over a neatly-raked gravel path, leading round the side of the house, under an impressive clock-tower, with stables on either side, and into a yard. A young girl, a groom, presumably, was standing there holding what looked like an enormous horse.
'This,' Trev said proudly, 'is Delta Fox. Foxy.'
Even Ted could tell that the horse was a venerable old lady. There was a powdering of white hairs on her face. But her eyes were kind. As soon as she heard Trev's voice, she raised her head, pricked her ears and made a low whickering noise.
Trev went to her and wrapped his arms around her neck, speaking gently to her. Ted could hear the emotion in his voice, see the tears in his eyes, at the reunion. He felt bad again, thinking only of his own fears, not of his partner's feelings in returning to his childhood home.
Trust, he told himself sternly. This was all about trust. But on a purely practical level, he had to voice his concerns.
'How am I even going to get up there?'
Trev was now adjusting the stirrups, gauging their length with an expert eye. He smiled gently.
'We never mount from the ground if we can avoid it. Bad for the saddle, bad for the horse's back. You're going to use a mounting block. I shall show off horribly by vaulting on.'
The groom had already positioned the horse in place, then she left them to it and went back to the stables.
With infinite patience, Trev got Ted safely installed, talked him through how to sit, how to relax. He'd tied a knot in the reins and handed Ted the buckle-end, showing him how to hold it.
'These are the reins. This, here, is called a panic strap, and that's exactly what it's for. When you feel anxious, you tuck your fingers under that and hold on. One thing you never do is pull on the reins.'
Ted was anxious again.
'Will she run off if I do?'
'No, but you'll hurt her mouth, and I know you don't want to do that.'
The groom had reappeared with another horse, a chestnut, the morning sunshine reflecting off the bright gold and henna highlights in his coat and mane. True to his word, Trev vaulted effortlessly from the ground onto the big horse and quickly adjusted his stirrups, then checked his girth.
'And this is George. Marsha here tells me he's the ideal steady Eddie for me. They keep him for non-riding visitors to have a plod round the old estate, which is all we're going to do. I'm going to be leading you. I'll have full control of both horses, so you'll have to trust not only Foxy but me too. Completely.'
The first stride the big mare took sent a wave of near-panic through Ted. The ground seemed an awful long way down. He tried to remember everything Trev had told him: Trust. Relax. Breathe.
The horses ambled companionably down a track leading away from the house. Ted found it wasn't quite as bad as he'd thought. The regular swaying of the horse's stride relaxed him more than he'd imagined it would. He felt an absurd desire to talk, to vocalise inner feelings, even things he'd thought were long buried.
Trev talked too. Things from his childhood he'd never previously mentioned. It felt relaxed and natural. Mutual trust. That's what it meant.
They turned off into a green lane which led towards a copse of trees on top of a small hill. The ground began to rise slightly with every stride. Trev clicked his tongue and the horses broke into a slow and sedate jog. At first it was bouncy, uncomfortable. Ted watched what Trev was doing then, with some vocal encouragement, he managed, hesitantly, to do the rising up and down which came so effortlessly to his partner.
Trev clicked again and it suddenly became much less uncomfortable. Smooth, rhythmic.
Trev was smiling in delight as he carefully slowed both horses back to a walk before they started blowing.
'Well, Mr Policeman, you just had your first little canter. How was it for you?'
Ted grinned.
'I think I'm enjoying myself. Can we do it again tomorrow?'
The End
About the Author
L M Krier is the pen name of former journalist (court reporter) and freelance copywriter, Lesley Tither, who also writes travel memoirs under the name Tottie Limejuice. Lesley also worked as a case tracker for the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Ted Darling series of crime novels comprises: The First Time Ever, Baby's Got Blue Eyes, Two Little Boys, When I'm Old and Grey, Shut Up and Drive, Only the Lonely, Wild Thing, Walk on By, Preacher Man.
All books in the series are available in Kindle and paperback format and are also available to r
ead free with Kindle Unlimited.
Contact Details
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Discover the DI Ted Darling series
If you’ve enjoyed meeting Ted Darling, you may like to discover the other books in the series:
The First Time Ever
Baby’s Got Blue Eyes
Two Little Boys
When I’m Old and Grey
Shut Up and Drive
Only the Lonely
Wild Thing
Walk on By
Preacher Man