‘And there was me thinking that the reason you volunteered to come round with me was for the pleasure of my company. But it was just to say nighty-night to the nags.’
She giggled and nuzzled her face into my neck.
‘So,’ I said, turning her round to face me, ‘where do we go from here?’
‘Do I have a choice?’
‘Absolutely, yes. A lady always has a choice.’
In the moonlight, I could see the glint of ice already forming on the grass around the stable yard. We’d reached the tack room at the end of the run of stables.
‘If you’re too cold, Fleur, we can go back into the house.’
‘You know what you are, Harry?’
‘No.’
‘A gentleman. And a gentleman is a rare bird.’ She reached up and wound her arms around my neck. ‘I think,’ she murmured in my ear, ‘I think I’m very lucky to have met one.’
‘And what would you like to do now you’ve met one?’
‘Something mutually pleasurable … something rather like this. To begin with …’
She placed soft lips against mine. I kissed her back.
‘There, you see, that was pleasant.’
‘Oh, yes.’ I tipped her chin upwards and took charge, kissing her gently, taking my time, running my fingers along her cheekbones and burying them in her long hair.
‘You know something,’ she whispered a little later, ‘that was better than I imagined it would be.’
‘I’m glad you’re not disappointed.’
‘Oh, I’m not. I’ve wanted you to kiss me from the first time I saw you in the pub.’
‘Really? Let’s go for a repeat performance, then.’
The second time was even better.
‘Shall we go in now out of the cold, Harry?’
Disappointment ran through me. ‘I thought you were finding this pleasant.’
‘For what I had in mind, it might be warmer in the barn.’ She ran a hand up under my jacket and slid a finger around inside my waistband. ‘More comfortable as well.’
‘What, with that pile of smelly muck sacks in the corner?’
‘We’ll be too busy to notice. I don’t know about you but I can’t wait.’
Her finger continued its journey round, but it had now dipped lower. If she expected to produce a growth result, I had to say she wasn’t wrong. But whilst on the base level of a man desiring sex with a woman – and tonight was already heading for success – there was something about the way Fleur was producing and directing the play that was disturbingly off-putting. She was practically demanding I satisfy her by having sex. Her next words turned me off altogether.
‘When I removed my dress, I also removed my thong. Thought I would make it easier for you. Save wasting time.’
I stared down at her. My male pride rebelled against the sexual dictates of a dominant woman. If there was to be seduction, I needed to be the one doing it. Up to now, I had considered her a lady. To turn down the offer wasn’t chivalrous, and no doubt most men would simply take advantage of a sure thing.
But I wasn’t most men. I became aware the growth result had diminished into negative return. What Fleur was offering – practically demanding – would, at best, simply satisfy a need. And I wasn’t that desperate.
The last woman I’d made love to had been Annabel. It had been an act of love, had been right …
Suddenly, the present situation appeared what it was: shallow and extremely sordid.
I stood back from Fleur, removed her hand. ‘I’m sorry. I’m going back to the house.’
‘What?’
‘I’m going back in. Sorry, Fleur, but—’
‘It’s Annabel, isn’t it? You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?’
I could hardly say that I found her repellent because she was acting like a tramp.
I inclined my head. ‘Yes.’
‘You’ll have to get over her one day.’
‘Yes.’
‘And I called you a gentleman.’ She spat the words out. ‘How wrong can you be?’ Turning sharply, she marched away.
I watched her go. Gentleman or not, I had no regrets whatsoever. At least my self-respect was intact.
Fishing in my pocket, I drew out the keys to the large horsebox. I’d picked them up from their hook in the kitchen whilst waiting for her to change. I’d intended taking Fleur into the sleeping compartment inside the horsebox. A whole world away from rolling around near the smelly muck sacks.
I swung them from my finger a couple of times. They weren’t needed, after all. I’d best go and put them back on their hook.
TWENTY-THREE
I was running late when I drove up Samuel’s drive on Saturday evening.
Astonishingly, I’d had four rides earlier at Cheltenham racecourse, which had resulted in two seconds and two firsts. It seemed my professional life was finally taking off. As I pulled up and stepped from the car, Chloe emerged from the house. She was dressed for a party in a red-hot scarlet dress, complete with red, strappy high heels.
‘Lovely to see you, Harry.’
‘Likewise.’
I held open the passenger door. She kissed my cheek, slid shapely legs in and sat in the passenger seat, laughing up at me.
‘Do you think we’ll stay the course?’
‘At one of Barbara’s parties?’ I shook my head. ‘It’s doubtful.’
‘I told Dad not to wait up.’
‘Very wise.’
I engaged first gear and drove us over to Leicestershire.
As we pulled in through the wide-open gates that led up to Barbara’s big house, the lights strung along the tree-lined drive twinkled in different colours.
‘Wow, this is great – puts you in a party mood before you even get inside.’
I smiled at Chloe, pleased that she was being upbeat. I’d been to several parties here and was used to the trimmings. To be honest, I was relieved that she seemed to have got over the ghastly happenings that had followed the wedding. Lucinda had been her friend and losing her like that had been a terrific shock. Chloe was due an enjoyable evening.
‘Barbara does her guests proud.’
‘Seems to be an awful lot of them, too.’
Cars were parked in tidy rows in an adjacent paddock. I tacked on to the end of the last row and we walked over to the house.
Barbara herself answered my push on the bell.
‘Harry, Chloe, so glad to see you.’ Enthusiastically, she kissed cheeks and drew us inside. ‘You did well this afternoon, Harry. I think two or three of my owners are about to ask for you to ride their horses.’
‘Great. I’d be only too pleased.’
‘How many horses do you train, Barbara?’ Chloe enquired.
‘I’ve fifty-three in at present – space for another five or six.’
‘Sounds like a lot of work.’
‘I’ve got some good lads. It’s the secret to a successful yard. Keep your staff happy and you keep the horses happy as well.’
She led us through to the massive lounge.
‘Come and have a drink. Now, what’s your tipple?’
There was an impressively stocked bar in the corner and the wall opposite sported a roaring fire in the inglenook. It was all very welcoming and guaranteed to keep spirits high.
With a drink in our hands, Barbara introduced us to several of the other guests – mostly racing people and owners. Whilst we chatted, I scanned the room for Aiden Dobbs. I was gratified to spot him talking to one of the girl jockeys. I’d banked on him being here tonight.
He obviously had no problems with self-confidence. It poured out of every pore. It seemed to be working its magic on the girl. She was laughing and stroking his arm. I found myself hoping she’d go the distance at the end of the evening. From what Jake had said, Aiden was a man of high-octane sexual energy, who didn’t like being thwarted in that department.
That thought led me to the distasteful non-event between Fleur and me. Tonight, in
contrast, Chloe was genuinely warm towards me, had taken trouble with her appearance and was happy to let me take charge this evening. I knew she was no sexual predator as Fleur seemed to be. Chloe was a very attractive female and any man would be delighted to have her on his arm – or in his bed, come to that. Any man except myself, unfortunately.
With the situation surrounding her, it would be an absolute disaster for Chloe to go down that line. Her husband was sitting it out, awaiting a court case, whilst at the same time their divorce was going through the legal channels. It would most assuredly play into his hands if Chloe and I were to begin an affair.
I knew Samuel was well aware of how difficult it could get should I make a move on Chloe. Both of us knew Chloe was not uninterested in me. The phrase he had used on my first afternoon back racing at Market Rasen had been both a statement of the fact and a veiled hint not to take advantage of her: She already thinks you walk on water.
Samuel was extremely protective of his daughter, and whilst acknowledging his debt to me for bringing the truth about her husband into the spotlight, he was making sure I understood where the line was drawn.
But his fears for her regarding myself were groundless. As far as I was concerned, Chloe needed all the combined help both of us could afford her, plus, in my own case, protection from Jake Smith.
Late last night, I’d logged on and checked whether Aiden Dobbs had been riding at York on the day of the accident. He had, achieving a first and third. The trainer he had ridden for was Robson. Undoubtedly, he knew John Dunston as a box driver, if not in any other way. But it was odds-on he was aware Frank Dunston was banged up. Which, taking it further, said he recognized me as a potential threat, should he be involved in anything shady, either on a racecourse or off it.
The difficulty now was how could I get into conversation with him – and how did I frame my questions without him reacting badly? Barbara had turned up the volume for the dance music, making conversation more difficult.
‘Fancy a dance, Harry?’ Chloe drained her glass and put it down.
I followed her example and emptied my beer.
‘I warn you, I’m likely to crush your toes.’ I looked down at her feet. ‘Those little red things won’t be any protection at all.’
She grinned. ‘I’m going to risk it.’
Women seem to have more of an affinity with music than men, and are unable to resist dancing. Already, the girl with Aiden was, against his wishes, dragging him into the crush.
‘Parties are great places for people to have a good time,’ Chloe said, skipping nimbly out of the way of my size nines. ‘It’s ages since I threw a party. Have to have another one in two or three weeks.’ As soon as she’d said it, her face crumpled. I steered her to the edge of the floor.
‘What is it? What’s the matter, Chloe?’
‘Oh, Harry, that’s where Lucinda met Brandon – at my party.’ She buried her face in my shirt, her shoulders shaking with emotion. ‘We neither of us knew him, he wasn’t invited – he gatecrashed, came with another friend.’ She raised tearful eyes to mine. ‘Lucinda said it was destiny. They clicked straight away. She was so in love with him …’
‘Don’t dwell on it, Chloe. At least they found happiness, even if it was for a short time.’
‘Six months they knew each other, that’s all.’
‘She was happy, Chloe, remember that … well, until the last little bit.’
‘Oh, she was. Brandon was so good for her. She blossomed when he was around. And her dad took to him straight away – that really made her up.’
‘Some people never find true love. It’s a precious commodity. The length of time doesn’t come into it.’
‘Yes.’ She sniffed into a tissue and gathered herself. ‘Sorry, it just sort of hit me …’
‘You’re doing great.’ I squeezed her tight. ‘Come on, let’s go back and show them all how to do it.’
She nodded and allowed me to spin her back into the dance.
When that dance finished, we stayed on the floor and went for it, one tune after another. We were really letting it rip to an Elton John number, Chloe whirling around, when, taking a wild step backwards, she crashed into the couple dancing near us. The next moment, unable to save themselves, they hit the deck, legs waving in the air, the woman’s dress rising up like an inverted umbrella over her face – black lace knickers exposed.
I grabbed for Chloe and managed to keep her upright.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Chloe gasped as she in turn helped the girl up, smoothing the dress back down over her hips.
‘Not a problem. I’m fine, really, I’m fine.’ The girl was laughing. ‘That gave ’em all a thrill.’
I stuck out a hand and helped the man haul himself off the floor where he was laughing like a drain.
‘Great view from down here.’
‘Are you OK?’ Chloe bent over him.
‘If you’ve got to be brought down, might as well be decked by a beautiful woman. Makes a change from coming off a horse.’
It was Aiden Dobbs.
Recognition sparked in Chloe’s face. ‘I know you, don’t I?’
‘I think I would have remembered,’ he sniggered.
‘I don’t mean in the biblical sense …’ Her face had gone bright red. ‘No, you came to one of my parties a few months ago.’
He stared at her. ‘Chloe Simpson? Yes?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘I seem to remember gatecrashing your pad. Several others did the same. Word gets round if it’s a good one.’
‘That’s when I catered for about thirty and ended up with more like fifty.’
‘When’s the next one, girl? You can put me down for it.’
He was openly ogling her now. Before his girlfriend noticed, I stepped in.
‘Did you know a girl called Lucinda?’
‘Eh?’ He dragged his attention away from Chloe.
‘She was at my party.’
‘I only notice the good-looking ones, darlin’.’
‘That’s unkind.’
‘Did you know her father?’ I put in quickly.
‘He was the bloke who bought it when he crashed into a horsebox, yeah?’
‘Yes. And he had a woman with him.’
‘That tart!’ He spat the word at me.
‘You obviously knew her.’
‘So?’
‘Weren’t you keen on her at one time?’
‘You move on, mate.’
‘Everyone OK?’ Barbara came up and put one arm around my shoulders and slid another around Aiden’s waist.
‘Sure, Barbara. Aren’t we, doll?’
‘Christ, yes! It’s a million times better’n last Saturday night.’
‘Why’s that?’ I asked innocently.
‘Huh. Came off at the fifth fence at Chepstow, didn’t I?’
‘Afraid I missed the racing. Was away.’
‘We spent the night havin’ X-rays in A and E.’ She giggled. ‘All those beds and we couldn’t use any of them.’
‘Yeah,’ Aiden grimaced. ‘Bloody shame, that. We were there for hours.’
‘Had an early breakfast at four o’clock next morning when we got home. Well,’ she added, still giggling, ‘I had a second one at eight.’
‘Got to keep your strength up,’ I said.
‘Oh, listen to him.’ She punched my arm playfully. ‘It’s Aiden who needs it kept up,’ and she was off again in a paroxysm of laughter.
Grabbing her arm roughly, he said, ‘Let’s dance.’
‘Regrettably short-fused,’ Barbara murmured, smiling brightly at us. ‘Do help yourselves to the goodies.’ She waved vaguely in the direction of the bar and the laden tables. I took Chloe’s elbow and steered her in the right direction.
Aiden’s girlfriend, fluffy and giggly, had nevertheless done me a great favour. I’d been searching for a way to find out Aiden’s whereabouts when Lucinda was murdered. As an unbreakable alibi, they didn’t come much better than being
banged up on a Saturday night in A&E. No way could he have committed the murder. And if he hadn’t been involved in that, it was extremely unlikely he’d been party to the planning and execution, literally, of Jo-Jo and Louis.
I was quite sure that whoever was responsible for the first two – three if you counted the unborn baby – had been guilty of Lucinda’s murder. Maybe not by his own hand, but certainly the brains, if you could call them that, behind it – the man pulling everybody else’s strings.
We duly refilled our glasses and had great difficulty in choosing the least fattening of the food on offer. Well, I did. Chloe, with no such inhibitions, heaped her plate with delight.
Barbara, the ever-alert hostess, pointed to what she called the ‘jockey bits’.
‘Most are fat-free. I’ve a vested interest in keeping you boys’ weight down, don’t forget.’
She had imagination. The food was certainly low in calories. Little Gem lettuce leaves, used instead of a slice of bread, formed open sandwiches with choices of filling from tiny pieces of smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes, low-fat cheese spread, anchovies, chopped celery topped with minuscule chunks of lean ham … the list went on.
‘But what about you?’ Chloe asked. ‘Are you not eating?’
‘Dear girl, wish I could. One of my molars is playing hell. I’m off to the dentist first thing Monday morning. Haven’t been to a dentist in years. I just hope he’s good. Paul Wentworth recommended him. He was very satisfied with some work he had done.’
‘Poor you.’ Chloe pulled a face. ‘Don’t let it spoil your party.’
Barbara gave a belly laugh. ‘Not a chance!’ She drifted off to spread good cheer to the other guests.
TWENTY-FOUR
I dropped Chloe off safely at Samuel’s house and received a less-than-chaste kiss. Then I drove down dark lanes that, at three a.m., were mercifully free from traffic. With no rides booked today, I intended going home to bed and having a rare and indulgent lie-in.
The quietness of the roads required little concentration and the meeting with Aiden Dobbs replayed through my mind. I wondered if the girlfriend was quite as fluffy as she made out or whether I had been set up. Aiden seemed to be unarguably in the clear, but something he’d said was niggling at me. Until I could recall what it was, work out the meaning, it would continue to bug me.
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