I lurch sideways as my stirrup gives way. All my weight is out of the saddle and as Changes hauls himself through the quarry there’s no way I can keep my balance and neither can I recover fast enough to grab his mane and readjust my position.
My hands flail and claw the air. Then I’m falling sideways, hooves flash just above my face, the world dips and I slam back onto the earth.
And then there’s absolutely nothing.
Chapter 17
“The stirrup leather snapped?” Harry’s incredulous. “How’s that even possible? Was it second hand?”
My head’s still pounding from the walloping it took when I fell at the quarry and Harry’s raised voice isn’t helping. With every outraged syllable my temples thud. The paramedics at the hunter trial said I was fine, and I’m sure they’re right, but even so I’m feeling very wobbly. I’m on the sitting room sofa, huddled under a knitted blanket and two dogs, where Kate’s ordered me to stay after Drake dropped Chances and I back at the farm..
“It’s one of Drake’s,” I say.
“So he sent you out on that course with substandard tack?” Harry’s fists are clenched. He looks like he’s ready to erupt.
“It’s a really nice saddle. It’s one of Drake’s event ones,” I say.
“And the leather just happened to snap? Yeah, right.”
I nod and my brain swivels inside my skull. Ouch.
“When I put my weight into it stirrup the stitching gave way. There was no way I could stay on.”
“Of course there wasn’t, love,” Kate assures me. “From what Drake’s told us, nobody would have stayed on in those circumstances. It’s really bad luck. He said you had a really good chance of winning too.”
“Never mind winning. Amber could have been killed.” Harry’s face is dark with fury. “A broken stirrup leather? I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. Faulty equipment that kills people is what the Owen’s do best.”
“Harry, it was an accident,” Kate says softly but her son isn’t mollified.
“You believe that if you like. I know the games his kind play,” he snaps and stomps out of the room.
I let his angry words wash over me and close my eyes. There’s no point looking to blame somebody because my fall is just bad luck. The stress on the leather was too much and when I put all my weight into my stirrups it snapped. There’s nothing more sinister to it.
Still, rational explanations aside, this has to be the worst fall I’ve ever had. Somehow I managed to drag myself out of the mud, catch Chances and make it off the course but the world was rolling around like a fairground ride and everything felt a little bit odd. I was eliminated, of course, but even if I hadn’t been there was no way I could have carried on. I could hardly stand up, let alone ride. The event was over. Or rather it was over for me because while the paramedics checked me out and Drake took care of Chances, Emily had flown around on her new horse and ended up winning.
“You either have it or you don’t,” she’d gloated when she’d ridden back to the lorry sporting a red rosette and brandishing a cup. “Why don’t you just admit you’re outclassed? Go back to the circus where you and that horse belong?”
“If Amber’s stirrup hadn’t broken she’d have won easily.” Drake’s voice was low but there was steel in it. “Her round was faster and more accurate.”
But Emily just laughed. “Shame she couldn’t stay on then. Face it, Amber. You’re outclassed.”
That comment still stings and I curl my hands into fists. I do feel like I’ve let Chances down. He was going so beautifully and jumping with such heart. I’d never felt so alive in my life. Well, until the point where I fell off and ruined it all, obviously. I bury my face in Scally’s coat. I know Emily’s a cow and usually I manage to ignore her but I’m shaken from my fall and her words are pricking at me like poisoned needles.
Outclassed.
What if she’s right? What if I’m not good enough?
“How’s Chances?” I ask Kate, who is putting logs on the fire and dangerously close to setting her hair alight as she leans in to stoke it up.
“He’s fine, love. I gave him his dinner and a hay net and he’s tucking in,” she says. “He’s none the worse for what happened.”
“Unlike Amber.” Harry’s returned and is holding the stirrup leather. There’s a grim expression on his face. “Look at this; the stitching under the buckle’s been cut. Someone’s sliced it with a blade, which wouldn’t have been hard to do and wouldn’t have looked obvious. No wonder it gave way when you put your weight into it.”
Kate looks shocked. “Are you saying Amber’s tack was sabotaged? Couldn’t it just be lack of care or that the leathers are poorly made?”
I feel cold all over even though the wood burner is blazing.
“They’re new and really good quality. Drake bought them but they were too short so he put them on my saddle. There’s no way the stitching could have rotted,” I say.
“Don’t take my word for it. Look for yourselves.” Harry passes the leather over. Sure enough the stitching has been neatly sliced and in such a way that any damage is concealed by the fold of leather.
Oh. That kind of damage doesn’t happen by accident. Somebody deliberately cut my stirrup leather. Somebody planned for me to fall.
“Who’d do that? Surely nobody would want Amber to get hurt.” Kate is pale.
Harry laughs bitterly. “They would if they thought she stood a good chance of beating them. Come on, Mum, don’t be so naïve. Isn’t it obvious? Emily Lacey did this.”
His blue eyes meet mine. They are bright with anger and the reflection of the flames dance in the inky depth of his pupils.
Would Emily really do something this dangerous? Surely not? I glance at the leather again and there’s no denying that the stitching has been snipped. The sliced threads are far too neat for this to be blamed on wear and tear. She was also alone in the lorry with access to my tack while Drake and I walked the course.
“Why would she do that?” I wonder.
“Because you’re a huge threat to her,” Harry says. “And I’m not just talking about the riding either.”
And leaving me to try and figure out what he means by this, he drops the leather into my lap and walks out of the room with Saffy at his heels.
“There’s no proof,” Kate says quietly, “but I think Harry may well be right. I’m going to call Drake. He needs to get the the bottom of what’s going on.”
I’m horrified by this suggestion. If Drake thinks there’s any danger or risk he’ll pull me out of the next competition, I know he will. There’s no way I can miss the next event. Held at one of the country’s most important agricultural and equestrian colleges it’s the last big hunter trial of the season and the prize money is five hundred pounds. I know the odds are stacked against my winning, and it’s little more than a dream, but if by some miracle I was placed first I could pay back a chunk of Harry’s college fund. I can’t jeopardize being able to do that by alerting Drake to the fact that Emily’s a psycho.
And let’s be honest, if he hasn’t figured this out by now then he never will.
The other issue, of course, is that I work at the Rectory Stables. That’s what pays for keeping Chances and also is building up into a small fund to help Mum when she’s discharged. I can’t lose my job so I’m just going to have to be the Road Runner to Emily’s Wil E Coyote.
I’d better learn to run flipping fast because she’s probably already planning where to push the next boulder…
“I’ll be really careful,” I promise my foster mother. “I’ll check all my tack each time I ride and I’ll make sure I never leave it unguarded before a competition again. I’ll even ask Harry to take me to any other events. Besides, like you say, there’s no proof. What will Malcolm say if we go storming up accusing her? And what if we’re wrong? That would be awful.”
Kate bites her lip. “All right, Amber, we’ll say nothing for now but if anything else happens, and I mean anything a
t all, then you’re to let me know. I’m supposed to be looking after you, remember? Not putting you at risk.”
I think about the Shakespeare Estate and I surprise us both by leaning forward and giving her a hug.
“I’ve never been safer,” I say and I mean it too. Harry and Kate are looking out for me and that feels good. Really good.
If Emily did cut my stirrup leather or has any twinges of guilt she doesn’t give herself away. In the following days she ignores me at the yard as always, demands Drake gives her extra lessons and continues to do her best to make my life a misery at school. I ride as soon as it’s light and Drake continues to be up at crack of dawn in order to coach me and go running. We’re concentrating on dressage now and, although he has zero patience with the precise movements, Chances has paces to die for and the most gorgeous floating trot. If I can bring this schooling discipline into my jumping then I know we’ll be unbeatable. In jump offs Chances has the speed and ability to whip around and make tight turns that showcase his Arabian inheritance.
“Next season we’ll look into some one day events,” Drake promises, dropping me off at school the next Wednesday after my lesson over runs and I miss the school bus. “Maybe even some indoor show jumping and dressage over the winter too. That way when spring comes you’ll competing against me before you know it.”
He smiles at me as he says this, a slow smile which lights up the golden flecks in his eyes. Drake believes in me and this makes me feel as though I can do anything. Of course, it’s highly unlikely I’ll be here over the winter as Mum is bound to be better soon and she’ll need me to take care of her, but who knows what could happen? I even have this little day dream where Mum comes to live in St Perran too and has the little cottage by the sea that she’s always dreamed about. Maybe I could ask Alan about a council house swap?
Yeah right, Amber. As if anyone from here would want to swap to go and live on the Shakespeare Estate. Dream on.
Drake drives off waving and, with a sigh, I shoulder my ruck sack and join the river of gum chewing, phone twiddling teens flowing through the school gates. I’d give anything to bunk off and hide out with Chances for the day but a promise is a promise.
There’s ten minutes until registration. That gives me enough time to nip to the bathroom and try to drag a comb through my hair. It was raining earlier and my curls have gone crazy and I’ve not had a chance to put any makeup on. I probably still smell of horse too, although take it from me this scent is way preferable to the sickly sweet celeb endorsed perfume the other girls douse themselves in.
In the bathroom there’s no sign of Emily Scissor Hands, thank goodness, and I turn my attention to making myself look presentable. I tie my hair back with a scrunchie and am just rummaging in my bag for my mascara when I hear the unmistakable sound of crying coming from a cubicle. Somebody is in there with the door locked and doing her best to stifle their sobbing. I should know. I’ve done it enough times myself.
I rap my knuckles on the cubicle door. “Hello? Is everything OK?”
There’s a loud sniff followed by a gulp. “I’m fine.”
“Maddy? Is that you? It’s me, Amber! Open the door.”
The bolt scrapes and the door swings open to reveal a tear-stained Maddy. Her shirt sleeves are drenched and the contents of her bag strewn all over the floor.
“What happened?”
“My phone,” Maddy gulps, in between sobs. “It’s in the loo. It’s gone.”
I stare at her. “What do you mean, your phone’s in the loo? Did you drop it?”
The minute I say this I know the answer. Don’t be so thick, Amber. Of course she didn’t drop it. Somebody has taken Maddy’s phone and flushed it and I know exactly who. Somebody who’s such a coward she won’t pick on me or face me as an equal on the competition field but would rather bully an eleven-year-old and cut through stirrup leathers. My temper begins to simmer.
“Emily did this didn’t she?”
Maddy nods. A tear trickles down her cheek and splashes onto the floor.
“She was saying horrible things about you so I told her to shut up and said something that made her really angry,” she hiccups. “Then she was really mean about Mum. She called her…she called her…”
Whatever Emily said is too awful for Maddy to say and she cries even harder, her shoulders heaving. I’m filled with fury. I hate bullies so much.
“Then one of her friends shoved me in here and tipped all my things into the toilet,” Maddy sobs. “My books are all wet and my phone’s gone!”
I’m shaking with anger. For weeks I’ve put up with snide comments, having my bag hidden, my lunch accidentally knocked onto the floor, scrubbed buckets, swept stables – the list goes on and on. For Heaven’s sake, I’ve even had my stirrup cut through which, although I can’t prove it, I know was Emily’s doing. I’ve kept quiet though because I haven’t wanted to make trouble for Kate but all of a sudden I realise what a mistake this was because Emily’s mistaken my silence for weakness. She thinks I’m frightened and that’s given her the green light to continue.
I should have spoken up and I should have told Drake. I’ve been an idiot.
“Maddy, we need to tell someone about this,” I say gently. “We should tell Kate.”
But Maddy wails all the harder at this suggestion. “I can’t tell Mum what Emily says about her, can I? Anyway Mum works for Malcolm. If I get Emily into trouble, Mum will lose her job and what if Malcolm throws us out? Then we’ll be homeless.”
I open my mouth then shut it again. I haven’t a leg to stand on have I? This is exactly why I haven’t been honest with Drake.
“What am I going to do about my phone?” Maddy asks, mopping her eyes with her soggy sleeve. “Mum can’t afford a new one. What will I tell her?”
Maddy’s phone is ancient but she treasures it. She’s right too, Kate doesn’t have the money to shell out on the latest gadgets. Every penny she earns goes towards looking after the animals and the people at Perranview Farm. There’s always delicious food, the house is warm and the animals are contented. In six weeks I’ve yet to hear her complain about a bill or spot a lurking bailiff. Harry was right; she could make loads more running bed and breakfast than she gets paid by the social services for putting up with me.
My fingers close around my own iPhone. It was Mum’s once and the result of a manic spree in town on a rare occasion we had some money but what do I really need a phone for? It’s not like Mum wants to call me and I can certainly do without talking to Alan.
“Here, have mine,” I say, handing it to her. “I’ll buy you a new SIM card when Drake pays me at the weekend.”
Maddy’s blue eyes are circles of disbelief. “But it’s your phone.”
“And now it’s yours. What do I need it for? Chances is useless at texting. It’s my fault they were picking on you anyway.” Then a thought occurs. “What did you say anyway that made Emily so cross?
“I said she’s jealous because Drake fancies you.”
I start to laugh. “Oh Maddy! That’s rubbish.”
She gives me a pitying look. “No it isn’t. He’s mad about you. It’s obvious. Why do you think Harry gets all funny?”
Because he hates Drake? Because he’s grumpy?
“I think you’ve watched High School Musical far too many times,” I scoff. As if Drake or Harry or anyone for that matter would fancy me, a skinny girl from Bristol with carroty hair and freckles! I’m just about to add something along these lines when the door swings open and in waltzes none other than Emily herself, armed with her makeup bag to paint on a bit more war paint before tutor time.
“Been swimming?” she says to Maddy. “Or are you always this wet?”
I can’t help it. My temper, bubbling away for weeks, finally erupts. Springing forwards, I grab Emily by the school tie and slam her into the cubicle door.
“I think it’s time we had a chat,” I say at the exact moment a teacher sticks her head around the door on a pre-registratio
n sweep. Instantly I realise I’ve played right into Emily’s hands; the triumph in her eyes tells me all I need to know.
I’ve been totally and utterly set up.
Chapter 18
Of course I’m put out of school on a fixed term exclusion. Alan collects me, wearing his best expression of pained disappointment, and as we walk across the playground I see Emily smirking from the tutor room window. I bite my lip and look away. By losing my temper I’ve played right into her hands, haven’t I? She didn’t need to sabotage me; I’ve managed to do that all by myself.
In the past I’ve always felt jubilant when I’m excluded from school, five days at home to keep an eye on Mum being a good thing, but today I’m heavy-hearted. I’ll lose my job at the stables, I know I will. There’s no way Malcolm Lacey will have the girl who ‘bullied’ his precious daughter within an inch of the place.
I’m close to despair. How will I pay for Chances now? How can I support Mum and Scally?
“This placement doesn’t seem to be working out as we’d hoped,” Alan says to Kate when he delivers me back to Perranview Farm. “Amber clearly hasn’t settled. It may be time to look at a different type of arrangement.”
I look up. “What do you mean?”
“You’re sixteen in a couple of months, we could place you in a hostel. Annie Dowood could keep a close eye on you until Sara comes home.”
“In Bristol?” asks Kate.
“Yes, in Bristol. That’s what Amber wanted all along,” says Alan, helping himself to another homemade cookie. “We should have listened to you, Amber, but Annie thought coming here would be good for you. A chance to be looked after for once rather than having to be the carer. I couldn’t stay here myself – my waistline wouldn’t survive!”
As Alan pats his paunch and chortles, I feel my legs turn to water. Talk about be careful what you wish for. My social workers are sending me home but suddenly I know for certain that this is the last thing I want. I’ve no idea how it’s happened but Perranview Farm feels like home now. I want to stay here with Chances and Kate and Harry and Maddy.
Chances Page 14