BOOKS BY RITA MAE BROWN
WITH SNEAKY PIE BROWN
Wish You Were Here
Rest in Pieces
Murder at Monticello
Pay Dirt
Murder, She Meowed
Murder on the Prowl
Cat on the Scent
Sneaky Pie’s Cookbook for Mystery Lovers
Pawing Through the Past
Claws and Effect
Catch as Cat Can
Whisker of Evil
Cat’s Eyewitness
BOOKS BY RITA MAE BROWN
The Hand That Cradles the Rock
Songs to a Handsome Woman
The Plain Brown Rapper
Rubyfruit Jungle
In Her Day
Six of One
Southern Discomfort
Sudden Death
High Hearts
Starting from Scratch: A Different Kind of Writer’s Manual
Bingo
Venus Envy
Dolley: A Novel of Dolley Madison in Love and War
Riding Shotgun
Rita Will: Memoir of a Literary Rabble-Rouser
Loose Lips
Outfoxed
Alma Mater
Hotspur
Full Cry
The Hunt Ball
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RITAMAEBROWNis the bestselling author of (among others)Rubyfruit Jungle, Six of One, Southern Discomfort, Outfoxed, and a memoirRita Will . She also collaborates with her tiger cat, Sneaky Pie, on theNew York Times bestselling Mrs. Murphy mystery series. An Emmy-nominated screenwriter and poet, she lives in Afton, Virginia. She is master and huntsman of the Oak Ridge Foxhunt Club, and is one of the directors of Virginia Hunt Week. She is also Visiting Faculty at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Cast of Characters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Some Useful Terms
About the Author
Also by Rita Mae Brown
Copyright Page
The Hunt Ballis a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2005 by American Artists, Inc.
Title page illustrations copyright © 2005 by Lee Gildea Jr.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
BALLANTINEand colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Rita Mae.
The hunt ball / Rita Mae Brown.
p. cm.
eISBN 0-345-48594-7
1. Arnold, Jane (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. School administrators—Crimes against—Fiction. 3. Women detectives—Virginia—Fiction. 4. Women hunters—Fiction. 5. Older women—Fiction. 6. Virginia—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3552.R698H86 2005
813'.54—dc22 2005045315
www.ballantinebooks.com
v1.0
Grab mane and kick on!
Dedicated to Mrs. Mary Tattersall O’Brien, M.D.
Honorary Whipper-in
Oak Ridge Foxhunt Club
CAST OF CHARACTERS
HUMAN
Jane Arnold,“Sister,” is the master of foxhounds of the Jefferson Hunt Club in central Virginia. She loves her hounds, her horses, her house pets. Occasionally, she finds humans lovable. Strong, healthy, vibrant at seventy-two, she’s proof of the benefits of the outdoor life.
Shaker Crownis the huntsman. He’s acquired the discipline of holding his tongue and his temper most times. He’s wonderful with hounds. In his early forties, he’s finding his way back to love.
Crawford Howard,a self-made man, moved to Virginia from Indiana. He’s egotistical, ambitious, and thinks he knows more than he does about foxhunting. But he’s also generous, intelligent, and fond of young people. His great disappointment is not being a father, but he never speaks of this, especially to his wife.
Marty Howardloves her husband. They’ve had their ups and downs but they understand each other. She is accustomed to sweeping up after him but she does this less than in the past. He’s got to learn sometime. She’s a better rider than her husband, which spurs him on.
Charlotte Nortonis the young headmistress of Custis Hall, a prestigious prep school for young ladies. Dedicated to education, she’s cool in a crisis.
Anne Harris,“Tootie,” is one of the brightest students Charlotte Norton has ever known. Taciturn, observant, yet capable of delivering a stinging barb, this senior shines with promise. She’s beautiful, petite, African American, and a strong rider.
Valentina Smithis the class president. Blonde, tall, lean, and drop-dead gorgeous, the kid is a natural politician. She and Tootie can clash at times but they are friends. She loves foxhunting.
Felicity Porterseems overshadowed by Tootie and Val but she is highly intelligent and has a sturdy self-regard. She’s the kind of person who is quietly competent. She, too, is a good rider.
Pamela Reneseems burdened by being African American, whereas for Tootie it’s a given. Pamela can’t stand Val and feels tremendously competitive with Tootie, whom she accuses of being an Oreo cookie. Her family substituted money for love, which makes Pamela poor. Underneath it all, she’s basically a good person, but that can be hard to appreciate.
Betty Franklinis the long-serving honorary whipper-in at the Jefferson Hunt Club. Her judgment, way with hounds, knowledge of territory, and ability to ride make her a standout. Many is the huntsman who would kill to have a Betty Franklin whip in to him or her. She’s in her mid-forties, a mother, happily married, and a dear, dear friend to Sister.
Dr. Walter Lungrun,joint master of foxhounds of the Jefferson Hunt Club, has only held this position for a year. He’s learning all he can. He adores Sister and the feeling is mutual. Their only complaint is that there’s so much work to do, they rarely have time for a good talk. Walter is in his late thirties. He is the result of an affair Raymond Arnold Sr. had with Walter’s mother. Mr. Lungrun never knew or pretended he didn’t, and Sister didn’t know until a year ago.
The Bancroft Family.Edward Bancroft, in his seventies, ran a large corporation founded by his family in the mid-nineteenth century. His wife, Tedi, is one of Sister’s oldest friends. Tedi rides splendid Thoroughbreds and is always impeccably turned out, as is her surviving daughter, Sybil, who is in her second year as an honorary whipper-in. The Bancrofts are true givers in terms of money, time, and genuine caring.
Knute Nilssonis the treasurer of Custis Hall so he’s forever obsessing about the budget. He
’s efficient, has kept the school in the black, and works well with Charlotte.
Al Perezcombines two functions that dovetail, director of alumnae affairs and fund-raising. He’s well liked by everyone and a natural for the job. Others attribute his warmth and good nature to his Hispanic background.
Bill Wheatleynears retirement as head of Custis Hall’s theater department. The theater department (along with the riding program) is one of the best in the country for secondary schools. Bill has drive, imagination, and humor. But he’s seen education change drastically and he’s not sorry to be leaving.
Ben Sidelhas been sheriff of the county for two years. Originally from Ohio, he sometimes needs help in the labyrinthine ways of the South. He relies on Sister’s knowledge and discretion.
THE AMERICAN FOXHOUNDS
Sister and Shaker have carefully bred a balanced pack. The American foxhound blends English, French, and Irish blood, the first identifiable pack being brought here in 1650 by Robert de la Brooke of Maryland. Before that, individual hounds were shipped over, but de la Brooke brought an entire pack. In 1785, General Lafayette sent his mentor and hero, George Washington, a pack of French hounds whose voices were said to sound like “the bells of Moscow.”
Whatever the strain, the American foxhound is highly intelligent, beautifully built with a strong sloping shoulder, powerful hips and thighs, and a nice tight foot. The whole aspect of the hound in motion is one of grace, power, and effortless covering of ground. They are “racier” than the English hound and stand perhaps two feet at the shoulder, although size is not nearly as important as nose, drive, cry, biddability. The American hound is sensitive, extremely loving, and has eyes that range from softest brown to gold to sky blue, although one doesn’t often see the sky-blue eye. The hound lives to please its master and to chase foxes.
Corais the strike hound, which means she often finds the scent first. She’s the dominant female in the pack and is in her sixth season.
Dianais the anchor hound and she’s in her fourth season. All the other hounds trust her and if they need direction, she’ll give it.
Dragonis her littermate. He possesses tremendous drive, a fabulous nose, but he’s arrogant. He wants to be the strike hound. Cora hates him.
Dasheris also Diana and Dragon’s littermate. He lacks his brother’s brilliance but he’s steady and smart.
Asais in his seventh season and is invaluable in teaching the younger hounds, which are the second “D” litter and the “T” litter. A hound’s name usually begins with the first letter of his mother’s name. So the “D” hounds are out of Delia.
THE HORSES
Sister’s horses are:Keepsake, a Thoroughbred/quarter horse cross, written TB/QH by horsemen. He’s an intelligent gelding of eight years.
Lafayette,a gray Thoroughbred, is eleven now, fabulously athletic, talented, and wants to go.
Rickyroois a seven-year-old Thoroughbred gelding who shows great promise.
Aztecis a six-year-old Thoroughbred gelding who is learning the ropes. He’s also very athletic with great stamina. He has a good mind.
Shaker’s horses come from the steeplechase circuit so they are all Thoroughbreds.Showboat, HoJo, andGunpowder can all jump the moon, as you might expect.
Betty’s two horses are:Outlaw, a tough quarter horse who has seen it all and can do it all.
Magellan,a Thoroughbred given to her by Sorrel Buruss, is bigger and rangier than Betty is accustomed to riding, but she’s getting used to him.
Czpaka,a warm-blood owned by Crawford Howard, can’t stand the man. He’s quite handsome, not as quick as the Thoroughbreds, and when he’s had it, he’s had it. He’s not above dumping Crawford.
THE FOXES
The reds can reach a height of sixteen inches, a length of forty-one inches, and they can weigh up to fifteen pounds. Obviously, since these are wild animals who do not willingly come forth to be measured and weighed, there’s more variation than the standard cited above.Target, his spouse,Charlene, hisaunt Netty and hisuncle Yancy are the reds. They can be haughty.
A red fox has a white tip on the luxurious brush, except for Aunt Netty, who has a wisp of a white tip as her brush is tatty.
The grays may reach fifteen inches in height, be forty-four inches in length, and weigh up to fourteen pounds. The common wisdom is that grays are smaller than reds, but there are some big ones out there. Sometimes people call them slab-sided grays because they can be reddish. They do not have a white tip on their tail but they may have a black one as well as a black-tipped “mane.” Some grays are so dark as to be black.
The grays areComet, Inky, andGeorgia.
Their dens are a bit more modest than those of the red fox, who likes to announce his abode with a prominent pile of dirt and bones outside. Perhaps not all grays are modest nor all reds full of themselves but as a rule of thumb, it’s so.
THE BIRDS
Athenais a great horned owl. Horned owls can stand two and a half feet in height with a wingspread of four feet. They can weigh up to five pounds.
Bitsyis a screech owl and she is eight and a half inches high with a twenty-inch wingspread. She weighs a whopping six ounces and she’s reddish brown. Her considerable lungs make up for her stature.
St. Just,a crow, is a foot and a half in height, his wingspread is a surprising three feet, and he weighs one pound.
THE HOUSE PETS
Raleighis a Doberman who likes to be with Sister.
Roosteris a harrier and was willed to Sister by her old lover, Peter Wheeler.
Golliwog,“Golly,” is a large calico and would hate being included with the dogs as a pet. She is the Queen of All She Surveys.
C H A P T E R 1
Ashining silver shroud covered the lowlands along Broad Creek, deep and swift-running. The notes of the huntsman’s horn, muffled, made his direction difficult to determine. Three young women, students at prestigious Custis Hall, followed the creek bed that bordered a cut hayfield. A gnarled tree, bending toward the clear water as if to bathe its branches, startled them.
“Looks like a giant witch,” Valentina Smith blurted out.
They stopped to listen for hounds and the horn. Smooth gray stones jutted out of the creek, the water swirling and splashing around.
“Can you hear anything?” Felicity Porter, slender, serious, inquired.
“If we move away from the creek, we’ll hear better.” Valentina, as senior class president, was accustomed to taking charge.
Anne “Tootie” Harris, one of the best students at Custis Hall, was just as accustomed to resisting Valentina’s assumed authority. “We’ll get even more lost. Broad Creek runs south. It divides the Prescott land from Sister Jane’s land. If we keep going we’ll eventually reach the big old hog’s back jump in the fence line. If we turn right at that jump we’ll find the farm road back to the kennels.”
Angry that she hadn’t paid attention at the jump to where the rest of the riders disappeared into the fog, and now angry that she hadn’t paid attention to the flow of Broad Creek, Valentina growled, “Well, shit, Tootie, we could go into menopause before we reach the hog’s back jump!”
“One dollar, potty mouth.” Felicity held out her hand with grim satisfaction.
“Felicity, how can you think of the kitty at a time like this? We could be lost for days. Why, we could die of thirst and—”
“Val, we’re next to Broad Creek,” Tootie deadpanned.
“You two are ganging up on me.” Val tossed her head; her blonde ponytail, in a snood for riding, swayed slightly.
“No, we’re not.” Felicity rarely ran off the rails, her focus intense. “The deal when we started hunting with Jefferson Hunt was that each time one of us swore, one dollar to the kitty. I’m the bank.”
Valentina fished in her tweed jacket. “You’ll probably end up being a banker, F. I can see it now when you make your first million. You’ll count the money, put it in a vault, and not even smile.” She did, however, hand over her dollar.
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