you take charge of the bets for us, Toby?”
“That I will, my lady. There’ll be no cheating allowed today.”
“You’ll have to watch the devils carefully,” she warned with a grin. On her way back to the house for breakfast, she counted her betting money and weighed her odds.
Her brothers and their friends were there already when she arrived in the breakfast room. She took a seat beside her sister, took one look at Georgy’s plate, and whispered, “You won’t win if you eat all that.”
“Men don’t like girls who outdo them. By losing, I shall be far ahead in the game. Surely you are not going to place bets on yourself?”
Lu raised her chin. “I may not outdo them, but I intend to give it a damn good try!” She passed over the gammon ham, eggs, and sausage, and chose brown bread and honey. She drank a glass of milk and picked up an apple. When she glanced over at her brothers and their friends, their plates were piled high, as if they were having an eating contest. Louisa didn’t think she could win against her brother Edward, until she saw him washing down his breakfast with champagne. That made her change her mind.
When everyone had finished breakfast, they all walked to the stables together. The males engaged in much laughing, pushing, and bragging, and Lu kept a wise silence. When Abercorn saddled the Arabian, she was not surprised.
Teddy Fox and George Grey saddled their geldings and led them from the stables.
Cosmo and Henry dashed in and began to saddle their ponies. Their older brother Edward challenged them. “Who the devil said you two could be in the race?”
They immediately turned to Louisa for her support.
“They have mounts . . . they have money . . . and their name is Russell. They qualify in every way. What are you afraid of, Edward?” she challenged.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t mind taking their money.”
Louisa winked at Cosmo and Henry. “You’ll have to beat them first, Edward. Toby is looking after the bets. You have to put in an extra guinea to pick the overall winner.”
When all the horses were saddled, they led them into the courtyard so they could place their bets. They assessed each other’s mounts and Georgy, using size as her gauge, placed only two wagers. She bet that Teddy would be the overall winner, and that George Grey would beat James Hamilton.
Cosmo and Henry each bet that they could beat their sisters, and agreed with Georgy that Teddy would be the overall winner, riding his big gelding.
The three older Russell brothers each bet against every other challenger in the race, and, oozing confidence, each one bet that he would be the overall winner.
George Grey, seeing their self-assurance, wagered that he would beat the girls and the younger Russells, and bet that Edward Russell would be the overall winner.
Teddy wagered against every challenger and bet on himself as overall winner.
Louisa secretly watched Abercorn. Perhaps gallantry kept him from betting against the ladies or the two youngest Russell boys, but he wagered that he would beat all his friends from Oxford and that he would be the overall winner.
“Your turn, Lu. Hurry up,” her brother Edward urged, impatient for the race.
To everyone’s surprise she wagered that she would beat all except Abercorn, who would be the overall winner. “I’ve changed my mind, Toby. I’m not betting against Edward. He won’t even finish the race!”
Edward hooted in derision as the eleven riders mounted and trotted their horses out to the racetrack. Georgy placed herself between Teddy Fox and George Grey, dividing her inviting smiles equally between them.
They lined up at the starting gate and when Toby dropped the flag, the dust flew from the galloping hooves. For the first quarter they were all neck and neck. Then Georgy fell behind, and at the halfway point the two huge geldings began to pull ahead. To overtake them, Edward urged his horse to the outside, swerved, lost his balance, and
“That I will, my lady. There’ll be no cheating allowed today.”
“You’ll have to watch the devils carefully,” she warned with a grin. On her way back to the house for breakfast, she counted her betting money and weighed her odds.
Her brothers and their friends were there already when she arrived in the breakfast room. She took a seat beside her sister, took one look at Georgy’s plate, and whispered, “You won’t win if you eat all that.”
“Men don’t like girls who outdo them. By losing, I shall be far ahead in the game. Surely you are not going to place bets on yourself?”
Lu raised her chin. “I may not outdo them, but I intend to give it a damn good try!” She passed over the gammon ham, eggs, and sausage, and chose brown bread and honey. She drank a glass of milk and picked up an apple. When she glanced over at her brothers and their friends, their plates were piled high, as if they were having an eating contest. Louisa didn’t think she could win against her brother Edward, until she saw him washing down his breakfast with champagne. That made her change her mind.
When everyone had finished breakfast, they all walked to the stables together. The males engaged in much laughing, pushing, and bragging, and Lu kept a wise silence. When Abercorn saddled the Arabian, she was not surprised.
Teddy Fox and George Grey saddled their geldings and led them from the stables.
Cosmo and Henry dashed in and began to saddle their ponies. Their older brother Edward challenged them. “Who the devil said you two could be in the race?”
They immediately turned to Louisa for her support.
“They have mounts . . . they have money . . . and their name is Russell. They qualify in every way. What are you afraid of, Edward?” she challenged.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t mind taking their money.”
Louisa winked at Cosmo and Henry. “You’ll have to beat them first, Edward. Toby is looking after the bets. You have to put in an extra guinea to pick the overall winner.”
When all the horses were saddled, they led them into the courtyard so they could place their bets. They assessed each other’s mounts and Georgy, using size as her gauge, placed only two wagers. She bet that Teddy would be the overall winner, and that George Grey would beat James Hamilton.
Cosmo and Henry each bet that they could beat their sisters, and agreed with Georgy that Teddy would be the overall winner, riding his big gelding.
The three older Russell brothers each bet against every other challenger in the race, and, oozing confidence, each one bet that he would be the overall winner.
George Grey, seeing their self-assurance, wagered that he would beat the girls and the younger Russells, and bet that Edward Russell would be the overall winner.
Teddy wagered against every challenger and bet on himself as overall winner.
Louisa secretly watched Abercorn. Perhaps gallantry kept him from betting against the ladies or the two youngest Russell boys, but he wagered that he would beat all his friends from Oxford and that he would be the overall winner.
“Your turn, Lu. Hurry up,” her brother Edward urged, impatient for the race.
To everyone’s surprise she wagered that she would beat all except Abercorn, who would be the overall winner. “I’ve changed my mind, Toby. I’m not betting against Edward. He won’t even finish the race!”
Edward hooted in derision as the eleven riders mounted and trotted their horses out to the racetrack. Georgy placed herself between Teddy Fox and George Grey, dividing her inviting smiles equally between them.
They lined up at the starting gate and when Toby dropped the flag, the dust flew from the galloping hooves. For the first quarter they were all neck and neck. Then Georgy fell behind, and at the halfway point the two huge geldings began to pull ahead. To overtake them, Edward urged his horse to the outside, swerved, lost his balance, and
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