sounds weary, as if he no longer cares about anything. I wonder if his phone call has made his day even worse.
I watch him carefully. ‘You OK?’
He keeps his eyes on the dog. ‘I don’t really know. I don’t feel anything,’ he says quietly. ‘And I intend not to feel anything for the rest of the day.’
An hour or so later, I clap my gloved hands together as we walk out of the woods and down the slope that leads to the stable block at the side of Falconbury. Benny sniffs at a tree stump and roots under the fallen leaves. At least someone is happy at Falconbury.
‘Are you sure you want to walk by the stables?’ I ask, still unsure that visiting somewhere so closely associated with General Hunt’s death is such a great idea. ‘It’s getting cold.’
Emma’s face falls. ‘Don’t you want to get a proper drink?’
‘Yes, but we’ve been out over an hour. Maybe we should get back. Alexander might need you …’
‘Oh, he’ll just be glad I’ve not run away or killed myself. He won’t mind you being out here and you must be happy to have avoided the rest of my relatives. Look! There’s Talia. Let’s go and get a drink.’
Benny barks happily when he spots – or sniffs – Talia,the Hunts’ head groom, who greets all three of us with a hug.
‘Good to see you back,’ she says as Emma roots at the back of a battered filing cabinet in a closet at the side of the stable office. ‘I’d heard rumours that you and Alexander had split up, so I’m glad it was only gossip.’
I don’t know how to reply but luckily Emma lets out a shriek of delight and appears at the closet door, holding up a bottle of Stolichnaya. ‘I knew it. Got any tonic?’
‘This isn’t the Met Bar, you know.’ Talia softens and shakes her head. ‘I think there’s some cranberry juice in the staff fridge.’
Emma skips up the stairs that lead to the kitchen above the offices.
‘I’m surprised she wanted to come here, after what happened.’
‘Jesus, I know. I was on duty that day. I tacked the general’s horse up.’
‘God, I’m sorry.’
Talia shudders. ‘I’ve beaten myself up ever since in case I did something wrong, but the Master said there was nothing wrong with the tack. It was just one of those things.’
‘It wasn’t Calliope, was it?’ I ask, goose bumps rising on my skin when I remember my own experience on the weekend of the ball. A bird scarer caused my horseto bolt and nearly threw me while I was hacking around the estate with Alexander.
‘No, it was a stallion …’ Talia looks down at her boots as if she might burst into tears, then she glances back at me and throws on a forced smile. ‘Valentina didn’t turn up, then?’ she says. ‘I was holding the fort here or I’d have come to the church.’
‘No. Some kind of family illness kept her in Italy.’
Talia snorts. ‘Typical! She’ll wait until the dirty stuff is over, but she’ll be here, I’d bet my job on it. There’s no way she’ll miss the opportunity to sink her claws into him now he’s in charge of Falconbury. Watch out.’
I manage a tight smile because I really like Talia and I suspect everything she says about Valentina is true, but I don’t want her or anyone to think I’m in some kind of battle to claim Alexander. I don’t even know what’s going to happen after today, and it bothers me that everyone we’ve met assumes he and I are an item again.
Emma brings out three glasses of cranberry and the bottle on an old tray.
‘Will you join us?’ I ask.
Talia grimaces. ‘Love to but I’m working. Horses need looking after even when their owner has died. I’ll have some juice but I can’t stay long.’ We chat about the horses for a while and it makes a welcome change from other subjects, then the ring of hooves reaches us from outside in the yard. Talia downs her juice. ‘Sorry, have to go. That’s one of the hunters back from his exercise and I want to see how his leg is doing.’
After Talia has
I watch him carefully. ‘You OK?’
He keeps his eyes on the dog. ‘I don’t really know. I don’t feel anything,’ he says quietly. ‘And I intend not to feel anything for the rest of the day.’
An hour or so later, I clap my gloved hands together as we walk out of the woods and down the slope that leads to the stable block at the side of Falconbury. Benny sniffs at a tree stump and roots under the fallen leaves. At least someone is happy at Falconbury.
‘Are you sure you want to walk by the stables?’ I ask, still unsure that visiting somewhere so closely associated with General Hunt’s death is such a great idea. ‘It’s getting cold.’
Emma’s face falls. ‘Don’t you want to get a proper drink?’
‘Yes, but we’ve been out over an hour. Maybe we should get back. Alexander might need you …’
‘Oh, he’ll just be glad I’ve not run away or killed myself. He won’t mind you being out here and you must be happy to have avoided the rest of my relatives. Look! There’s Talia. Let’s go and get a drink.’
Benny barks happily when he spots – or sniffs – Talia,the Hunts’ head groom, who greets all three of us with a hug.
‘Good to see you back,’ she says as Emma roots at the back of a battered filing cabinet in a closet at the side of the stable office. ‘I’d heard rumours that you and Alexander had split up, so I’m glad it was only gossip.’
I don’t know how to reply but luckily Emma lets out a shriek of delight and appears at the closet door, holding up a bottle of Stolichnaya. ‘I knew it. Got any tonic?’
‘This isn’t the Met Bar, you know.’ Talia softens and shakes her head. ‘I think there’s some cranberry juice in the staff fridge.’
Emma skips up the stairs that lead to the kitchen above the offices.
‘I’m surprised she wanted to come here, after what happened.’
‘Jesus, I know. I was on duty that day. I tacked the general’s horse up.’
‘God, I’m sorry.’
Talia shudders. ‘I’ve beaten myself up ever since in case I did something wrong, but the Master said there was nothing wrong with the tack. It was just one of those things.’
‘It wasn’t Calliope, was it?’ I ask, goose bumps rising on my skin when I remember my own experience on the weekend of the ball. A bird scarer caused my horseto bolt and nearly threw me while I was hacking around the estate with Alexander.
‘No, it was a stallion …’ Talia looks down at her boots as if she might burst into tears, then she glances back at me and throws on a forced smile. ‘Valentina didn’t turn up, then?’ she says. ‘I was holding the fort here or I’d have come to the church.’
‘No. Some kind of family illness kept her in Italy.’
Talia snorts. ‘Typical! She’ll wait until the dirty stuff is over, but she’ll be here, I’d bet my job on it. There’s no way she’ll miss the opportunity to sink her claws into him now he’s in charge of Falconbury. Watch out.’
I manage a tight smile because I really like Talia and I suspect everything she says about Valentina is true, but I don’t want her or anyone to think I’m in some kind of battle to claim Alexander. I don’t even know what’s going to happen after today, and it bothers me that everyone we’ve met assumes he and I are an item again.
Emma brings out three glasses of cranberry and the bottle on an old tray.
‘Will you join us?’ I ask.
Talia grimaces. ‘Love to but I’m working. Horses need looking after even when their owner has died. I’ll have some juice but I can’t stay long.’ We chat about the horses for a while and it makes a welcome change from other subjects, then the ring of hooves reaches us from outside in the yard. Talia downs her juice. ‘Sorry, have to go. That’s one of the hunters back from his exercise and I want to see how his leg is doing.’
After Talia has
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