Page 17

THE CONSOLATIONS OF SISTERHOOD

After a stormy night the morning was as crisp as if laundered, the air fresh and bright as the sun rose on a new day.

Eliza had slept through the rumbles of thunder and the drumming rain and was only awoken by Polly carrying a pitcher of water through to the dressing room.

‘Are you riding again this morning, miss?’ the maid asked as she opened the curtains to gaze out on the mews.

‘I am. It’s the best start to any day.’

‘Well, Mr Flynn seems to have risen early too and his man has laid out his riding clothes.’

Eliza yawned and padded across the floor to the dressing room.

‘Thank you for reminding me, Polly. He did mention he’d like to join Taz and me.

’ After a quick wash, she was helped to dress in her riding habit by Polly who buttoned the tight short coat that nipped in her waist, contrasting with the voluminous skirts.

A part of Eliza longed to be divested of all this cloth to instead ride freely in her close-fitting circus costume, but she was also attracted to the ladylike elegance of her borrowed outfit that showed off her figure and colouring to such effect.

Polly twined her mass of blonde hair into a loose low bun so that Corinna’s smart top hat would fit, the short net veil making her eyes mysterious and its ostrich feather curling round the brim.

Colouring slightly, Polly said, ‘I’ve been to Astley’s, miss, with Davey on me night out. I’ve seen ye perform.’

Eliza turned to face her with a look of surprise. ‘Did you, Polly? What did you think?’

‘I thought ye was a marvel. Davey agreed.’

‘That news pleases me greatly. It’s a show for the people.’

‘Well, the people loves ye. The best thing in it. I’m honoured to help ye in any way,’ Polly mumbled in some embarrassment as she turned to tidy the room.

Touched by this, Eliza walked into the mews with a lightened step.

Taz had already saddled Clio for her. ‘Miss Gray, we ’ave company.

’ He jerked his head towards the neighbouring Wolfe mews where Eliza could see a big bay hunter with Mr Flynn sitting easily on his back.

As Taz gave Eliza a lift into the saddle she said, ‘Yes, he’s from the Americas and really knows his horses. ’

Taz looked sceptical and sucked his teeth.

To his mind, only his employer and himself were gifted with an almost mystical eye for the best bloodstock: no one else came close to understanding horses as they did.

‘We’ll see,’ was all he said as he sprang into the saddle as agile as a cat.

They trotted together over the cobbles and met with Mr Flynn who raised his hat and said in a cheery voice, ‘Good morning, Miss Gray.’

Eliza appraised him with a more interested eye.

He looked well on a horse, despite his height and breadth.

His good humour was also attractive and, most importantly, he did not consider her circus background as demeaning but rather something curious, even admirable.

This democratic approach was refreshing, for Eliza knew most of her fellow countrymen and women looked down their noses at such a provenance.

They rode together through Grosvenor Square, avoiding the carts loaded with flowers and vegetables destined for the basement kitchens of the grand houses.

Children with their nursemaids were already running round the central gardens chasing their hoops.

As they approached the gate into the Park, it was thronged with riders on horseback and a few promenaders taking advantage of the fine weather after a day and night of storms. Acquaintances greeted one another and some rode off in twos and threes.

The grass was saturated and already churned up into muddy ruts by horses’ hooves.

Mr Flynn sat back in his saddle and surveyed Hyde Park, seemingly unimpressed.

‘It’s rather a small area of green for such a large city.

’ He turned and gazed directly at Eliza.

‘I wish you could see my acres in Kentucky. Wide expanses, big skies, and we could ride all day and not reach my neighbour’s land. ’

Eliza smiled, meeting his eyes which were sparkling in the morning light.

She knew he was thinking of home with some nostalgia and the emotion this roused in her caught her off-guard.

Then she glanced at Taz trotting behind her, his face distinctly unimpressed as he muttered, ‘Humph! Ride all day to traverse yer land – m’lord prefers a faster ’orse.

’ She almost laughed out loud at how transparent his scorn was for this rich stranger, boasting about his acreage.

Mr Flynn was oblivious; to anyone who did not know Taz and his canny skills, he was a mere servant and not worth consideration.

Zadoc Flynn pointed to a distant stand of plane trees. ‘Let’s give our horses their heads and canter up to that thicket.’

When Eliza nodded, they let loose their reins.

Eliza’s mount, Clio, was in the wake of Mr Flynn’s large hunter and Eliza was aware of the mud flying up from the speeding hooves in front.

When they reached the clump of trees, both were exhilarated and breathless.

Taz moved in close, aware he was chaperoning Eliza, just as Mr Flynn noticed the mud splatters on his companion’s face and bodice.

He laughed. ‘You look like a spotted lynx,’ he said as he brought his horse alongside hers and took out his linen handkerchief. ‘Let me clean you up.’

Eliza lifted her face as he dabbed at the gobbets of mud.

The dry linen was not proving very effective, instead smearing the dirt across her skin.

Mr Flynn was not someone to give up and continued to scrub at the sticky marks, turning her cheeks red and streaky in the process.

They were laughing at the mess he was making just as they heard the thunder of approaching hooves.

Turning in unison they saw Horatio cantering towards them in long flowing strides with an elegant figure in the saddle, his face like thunder.

Raven Purfoy reined in his steed, his dark eyes blazing as they fell on Mr Flynn and Eliza, she looking surprised and inexplicably shamefaced. But he directed his ire at his groom. ‘Taz, I didn’t expect you to skulk off to accompany Miss Gray when I needed you.’

Taz brushed off any rebuke. ‘I never skulk, as ye know, guv. Offered to ride wi’ Miss Gray only for I knew ye to be still abed.’

‘Well, as you can see, I’m no longer abed.

In fact, I think I’ll be up most mornings to exercise Horatio myself.

’ He was shocked to hear himself saying something so uncharacteristic – and inconvenient.

Since he was a student at Oxford and could please himself, he was never up before noon.

Leisure and languid pleasure were the order of the day.

What had the arrival of Miss Gray done to him?

He looked across at her and saw the mud smears on her reddened cheeks and the splatters of mud on her bodice and in an instant knew the American fool had botched it.

‘Here, let me clean you up. You’re not fit to be seen in public, certainly not on one of my best prancers.’

‘I don’t mind how I appear, my lord,’ Eliza said.

‘Well, I do. My horses are well known, ye know.’ He took out a handkerchief from his inner pocket.

‘Now to do the job properly this linen has to be wet; shall it be my spittle or yours?’ His voice was matter-of-fact but the thought of his saliva on her skin seemed somehow shockingly intimate.

Eliza took the handkerchief, spat on it and passed it back.

Lord Purfoy had moved Horatio alongside Clio and the stable mates nuzzled each other as he reached over to place a forefinger under Eliza’s chin and tilted her face upwards. ‘Now I can see better what I’m doing.’

Raven Purfoy’s unexpected touch made her hold her breath.

She always found his proximity disturbing and was never certain what might happen next.

She glanced up at his face but his expression was intent on his task as he deftly whisked away the mud from her cheeks.

When Lord Purfoy had finished, he sat back in the saddle to survey his handiwork.

‘You’re respectable again, if looking a trifle scrubbed.

’ He smiled and handed over his handkerchief.

‘I’ll leave you to clean your riding habit. ’

As Eliza rubbed away at the cloth, she glanced up and met his eyes. ‘It’s my fault Taz has been taking me riding. I miss my horse, Percy, so much. I had to leave him at the circus, you see.’

‘It’s typical high-handedness on Taz’s part that he offers you one of my best horses, as if they belonged to him.

’ His lordship’s words were severe but his eyes were sparkling, and Taz and Eliza shared a wry smile.

Then, unexpectedly, he added, ‘But I have to agree with him: you match Clio well – not many riders could.’

Gratified by this compliment, Eliza returned to cleaning the mud from her bodice, unaware of much beyond her concern for Corinna’s habit.

Taz, however, had noticed on the tree line a flashy grey, its white tail streaming like smoke as its rider cantered down the incline towards them.

He muttered, ‘Somethin’ wicked this way comes. ’

Everyone turned. ‘It’s not like you to be so melodramatic,’ Purfoy said to his tiger – then he too recognised the horse. ‘But you’re right, if not exactly wicked, then very disobliging indeed.’

Lord Davenport reined his horse in alongside Eliza.

Looking sly and furtive, he said, ‘Good day, gentlemen.’ He tipped his hat.

‘And good morning to you, Miss Clorinda. I wondered who the wasps might be around the honey pot, and now I see.’ His pale lean face surveyed the men.

‘I thought it might be Purfoy, of course, with his unruly groom, but a stranger too?’ He gave a questioning look.

Barely hiding his contempt, Raven Purfoy said, ‘Our companion’s name is Miss Gray.’