Page 84 of The Secrets of Ashmore Castle (Ashmore Castle #1)

Rain and wind were stripping the leaves from the trees, changing the look from autumn to winter.

Riding was impossible for several days, and when a still, dry day finally arrived, Rachel hoped that, having been kept apart by the weather for so long, Victor would know without being told that she would be at the old barn, and would go up there without a definite agreement.

The path was slippery in places, and she had to go carefully, which was not Daystar’s plan.

Having been shut in for days, he wanted to gallop.

Holding him back fretted him, and made Rachel’s back ache.

So when they got up onto the top, she decided – or he decided and she went along with it – to let him go.

He took the bit, stretched his neck, laid himself out, snorting eagerly, and she was half exhilarated, half afraid.

She was like that about everything – the secret meetings with Victor were not entirely a joy to her, because the conspiracy and danger alarmed her as much as they thrilled.

Ironically, it was not the gallop that brought her to grief.

She pulled him up after a long stretch, then turned and walked him back towards the barn.

There were a lot of rooks whirling around above the woods and making a racket, and he was paying attention to them and not his surroundings, so that when Victor stepped out of the barn and waved, he gave an enormous start.

His hoofs skidded on the slippery turf, a section of it peeled back like skin, and he went crashing down on his side.

Rachel had the breath knocked out of her.

She heard Victor’s cry of alarm. For a moment the weight of the horse was on her legs, but then he had scrambled and heaved himself up, and for a fortunate instant was too surprised to bolt, giving Victor the chance to grab the rein.

Luckily her foot had come free of the stirrup, or when the horse got up it might have broken her ankle.

‘Are you all right?’ Victor was crying, wanting to get to her but having enough wit to realise he must not let go of the horse. ‘Rachel, are you hurt?’

She could feel wet mud soaking through the shoulder and back of her jacket, her hat had fallen off and her hair was coming down. She sat up, wishing she could curse like the grooms when a horse trod on their foot. ‘I’m all right,’ she called shakily. ‘Tie him up.’

He dithered for a moment, then saw the point and led Daystar into the barn. By the time he returned, she had managed to get to her feet, and was surveying the ruin of her appearance. ‘Are you hurt?’ he asked again. ‘When I saw him come down on top of you—’

‘Some bruises,’ she said. ‘That’s all. Ow!’ She put her weight on her right foot and took it off again. ‘Twisted my ankle, I think.’ It would have been caught between the saddle and the ground.

‘It’s not broken, is it? Let me see.’

‘It’s not broken.’ She took a step or two and found she could walk, limpingly. ‘I must look dreadful,’ she said.

‘You’ve got mud on your face,’ he said, which she thought a little less than gallant. You always look lovely to me would have been better.

‘Have you got a handkerchief?’ she asked, a little impatiently.

He produced one, and wiped gently and rather inexpertly at her face, while she felt around behind and managed to get her hair back up into its net.

‘My hat?’ she said. It was lying nearby, with the semi-circular dent of a hoof print in it. She pushed it back out and put it on.

‘You look fine,’ he said belatedly. ‘A bit muddy, but fine.’

Holding his arm, she limped into the barn, where Daystar was standing, looking smug – as well he might, being plastered with mud all across one side. This was far more serious than her own appearance. ‘Josh will kill me!’ she cried.

‘Isn’t it his day off? Someone else will have to clean it up.’

‘Oh, that’s true,’ she said, with relief. ‘But they’re bound to tell him. And he’ll grumble that he wasn’t washed properly and make a big fuss about blue-bag and everything. That’s the trouble with a grey – everything shows.’

Victor’s interest in horses had reached its limit. ‘Come and sit down,’ he said. ‘I’ve got something to tell you.’

‘What is it?’

‘No, come and sit down. It’s really exciting.’ They sat on the rug on the pile of rocks, and she turned to him, eager for kisses. He kissed her, but gingerly, she thought. ‘There’s still a lot of mud on your face,’ he said, pulling back. ‘I can’t get it off without water.’

‘Oh, never mind. Mud won’t kill us,’ she said. ‘Is your news really exciting?’ she asked, after a while, when they stopped for breath.

He faced her with an eager expression, took both her hands, and as she waited breathlessly for something concerning her, something about love and potential marriage, he said, ‘I’m going away!’

It was as though he’d struck her. ‘Away? What do you mean, away? Where?’

‘To America!’ He was waiting for her reaction.

She looked bewildered. ‘But why?’

‘A cousin of my aunt’s has a shipping business in New York, and he’s going to take me on as a clerk.

Once I’ve learned the business, I can work my way up.

It could lead to really big things for me.

There’s a tremendous amount of money in shipping, and you can go anywhere in the world.

Aunt’s cousin has offices in Hong Kong and Singapore and Alexandria and – oh, everywhere!

’ He surveyed her face again. ‘Isn’t it exciting? Aren’t you pleased for me?’

‘I thought you were settled here for good,’ she said. ‘I thought this was your home now.’

‘Well, I have to have a job. I’ve been looking around for something to do, and I thought I’d get something near here, or even in London, and travel back and forth.

But this is so much better! She had an idea this cousin might help, so she wrote to him, and we got the letter back from him just on Friday.

I’m to leave on Wednesday – no sense in delaying, especially as the crossing gets worse the later in the year you leave it. ’

‘Wednesday?’ she said in dismay.

‘I’m so glad I saw you today. I was afraid I’d have to leave without saying goodbye. I was wondering how I could get a letter to you without making trouble for you. I say,’ he said with concern, ‘you’re shivering.’

‘The mud’s soaked right through,’ she said miserably. ‘I think I should go home.’

‘Well, I should hate you to catch cold.’ He stood up, helped her to her feet and gazed at her affectionately.

‘Oh, Rachel, it’s been wonderful, these last few weeks.

You really are a tremendous girl. I shall always feel lucky to have known you.

’ She looked at him in dumb misery. ‘I’d give you a hug, but the mud would come off on me, and my aunt would ask questions.

’ He leaned in carefully and kissed her.

Her lips clung to his, but he broke away before she was ready. ‘I’ll help you mount.’

Daystar seemed irritable after his fall, and fidgeted about, making it difficult for Rachel to mount – Victor wasn’t very good, in any case, at throwing her up. At last she was in the saddle. He placed a hand on her knee and said, ‘Go carefully, won’t you? Ride slowly. Don’t have another fall.’

‘So – this is goodbye, is it?’ she asked, feeling her throat close.

‘I won’t be able to get away again before Wednesday,’ he said. ‘There’s so much to do, and Aunty will want me to be with her. But, Rachel, I’ll never forget you.’

She couldn’t speak. She rode away without looking back, tears streaming down her face and washing clean tracks in the mud smears.

‘I always said them horses were dirty, dangerous beasts,’ said Daisy, helping Rachel to sit down in the bath.

‘It wasn’t his fault,’ Rachel managed to say. But tears were very close, and Alice stepped in.

‘Could you take her clothes away and do something about them?’ she asked. ‘I’ll help her bathe.’

‘She needs arnica on the bruises as well,’ said Daisy.

‘I’ll do the arnica. And, please, it’d be better if everyone didn’t know.’

‘Oh, they’ll know all right,’ said Daisy.

‘That Pobbo in the stables, he’ll tell Aggie, and it’ll be all over everywhere.

Galloping about like a mad thing, I suppose you were.

Not ladylike at all.’ But she gathered up the clothes and left, and Rachel was able to dissolve into the tears she had been holding back for so long.

‘I wasn’t galloping,’ she sobbed first. ‘We were walking when he slipped.’

‘Daisy doesn’t know anything about horses,’ Alice said. ‘What happened?’

So she told her. ‘I th-thought he loved me,’ she sobbed at the end. ‘I thought we’d be together for always. I thought we would get m- married !’

‘Oh, Ray,’ Alice said helplessly. ‘I bet he wasn’t worth it. If he’d really loved you he’d have taken you with him.’

‘But I love him!’

‘I don’t suppose Mama would have let you marry him anyway. You know what she’s like.’

‘She’ll never let us marry anyone. We’ll have to stay here for ever and be old m-maids !’

Alice didn’t answer that, thinking it only too likely. She worked the sponge over Rachel’s narrow back with nice, round, comforting movements, while her sister cried the stormy tears of thwarted first love.

James and Speen came out of the church together into a foggy November midday. Crooks was a few steps ahead of them in the crowd. The sight of him reminded Speen, who said, ‘How come you’re still James, anyway? Hasn’t his lordship confirmed your place? Are you his valet or aren’t you?’

‘Course I’m his valet. Who’s been saying contrary?’

‘No-one in particular. Just general speculation.’ Speen shrugged and pushed his hands into his pockets. ‘If I was you, I’d have a word with his lordship. Make him announce it, then you’ll know you’re safe.’

‘Look, I’m safe all right,’ James said firmly. ‘They got a new maid for her ladyship, didn’t they?’