His face darkened, male pride pricked. "Just because I'm American doesn't mean I can't ride. Funnily enough we have something of a tradition in the Wild West, which is clearly where you think I'm from."

"Oh — no, it's not that. It's just — well, this is so English, I imagine.”

"Hunting? Pretty universal, I think you'll find. Hugo, your Cornish girlfriends are giving me a master class in international diplomacy, I must take notes."

We all laughed, but Shona and I were embarrassed. And the Cornish bit. As if we'd never been out of the county. Mum rode up to see how we were getting on.

"Farthing OK?" she asked.

"Amazing." I beamed. "Loving every minute of it."

"Well, Sean wants us to spread out." She smiled around at everyone. ‘”So if you wouldn't mind awfully . . .”

As she rode away to inform the next group, I thought how good she was at this. Some hunts yelled orders, but Mum would help Sean out in the nicest possible manner, not barking commands as the neighboring Devon lot would. Tommy's eyes narrowed into the distance.

"I could be her toy boy."

I suddenly realized what he meant.

“She's Flora's Mum," said Hugo quickly.

Tommy blinked. "Oh. OK. Sorry." He didn't look too embarrassed, though, and a slow smile spread across his face, so it wasn't really enough. The apology. It was gauche at best. "I see where you get it from," he drawled. What was I supposed to say to that? Gee, thanks? Flutter my eyelids?

"Good to see your small talk is as good as your riding," remarked Shona, and the other two boys roared and slapped their saddles. Tommy had no choice but to grin sheepishly. Why hadn't I said that? Why?

“Spread OUT!" yelled Reg Francis, who was my next-door neighbor, a thickset, burly plumber. He was bearing down on us at a rapid trot on Phantom, his-huge, eighteen-hand black bruiser, his face furious. “This isn't a flipping drinks party."

We scattered like marbles, standing about twenty yards apart around the cover, slapping our legs and calling, “Hi-hi, Charlie", which Shona and I could never do without laughing, while Charlie, aka the fox, now safely in the next county having cunningly giving us the slip hours ago when he'd heard us at the meet, no doubt laughed too. It was a rare hunt to outsmart him. When Reg was safely round the corner, Hugo rode up beside me.

“Sorry about Tommy. He can be a bit of an idiot.”

"Yeah, I spotted that."

"Actually, he's OK, he's just a bit out of his depth today. Brings out the worst in people."

“That's true."

I regarded his narrow, intelligent face, adding 'sensitive’ to my list. This boy was not at all as I'd imagined. The athletic blond jock was disappearing rapidly.