Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

They emerged on the far side of the garden behind the greenhouse. Charlie Somerset was giving Fran a piggy-back around the ornamental pond, with Kimberley and John Hastings taking bets from a crowd of stable lads.

Drew looked in horror. ‘I’ve just taken him on as my jump jockey. I hope Fran doesn’t hurt him. And what are John and Kimberley doing? Trying to stop it?’

‘Probably laying odds of three to one on about whether one or both of them fall in,’ Maddy told Drew. ‘Kimberley and John both run gambling yards – they’ll take money off anyone. Where the hell is Richard?’

‘There.’ Drew pointed. ‘Just coming through the rockery. Who hit him?’

‘No one. He fell out of the helicopter.’ Maddy looked at Drew’s face, ‘when it was on the ground, I mean. Oh, damn! He’s making for Diana and Mitchell D’Arcy. You head them off.’

‘Maddy.’

‘Yes?’

‘Is life always like this with you?’

‘Odd, you mean? Yes, mostly,’

‘Good. At least I won’t die of boredom.’

Richard was roaring, fighting, drunk. Maddy made sure that Drew hid sauntered smiling towards Diana, then took a deep breath. Richard, like all jockeys, had a strength far outweighing his size. She hoped she could handle him.

‘Richard! I’ve been looking for you!’

His reply was unintelligible. It would have been bad enough with the punch, but with his enormously swollen lip, it was impossible to understand him. His eyes glittered. Maddy caught a lot of f-words linked to Luke and Diana and Mitchell with a lot of spitting. She grabbed his shoulders.

‘Richard. You’re going to ride Saratoga Sun. In The Derby. You. Not Luke. You, Richard!’

‘Going to kill Diana.’ He smiled suddenly. ‘And Luke. Now.’

‘Richard. They’ve changed their minds. They’ve jocked Luke off. They want you to ride Saratoga!’

‘Uh?’

At last. Maddy sighed and tightened her grip. Slowly, she explained it again.

Richard gave a lop-sided smile. ‘Honeshtly?’

‘Honeshtly – I mean, yes, really.’ Richard pulled Maddy tightly against him. ‘And Fran can have a baby?’

‘Well, probably not straight away. Maybe it’d be better to wait ’til you got home. Or after you’ve won The Derby if you want to be really sure.’

Richard swayed, still clinging to her. ‘I’ll win.’

As he threaded his way unsteadily towards the stables, Maddy heaved a sigh of relief. She felt quite grown up. And was becoming rapidly stone-cold sober. She’d have to find Barty for a refill of punch. At least the punch blurred the edges. Sadly, Caroline found her first.

‘I’ve just seen Drew with Diana James-Jordan and that awfully attractive suntanned man. The one who looks like a gangster. This is such fun. Your friend is in the pond with a really sexy-looking man. They seem to be taking each other’s clothes off.’