‘She’s just excited for the surprise,’ he says. He definitely looks shifty.

‘Just tell me!’ I exclaim, still amused but also growing exasperated.

‘Tui wants to go for a ride,’ he explains.

‘Oh. OK …’ I hedge, unsure where he is going with this.

‘With you,’ he continues, forcing a hefty helping of enthusiasm into his voice.

‘She wants me to teach her?’

He shakes his head.

‘Lead her? Out to the river again?’

‘You’re getting warmer.’

‘Come onnnn, Genie. Jeez!’

Tui is still calling for me. I wish Kit would hurry up and spit it out – he is enjoying toying with me far too much.

‘That’s it.’ I drop my half-finished hay net. ‘I’m going to find Tui – she’ll soon tell me.’

Kit stops me with an outstretched arm so large it could be a drawbridge.

‘She wants you to ride with her, you daft old coot,’ he says, matter-of-factly. ‘On horseback. Allie tacked up Ekara for you before she left.’

‘But I can’t,’ I protest, my high spirits plummeting to Earth faster than a hailstone. ‘I don’t ride any more.’

‘But you can,’ he argues gently. ‘You know how.’

‘So what?’ I snap back tersely, not caring when he recoils at my harsh tone. ‘I’m guessing this was all your idea, right? You wanted to trick me, so you told Tui to pretend that it was her plan.’

‘It was all her idea,’ Kit replies, his total cool making my stroppy reaction seem even more unreasonable. ‘I’m serious.’

‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ I exclaim, flouncing away out of his reach. ‘Why are you so obsessed with getting me back on a horse? I told you, I don’t do that any more.’

‘You did tell me,’ Kit allows, his folded arms the only sign that he’s feeling defensive. ‘But you never gave me a good reason why.’

‘I don’t because I can’t,’ I tell him, my voice rising. ‘Because I don’t deserve to.’

‘What do you mean, you don’t deserve to?’ Kit looks baffled. ‘Of course you deserve to – if riding makes you happy, then you should do it. Jesus, Genie, you should know better than most how short life is. Why are you punishing yourself for no reason?’

I open my mouth to reply, but the words tangle up with a frustrated sob. When Kit comes towards me to offer comfort, however, I step hurriedly away.

‘Please don’t.’