Chapter Five
James
J ames thrust his hands into his pockets as he strolled around the perimeter of the lower paddock. He scanned up towards the stable yard. He’d shaken off Ophelia with some excuse about wanting to get a feel for the place. Now, he just needed the right moment to approach Dagmar.
What a mess. He hadn’t meant to lie about refreshing his riding skills, but he couldn’t risk Ophelia going back to Lady Victoria and spilling the beans. Now he was stuck. He was pretty sure Ophelia saw right through him, so he needed to get Dagmar on her own and convince her to help him.
That would be no mean feat with their history. She couldn’t have made it more obvious she hated him, and she possibly always had. His mind flashed back to their school days. He’d been so wrapped up in fitting in and not falling out with people that he’d lost the respect of the one person he’d really wanted to like him. How messed up was that? And had he really changed? His life revolved around making good connections, keeping people happy, and not causing rifts. But somehow, he’d never managed that with Dagmar. His attempts to stop his friends from making rude comments and to find opportunities to talk to her had never yielded anything. Maybe he just hadn’t tried hard enough.
He kicked at the gravel beneath his feet. He couldn’t change the past, but he could do something in the present – show her that he wasn’t altogether bad.
Horses wandered in the distance, flicking their tails. Ophelia’s sister and her friend chatted somewhere nearby. James needed to learn to ride, and fast. Dagmar was currently his best hope, but he had to guarantee she’d be discreet and play along, so Ophelia didn’t discover the truth.
Must get this right. He had an idea, though it might not work.
The wind picked up slightly, rustling the leaves of the nearby trees. James pulled his jacket tighter around him. Now or never . His eyes darted back to the stables, where Dagmar had been a few moments ago with someone else. He had to time this perfectly. Approaching her in front of others would complicate things even more.
A horse ambled towards the fence, its curious eyes locking onto him. James reached out a hand, and the horse nudged it. He gave it a tentative stroke.
‘Are you easy to ride?’ he asked. It always looked effortless, but something told him it was far from it.
A door banged shut in the distance, and James thrust his hands deeper into his pockets, starting up the bridle path towards the stables. The air was heavier than earlier, like a storm was brewing, or at least rain was due.
He glanced up, catching a movement in his peripheral vision. Dagmar was marching in his direction, her expression hard, eyes fixed but not on him. She didn’t look happy and seemed to be deliberately avoiding his gaze.
As she got closer, her pace quickened, clearly intending to walk past him without stopping. James poked his tongue into his cheek. Christ, this wasn’t going to be easy, but he’d caught bigger fish than this in the corporate world. If he looked at this as business, he had a head start, just as his father had suggested he did with Victoria.
‘Dagmar.’ He stepped into her path.
She halted, not looking at him, her body rigid, jaw set, and her fists balled. For a moment, he thought she might just push past him, but she didn’t move.
‘Can we talk for a minute?’ he asked.
‘Not really,’ she replied, her voice cold. She still didn’t meet his eyes. ‘I’m busy.’
‘This won’t take long. I need your help.’
‘My help?’ She finally met his eyes and glared. Her irises were a piercing shade of blue and cut through him like lasers. ‘To “refresh” your riding skills?’ She air-quoted, and her voice had a heavy, sardonic note.
He half smiled, half shrugged. ‘Yes.’
‘And what riding skills do you have already?’ She folded her arms.
‘I can’t tell you that yet. If you agree to give me lessons and do it in the way I require, then I’ll give you all the information you need on my current skills.’
Her lip curled, and she eyed him over like she thought him completely insane. And she had a point.
‘I can pay,’ he added. ‘Whatever it takes. Enough to make Ophelia happy. And you. Just a few lessons…’ Well, hopefully a few, enough to give Victoria the impression he’d done it before and knew his way around a horse. ‘And then I’ll disappear.’
Dagmar’s jaw tightened, and she didn’t respond immediately. ‘If Ophelia says I have to do it, I won’t have a choice anyway, so you’ll get your way, but if it was up to me, I wouldn’t do it.’
He watched her expression harden even more. He needed to convince her, and he needed to do it now because she looked ready to walk away.
‘Listen.’ He stepped closer. ‘I know you don’t trust me.’
She raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, as you started off as a thief at the age of eight then progressed into a bully at high school, and now a liar at thirty, it’s hardly surprising, is it?’
‘I… What?’ He frowned. What the hell did she mean? He hadn’t stolen anything from her, had he? And he hadn’t actually bullied her, even if he hadn’t successfully stopped anyone else from doing it either. She was right about him lying though.
‘You don’t remember, do you? That doesn’t surprise me either.’
‘I don’t know what I stole, and I didn’t ever take part in bullying you. I’m sorry if you think I did. I often asked people not to tease you, but they didn’t listen.’
She gave him a look as if to say “clearly”.
He swallowed. ‘Listen, I’m sorry about what happened in the past. I never wanted any of that for you. It’s impossible for me to prove to you that I wasn’t part of it and that I did what I could to stop it. With the value of hindsight, I probably should have done more, but I was a teenager… and an idiot.’
She didn’t reply or look at him.
‘Is it possible to leave the past behind for a moment?’ he went on. ‘Because I’m serious about needing these lessons. I’m willing to pay you privately. A lot more than I imagine you usually make.’
‘Bribe me, you mean?’
‘Sort of, but I see it more as a reward. I’m definitely willing to make it worth your while.’
She blinked slowly and deliberately, her arms still crossed. ‘Oh really? And how do you propose to do that?’
‘I can help save the Cosy Bean Café.’
‘What?’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘How do you know about that?’
‘I saw your post on social media,’ he said. ‘I know it’s struggling, and I can help.’
Dagmar stared at him, shaking her head, her mouth slightly open. ‘How can you do that?’
‘Duchan Fayre has a community outreach fund, and the Cosy Bean Café is exactly the kind of place we want to help.’ James inclined his head. ‘But you have to agree with my terms.’
‘Wait.’ She held up a hand. ‘You expect me to believe you’ll step in and save the café just to get some riding lessons?’
‘Yes. I’ll write a contract if you want? You can read it before you agree. But you’ll also have to sign an NDA if I tell you my conditions.’
‘Seriously?’ She folded her arms. ‘What is this all about? It sounds like way too much hassle.’ Her guarded stance reminded him of the awkward girl she used to be. Braces had corrected the teeth that had earned her some cruel nicknames. She looked so different now. A little sad, but very pretty in a cold kind of way, like an ice-queen. He’d always thought her attractive before but couldn’t really explain why. He’d let it go as a schoolboy crush. And he had to keep on doing that.
‘Ok, if I explain what it’s about, can I trust you not to tell anyone? Or shall we sign papers first? I’ll do whatever you prefer.’
‘Just tell me what it is. Who exactly would I tell?’
‘Ophelia for one, and she’s someone I really don’t want to know.’
‘To know what?’
‘That I can’t ride at all.’
Dagmar glanced skyward with a little huff. ‘Ophelia isn’t stupid. I think she guessed that. It’s pretty obvious.’
‘Exactly. And that’s the deal. I need you to make it not obvious. You’re the best riding coach in the area. Help me look like someone who knows what to do around a horse. Someone who’s been riding all their life and not someone who—’
‘Worries about getting shit on their shiny shoes?’
He nodded. ‘Yeah, that.’
‘Why do you want that? I mean, who cares if you’ve never ridden before?’
‘Lady Victoria Bruce, the daughter of the earl of Dairvin.’
Dagmar frowned and shook her head. ‘I don’t get it.’
‘I need to find some common ground. Something she and I can do together. Something she enjoys.’
‘Oh, right.’ She looked like she was chewing her tongue as the penny dropped. Her face became an open book. Yes, this was who he was. A man who’d had a chance with Ophelia that hadn’t worked out, so he’d moved on to the next big thing, the next person who could elevate him. Was it sad? Or was this just dating on a different level?
‘So, will you do it?’
‘I told you, if Ophelia says I have to, then I’ll have to. And if you offer her money, then she’ll insist.’
‘I get that, but will you do it on my terms?’
She held her chin high. ‘I suppose so, but only if you do this thing to save the café.’
‘Scout’s honour.’ He raised two fingers to his brow.
Her expression told him she didn’t trust him, but he’d prove otherwise. He was a man of his word, and he intended to keep it.
‘I’ll speak to the finance manager straight away, but I already mentioned it, and even my father said it was exactly the kind of project he wanted Duchan to get behind.’
‘Fine. Then you better get used to getting up early. If I’m going to teach you without anyone else seeing, it’ll have to be before people start arriving. Ophelia at the very least.’
‘Suits me. Can we start straight away?’
‘Tomorrow if you want.’
‘Tomorrow it is.’
‘Fine. See you then.’ Dagmar nodded curtly and walked away, leaving him standing on the path.
Hopefully this would go to plan and not horribly pear-shaped as he suspected it might.