Old wounds #4
Shona chuckled softly as she walked on. She was glad to be alone in the woods with only Nessie as a witness to her emotional transformation.
Would her friends and family ever understand her if she shared these thoughts with them?
Indeed, they might, especially her family.
She could only assume that Alex and Isla had followed similar reasons for returning to Kirkby after years far away from home.
They had both gone much further than she had – Alex to New York and Isla to different places all over the globe.
Maybe it would be a good idea to talk to them about her feelings?
Maybe it would even change their view of her?
To understand that she was no longer the spoilt baby of the family, driven by erratic moods, but a grown woman with complex feelings and needs.
Her thoughts drifted to Lennox, the brother who was closest to her in age but not in any other respect.
Shona didn’t know if it was because of what he had said to her all those years ago as a desperate little boy.
Was him more or less blaming her for their mother’s death the reason why they had never grown close?
Lennox had always been different – a bit of a loner, stubborn, highly sensitive and constantly fighting with their da.
These days, he was a street musician and travelling across Europe.
She had no idea where he was, how he was feeling and what was on his mind.
This realisation stung, and she resolved to speak to him as soon as the opportunity arose.
She should ask Isla about him! Isla and Lennox had been almost inseparable as kids, which might have been another reason why Shona felt so out of the loop.
Leaving the woods, she came to another fork in the road.
Straight ahead of her lay Monroe Manor, the imposing home of her aunt Heather – Marlin and Rupert’s younger sister – and her husband George Stewart.
The path to the right led to Harriswood House, with The Cosy Thistle, Alex’s ecolodge resort, and The Scottish Thistle, Isla’s Michelin-starred restaurant.
Shona headed in that direction but then changed her mind and took a path that gave her childhood home and the resort’s cottages a wide berth.
She still hadn’t met anyone, besides a few of her father’s sheep, who looked very picturesque in the fields of blooming heather.
She let Nessie off her lead so she could roam freely, and the little camel took the opportunity to greet her ovine friends.
While she had been under the tree canopy, the sun had come out again.
It now shone softly onto the late summer landscape and Shona’s face.
She briefly closed her eyes to savour the warmth and the rare moment of true contentment.
She felt grounded and at the same time as light and free as a bird.
This wonderful feeling stuck around as they passed Loch Leary half an hour later and finally crossed the large paddocks to Rupert’s stables.
A dozen or so ponies of all sizes and colours were grazing in the meadow with the open stable.
Another paddock held mares with their foals, and some of them came curiously to the fence to check out Nessie.
Between the mighty bodies of her uncle’s Clydesdales, Shona recognised the much daintier Artemis, the former world-class show jumper.
Her foal, Little Miss Sunshine, was not only the youngest and most delicate but also the most inquisitive and cheeky of the bunch.
Watching the little one’s leaps and capers meant to capture Nessie’s attention, Shona laughed and pulled her phone to take a few pictures.
What should she do now? Head home or check in on the racehorses?
Since she was already here, she decided to go to the stables.
On the way she ran into Aidan, who was taking his pony Gandalf back to the open pasture, riding without saddle and bridle.
“Hi,” she called out to her nephew, who would be celebrating his thirteenth birthday in a few days and was now as tall as she was. “Did you go for a ride?”
“Yeah, I was out with Colleen and her Tilly. Da doesn’t want her to ride out by herself anymore, and he was busy.
” The almost-teen rolled his eyes, but Shona knew he was just playing it cool.
Aidan loved his stepmother and was taking his role as future big brother very seriously.
Colleen and Alex’s baby was due around the end of the year, and by now her bump was large enough for everyone to see.
“Your da is right to be careful, and you make for a great riding companion. I’m just surprised Colleen can still get on her horse,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
“She still manages quite well,” he replied as proudly as if it were his own achievement.
“Any news at the guest stable?” Shona changed the subject. “Is that snobby earl still driving everyone crazy?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I think he’s leaving this week.
” Aidan shrugged. “Rupert and Kendrick are trying to save one of the horses, though. Joe told me he overheard the earl on the phone saying that he’d rather take the horse to the butcher than leave it here,” he added, quite fired up by the gossip he dished out.
“Is that what Joe said?” Shona tried to keep her expression serious. Joe was one of Rupert’s stable hands and well known around the horse farm for being extremely creative with the truth. She doubted the earl would make such a phone call here, but there was no need to tell her nephew that.
“He did. I’ve already asked Da if he could buy Azzedine. Like, for me. I need a bigger horse soon. I’ve pretty much outgrown Gandalf.”
The image of her nephew on the smart black racehorse really made her day.
They were a good match as their temperaments went, but nothing else about that picture felt quite right.
She also had it on good authority that Aidan would be going to a friend’s riding stable on his birthday.
“I take it he was not thrilled, huh?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You know how Da is. Always a spoilsport. But he feels sorry for Azzedine, too.” Aidan sighed melodramatically.
“I’m sure things will turn out alright,” she reassured him. “Is Hailey around?”
“I think so. I saw her earlier.”
“I’ll pop by the stable then. And you take care!” She waved goodbye.
“You too, Shon.” With that, he spurred his pony on and rode to the pasture.
As Shona entered the courtyard, she saw Hailey and Colleen by the gate of the main stable, deep in conversation.
“Hi! What’s the update on the horses? And how’s my new nephew doing?” she asked first Hailey then Colleen, who absent-mindedly stroked her round belly.
“Or niece. This little one is planning to become either a professional footballer or boxer,” Colleen said with a smile, taking Shona’s hand and placing it on her baby bump.
“Wow, there’s a lot going on in there,” said Shona, impressed. “Probably payback for getting all shaken up on the horse.”
“Not you too,” Colleen moaned. “My midwife has cleared me for riding. It doesn’t harm the baby at all – as long as I don’t fall. And who could fall off Tilly? Not me, I can tell you that.”
Shona exchanged a quick glance with Hailey and refrained from further comment.
It would be a waste of breath to point out to Colleen that, at the end of the day, even her calm mare Tilly was a nervous flight animal who could respond in any way when scared.
Or that Colleen’s own centre of gravity would be changing!
But keeping Colleen off the horse wasn’t her job.
Her future sister-in-law was an adult and more than capable of making her own decisions, even though they might be rather hormone-driven at this point.
“I didn’t mean to barge in. But I’d really like to know how things are going with the animal abuser?”
“It sucks,” Hailey returned gloomily. “We’ve said our piece.
The earl seems okay with the idea of Nihal becoming a broodmare, which is something.
But he was absolutely livid when we told him there was no way Azzedine could race again.
Lila came up the day before yesterday to interview him.
Don’t ask me how she got him to talk. I assume he couldn’t resist her big blue eyes.
Probably thought she’s as harmless and cute as she looks.
But her questions were quite confrontational, and he got so annoyed that she got a few pretty foul-mouthed quotes out of him.
It’s all on tape and bad enough that his lawyer called the Horse & Hound editor-in-chief this morning to stop the interview from being printed. Lila rang me earlier to tell me.”
“Oh boy ...” Shona sighed. This was so messed up. “And now?”
“Damned if I know. It’s for her boss to decide.
Sounds like they’ll print her story about the conditions in the racing world.
Nobody can cause trouble over that. And Lila can include what my da said.
There’s a chance she may not be able to mention the earl by name, but there are ways to paraphrase stuff so readers know exactly who she’s talking about. At least those who know the scene.”
“And what are you doing about the horses?”
“Da wants to have another talk with him tomorrow. When push comes to shove, he’ll tell him he’ll see to it that the horses cannot leave the country.
The veterinary authorities are on our side, and we might call in customs too if we have to physically stop the earl from shipping them out.
But that would be a pretty nasty business, so it’s only the last resort.
I hope he gives in before it comes to any of that.
” Hailey swallowed and looked more dejected than Shona had ever seen her.
“Fingers crossed. Aidan just told me he wants to save Azzedine too.”