CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE #4
‘Your mother’s bought a pony for Hal? I thought she was joking! What kind of pony?’ Curiosity overcame Sage’s astonishment.
‘It belonged to a family friend, it’s twelve hands and it has just jumped a double clear at Hickstead. Apparently it’s bombproof. That’s all I know.’
‘Wow,’ said Sage, deeply touched by the sentiment. Constance was already a more attentive grandmother to Hal than Lucilla Deverill ever had been, and she had only met Hal once.
‘So, can I accept the summons? Will you come? I don’t want to take a day off to go home if you’re not coming with me. It’s fine though, if you don’t want to, I haven’t committed yet.’
‘The thing is –’ she lowered her voice to a murmur – ‘I haven’t told Casper about the photos yet, or Santiago’s threat about what he’ll do with them.’
Rafe was also sotto voce. ‘Have you decided how you want to handle that?’
‘Not yet, but I can’t keep putting it off for ever.’
Sage thought for a moment. It was a bit daunting; the huge house, the eccentric potential in-laws and the added gravity of a purchased pony seemed to make everything serious and real.
Her situation with Santiago was unresolved and potentially extremely complicated and she wanted to keep that as far away as possible from the Dunbarton family, all of them.
It wouldn’t be right if the messy fragments of her failed marriage interfered with these kind, genuine people.
But then again, if she didn’t go, Constance would miss seeing Rafe too, and the chance to enjoy pony-time with Hal.
Constance did not deserve that. And how would Santiago ever find out?
she thought, throwing caution to the wind. It was only one night.
‘Yes, we’d love to go. Please thank your mother for the kind invitation. I just need to clear it with Bumpa but I think it should be all right as Skylark is booked to go swimming on Tuesday and Katie will take her. It’s actually probably the only day I could swing it.’
‘Perfect, Mum will be over the moon.’ Rafe picked his phone up and waggled it at her. ‘Can you please turn yours on occasionally, in case I need to get hold of you before Tuesday?’
‘Yes, I will. Sorry. I’ll call you later.’
He led the pony back to the door. ‘Now, you lot push off and let me get back to it. I’ve got to get some work done if I’m going to go off gallivanting with you both in a few days.’
Sage stretched up to kiss him softly on the lips, and then they were gone, jumping down the small drop out of the kitchen onto the gravel outside.
The next few days passed in a flurry of riding.
Dennis was putting Sage on a different horse for each of the four lots every morning.
On Thursday the weather was dank and grey.
A chilly easterly breeze whipped along the Heath.
Sage, head bent against the weather, rode a gangly bay colt called Food for Thought at the back of the string out towards Warren Hill.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out, peering at the screen, and grinned as she answered it.
‘Hello, stranger!’ she said, laughing into the phone. ‘I was going to ring you later. All OK?’
‘I was calling to ask you the same thing, Sage,’ Dolly said. Her voice sounded full of concern. ‘Casper told me you and Hal are back at North Place now.’
She thought about her drive home with Casper. She hadn’t checked with him whether Dolly knew he had told her everything. ‘I’m fine, promise.’
Being among her family again had made Sage feel more certain about not reacting to Santiago’s threats.
She hadn’t heard anything from him since her return, and she really did not want Casper to know about it.
Santiago was her mess and no one else should have to suffer from his threats and bullying.
Casper might lose his whole focus, his control, everything, if he found out.
She wanted to protect her brother from the whole nightmare and allow him to concentrate on his racing.
She might even be able sort it out with Santiago and Lucilla privately and he would never need to know.
She hunkered down in the saddle as it began to rain.
‘You know, you were always a terrible liar.’ Dolly’s voice was not unkind. ‘You can talk to me, Sage. About anything.’
Sage exhaled down the line; it was so tempting to share her troubles. But if she did, she’d be forcing Dolly to keep a secret from Casper and they had only just found each other again.
‘I know. I will. I just can’t at the moment. Everything is slightly precarious. I really appreciate the offer and I swear that I will take you up on it. Can we see each other soon, please? I want to.’
‘Whenever you need me, I’m here for you. Always. Casper is worried about you, you know.’
Despite all her own worries, Sage grinned.
‘I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to hear you say that.’
‘That Casper is worried about you? What on earth do you mean?’
‘Because you knowing that means he’s your person again!’
Of all the things Sage had yet to make sense of, she couldn’t be happier that this was no longer one of them.