flat.’
‘I know,’ said Jenna coolly. She looked up at the horses. The grey bent its great head over her small hand and took the carrot gently. She smiled.
‘He’s a real gent, is Lord B,’ said Joe. ‘Nice manners, Dad says.’
‘I wish I could ride him.’
‘You’d never even get up. Anyway, he’s not got a saddle.’
‘I could ride him bareback.’
‘Course you couldn’t.’
‘I could.’
‘You’re mad,’ said Michael.
‘I’m not.’
‘You are. And you’re a girl,’ he added, as if that settled matters.
‘Well I’ll show you,’ said Jenna.
She climbed up on to the gate, stood swaying slightly, grasped Lord B’s mane and half slithered, half jumped on to his back. He trembled slightly, and she felt his muscles quiver under her. He was so huge that her short legs were spread almost straight across his back. She grasped the mane further up, wriggled a bit and looked down at the boys triumphantly.
‘I told you so.’
All might have been well had not a large horsefly suddenly settled on Lord B’s rump. He jumped, kicked out with one of his back legs and swished his tail. In a smaller animal the movements would have been slight; for him they were considerable. Jenna felt him lurch, and started to slither sideways; she clung to the mane, looked down. The ground looked a long way away. She tried to haul herself up again, but couldn’t regain her balance; she was pulling quite hard now on Lord B’s mane. He began to find it irritating, and moved forward; she clung on, pulling harder still. Lord B blew through his nostrils and launched into a brisk trot. For ten, maybe fifteen seconds, Jenna managed to stay on him, then slowly and quite gracefully she fell to the ground. As she fell, she put out her hand instinctively to save herself and fell awkwardly on her wrist. Very awkwardly.
Two hours later, after having her wrist set quite painfully in the local cottage hospital, facing one round of her mother’s wrath, and knowing there was more to come, after being ticked off quite severely by Billy as well, and enduring the double misery of hearing Joe being unfairly told off, she still felt the whole episode was entirely worthwhile as she heard Joe say to his father, ‘She’s the bravest girl I ever met. Even if she is stupid.’
She found it quite easy to ignore everyone’s wrath after that; and when she got on to the plane to New York three days later with her arm in a sling, his words were still ringing in her head.
Record were very pleased with Adele’s Coronation photographs. They gave her fourteen pages, and the cover.
‘Maman, let me see.’ Noni reached out her hand for the magazine; as it was passed across the table, Lucas lifted the newspaper he was reading to turn to another page and knocked the coffee pot over.
‘Lucas, you oaf. Oh, God, that’s awful, Mummy I’m so sorry, all over it. You stupid idiot, how did you do that?’
‘Quite easily.’ Geordie’s voice, usually so level and good-natured was icy cold. ‘I saw that Lucas. Apologise to your mother.’
‘It was an accident,’ said Lucas sulkily.
‘Even if it was’ – Geordie’s voice made it plain he didn’t think so – ‘you can still say you’re sorry. That is her first edition, and the only one she has at the moment.’
‘She can get another. It’s a magazine, not some priceless painting. No doubt there’ll be a dozen in the house soon. What does it matter?’
‘It matters a great deal,’ said Geordie. ‘Please apologise.’
‘I don’t see why I should.’
‘Well I do. Lucas—’
‘Geordie, it’s all right.’ Adele gave him a quick, anxious smile. ‘Honestly. It was an accident.’
‘It is not all right, and I don’t believe it was an accident. Lucas, if you can’t apologise, please go to your room.’
‘No. I don’t have to do what you say. You’re not my father.’
‘Lucas!’ said Adele. ‘That was very rude.’
‘It was true.’
‘Please apologise to
‘I know,’ said Jenna coolly. She looked up at the horses. The grey bent its great head over her small hand and took the carrot gently. She smiled.
‘He’s a real gent, is Lord B,’ said Joe. ‘Nice manners, Dad says.’
‘I wish I could ride him.’
‘You’d never even get up. Anyway, he’s not got a saddle.’
‘I could ride him bareback.’
‘Course you couldn’t.’
‘I could.’
‘You’re mad,’ said Michael.
‘I’m not.’
‘You are. And you’re a girl,’ he added, as if that settled matters.
‘Well I’ll show you,’ said Jenna.
She climbed up on to the gate, stood swaying slightly, grasped Lord B’s mane and half slithered, half jumped on to his back. He trembled slightly, and she felt his muscles quiver under her. He was so huge that her short legs were spread almost straight across his back. She grasped the mane further up, wriggled a bit and looked down at the boys triumphantly.
‘I told you so.’
All might have been well had not a large horsefly suddenly settled on Lord B’s rump. He jumped, kicked out with one of his back legs and swished his tail. In a smaller animal the movements would have been slight; for him they were considerable. Jenna felt him lurch, and started to slither sideways; she clung to the mane, looked down. The ground looked a long way away. She tried to haul herself up again, but couldn’t regain her balance; she was pulling quite hard now on Lord B’s mane. He began to find it irritating, and moved forward; she clung on, pulling harder still. Lord B blew through his nostrils and launched into a brisk trot. For ten, maybe fifteen seconds, Jenna managed to stay on him, then slowly and quite gracefully she fell to the ground. As she fell, she put out her hand instinctively to save herself and fell awkwardly on her wrist. Very awkwardly.
Two hours later, after having her wrist set quite painfully in the local cottage hospital, facing one round of her mother’s wrath, and knowing there was more to come, after being ticked off quite severely by Billy as well, and enduring the double misery of hearing Joe being unfairly told off, she still felt the whole episode was entirely worthwhile as she heard Joe say to his father, ‘She’s the bravest girl I ever met. Even if she is stupid.’
She found it quite easy to ignore everyone’s wrath after that; and when she got on to the plane to New York three days later with her arm in a sling, his words were still ringing in her head.
Record were very pleased with Adele’s Coronation photographs. They gave her fourteen pages, and the cover.
‘Maman, let me see.’ Noni reached out her hand for the magazine; as it was passed across the table, Lucas lifted the newspaper he was reading to turn to another page and knocked the coffee pot over.
‘Lucas, you oaf. Oh, God, that’s awful, Mummy I’m so sorry, all over it. You stupid idiot, how did you do that?’
‘Quite easily.’ Geordie’s voice, usually so level and good-natured was icy cold. ‘I saw that Lucas. Apologise to your mother.’
‘It was an accident,’ said Lucas sulkily.
‘Even if it was’ – Geordie’s voice made it plain he didn’t think so – ‘you can still say you’re sorry. That is her first edition, and the only one she has at the moment.’
‘She can get another. It’s a magazine, not some priceless painting. No doubt there’ll be a dozen in the house soon. What does it matter?’
‘It matters a great deal,’ said Geordie. ‘Please apologise.’
‘I don’t see why I should.’
‘Well I do. Lucas—’
‘Geordie, it’s all right.’ Adele gave him a quick, anxious smile. ‘Honestly. It was an accident.’
‘It is not all right, and I don’t believe it was an accident. Lucas, if you can’t apologise, please go to your room.’
‘No. I don’t have to do what you say. You’re not my father.’
‘Lucas!’ said Adele. ‘That was very rude.’
‘It was true.’
‘Please apologise to
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