I’ve always ignored her, slipping out to another study as soon as decent. Leaving a shy new girl to Diana’s tender mercies, and not even wondering if she was hurt by the way I cut her. Miss Carroll was right about my selfishness.
I decide to resort to at least partial truthfulness. “I’ve never heard you tell off Miss Evans before. Makes me think you’re a pal worth cultivating. Come on, old thing. Have you ever been down to Briar Stables?” For some reason, it seems very important not to let this girl brush me off, now that I’ve made the first friendly advances.
Rosalind shakes her head, plaits swinging, cheeks red. “I wanted to. My name is down to ride. But Valerie says it’s a dreadful place, and that the woman who runs it is awful.”
“She would. I wouldn’t put too much faith in what Val says, my girl. There are pixies around the stables, although I’ve never seen or heard of them doing any harm, and Valerie is the kind of girl who always thinks the unicorns are thinking about goring her. I don’t think you’d be frightened of a unicorn,” I say, smiling down at her, and she smiles back up, shaking her head. It’s a very sweet smile. “Come on, let’s get our things and go.” I tug her toward the cloakroom.
“Don’t tell me we’re leaving school grounds as a twosome, and you a Senior Pre.,” she says, her thin cheeks dimpling in an unexpectedly mischievous way. We wrap ourselves in coats, scarves and hats. “Not after what you said to Di.”
“There won’t be just the two of us. There will be Ember,” I say, and I distinctly hear her giggle as we step out into the autumn sunshine.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUNFLAME
Miss Roberts is shovelling manure in the ‘special’ pegasus-proof paddock when we arrive. I introduce her with careful offhandedness, mindful of Rosalind’s shyness.
I needn’t have worried. The moment the girl catches sight of the occupants of the ‘special’ pen, her timidity slides off her shoulders like snow in a thaw. She can barely contain herself long enough to be introduced before she heads straight for Ember.
Miss Roberts eyes them warily, as there have been a few unfortunate incidents with Ember being spooked by girls approaching him with more admiration than care. While dry straw and anything else unduly flammable is carefully kept away from him, there’s still a risk, not to mention the need to bandage burned hands. I’m not worried. When Ember presses his head affectionately against Rosalind’s shoulder, I can feel right down to my toes the loving warmth of his response to her overtures. I smile reassuringly at Miss Roberts.
She nods back. “I’m impressed. Why haven’t you brought this one down here before? You usually can’t wait to show Ember off.”
I shrug, a little embarrassed. “I think I haven’t been a very good friend to her. I’m beginning to think that was a mistake.” I try to pitch my voice low enough that Rosalind doesn’t hear. I’m not sure I succeed. She shoots me a kind of sideways glance as she moves down to touch one of the unicorns.
Miss Roberts gives me a vague pat on my shoulder, and addresses Rosalind in her rather loud voice. “Have you brought riding gear with you?”
Rosalind, now deeply involved in communion with a unicorn with a glossy golden coat, startles a little. “No—I mean, yes. Not here, back at the school.”
“I always have some spare stuff on hard for lower formers, so I should have something to fit you,” Miss Roberts says, fairly tactlessly. “Charley, you can make do with my gear, can’t you? Sunshine needs a good run, and Ember hasn’t been out nearly enough.”
I raise my eyebrows at her. The ordinary horses are available for hire to the girls whose parents have put their names down, but the fabled beasts like Sunshine are strictly off limits to schoolgirls, Ember obviously aside. Too fast, too wilful, too dangerous.
Miss Roberts shrugs back. Of
I decide to resort to at least partial truthfulness. “I’ve never heard you tell off Miss Evans before. Makes me think you’re a pal worth cultivating. Come on, old thing. Have you ever been down to Briar Stables?” For some reason, it seems very important not to let this girl brush me off, now that I’ve made the first friendly advances.
Rosalind shakes her head, plaits swinging, cheeks red. “I wanted to. My name is down to ride. But Valerie says it’s a dreadful place, and that the woman who runs it is awful.”
“She would. I wouldn’t put too much faith in what Val says, my girl. There are pixies around the stables, although I’ve never seen or heard of them doing any harm, and Valerie is the kind of girl who always thinks the unicorns are thinking about goring her. I don’t think you’d be frightened of a unicorn,” I say, smiling down at her, and she smiles back up, shaking her head. It’s a very sweet smile. “Come on, let’s get our things and go.” I tug her toward the cloakroom.
“Don’t tell me we’re leaving school grounds as a twosome, and you a Senior Pre.,” she says, her thin cheeks dimpling in an unexpectedly mischievous way. We wrap ourselves in coats, scarves and hats. “Not after what you said to Di.”
“There won’t be just the two of us. There will be Ember,” I say, and I distinctly hear her giggle as we step out into the autumn sunshine.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUNFLAME
Miss Roberts is shovelling manure in the ‘special’ pegasus-proof paddock when we arrive. I introduce her with careful offhandedness, mindful of Rosalind’s shyness.
I needn’t have worried. The moment the girl catches sight of the occupants of the ‘special’ pen, her timidity slides off her shoulders like snow in a thaw. She can barely contain herself long enough to be introduced before she heads straight for Ember.
Miss Roberts eyes them warily, as there have been a few unfortunate incidents with Ember being spooked by girls approaching him with more admiration than care. While dry straw and anything else unduly flammable is carefully kept away from him, there’s still a risk, not to mention the need to bandage burned hands. I’m not worried. When Ember presses his head affectionately against Rosalind’s shoulder, I can feel right down to my toes the loving warmth of his response to her overtures. I smile reassuringly at Miss Roberts.
She nods back. “I’m impressed. Why haven’t you brought this one down here before? You usually can’t wait to show Ember off.”
I shrug, a little embarrassed. “I think I haven’t been a very good friend to her. I’m beginning to think that was a mistake.” I try to pitch my voice low enough that Rosalind doesn’t hear. I’m not sure I succeed. She shoots me a kind of sideways glance as she moves down to touch one of the unicorns.
Miss Roberts gives me a vague pat on my shoulder, and addresses Rosalind in her rather loud voice. “Have you brought riding gear with you?”
Rosalind, now deeply involved in communion with a unicorn with a glossy golden coat, startles a little. “No—I mean, yes. Not here, back at the school.”
“I always have some spare stuff on hard for lower formers, so I should have something to fit you,” Miss Roberts says, fairly tactlessly. “Charley, you can make do with my gear, can’t you? Sunshine needs a good run, and Ember hasn’t been out nearly enough.”
I raise my eyebrows at her. The ordinary horses are available for hire to the girls whose parents have put their names down, but the fabled beasts like Sunshine are strictly off limits to schoolgirls, Ember obviously aside. Too fast, too wilful, too dangerous.
Miss Roberts shrugs back. Of
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