Page 52 of Needs Must
‘Good afternoon, Thad,’ she said, patting the gelding’s neck beneath a thick mane that fell to his shoulders. ‘You and I are going to be the best of friends, I just know it.’
‘I hope you shall not mind the inconvenience of riding astride,’ Cal said. ‘We couldn’t find a sidesaddle to fit Thad.’
‘Not in the least. In fact I prefer it. That way I can compete with you on equal terms.’
‘I was not aware that we are competing.’
‘Of course you were.’ She sent him a look of mild rebuke. ‘Anything in this world that’s worth having has to be fought for. Anyway, shall we?’
Before Cal could assist her into the saddle she stood on a boulder and leapt smoothly into it without his help, an expression of reckless anticipation gracing her lovely features. She adjusted the stirrups, took up the reins and sighed with pleasure as Thad shifted his weight beneath her.
‘I am ready whenever you are,’ she said, sounding impatient to be off.
Cal swung into Emperor’s saddle and led the way from the cottage, aware of Dawkins standing on a ladder, watching them depart and scratching his head. News of their ride together would spread through the taproom before Donna returned to the tavern, he knew, rolling his eyes in resignation. Donna would be aware of the fact but didn’t seem perturbed by it. Besides, when Cal told her of the rumours that his spiteful sister was now in a position to spread, she would have far greater concerns to occupy her mind.
Cal’s jaw locked in irritation. He had already made up his mind that Donna deserved to be warned, but that didn’t mean he had to tolerate his sister’s efforts to undermine his authority.
And nor would he.
He would deal with Celia once and for all, but only after he had explained to Donna what he planned to do, and then only if she agreed to his suggestions.
They rode for half an hour and Cal revelled in her reckless enjoyment of a pleasure that he took for granted. Despite the cold and the threat of rain, she exclaimed constantly each time a new vista opened up before them, making Cal see his estate through her appreciative eyes.
Having given the horses a long gallop, they walked them side by side as they regained their breath and Cal pointed out various landmarks.
‘You are very fortunate to have all this,’ she said on a note of mild envy. ‘It was what I missed most in Jamaica. The greenness and the climate of home, that is.’
‘Even on a day like today when the wind is relentless and there’s rain in the air?’
‘Believe me, that is preferable to constant heat and scorched earth.’
Cal nodded. ‘This estate has been in my family for centuries and I have never known anything else. What I have learned since becoming its custodian is that privilege sometimes comes at a high price.’
‘You don’t just mean a monetary price, do you?’ she remarked, pushing the plume away from her eyes and holding her hat with that same hand when a gust of especially strong wind threatened to remove it from her head.
‘No. Taxation is at an all-time high, but it’s manageable so long as the harvests don’t fail. Should that happen, it would spell catastrophe for my tenants more than for me. Happily, this year we had a good yield, mainly because the weather cooperated.’
‘You feel the responsibility, which must be onerous.’
Cal wasn’t entirely surprised by her perspicacity. ‘Most people only see the land, the house, the elegance. If only it were that straightforward. Half the men of my acquaintance are in dun territory, in danger of losing estates that have been in their families for generations too. Sometimes due to misfortune but more often than not as a result of mismanagement.’
‘Or gambling.’
Cal nodded. ‘Or that.’
‘I saw it in Jamaica. Plantations were won or lost on the turn of a card. Why are men so … irresponsible.’
‘Not all men,’ Cal said, smiling.
‘No, I am sure you are not, but you take my meaning.’
They rode on for a while in companionable silence. Cal enjoyed the view enormously but was not referring to the woodland and rolling hills beyond that formed the boundary of his estate with Bagshott’s.
‘When are you going to tell me why you are so distracted?’ she asked.
‘Am I?’ Cal was surprised that she had noticed. He thought he’d kept his preoccupation to himself, and that she was too taken up with the view and with controlling a lively gelding to spare much of her attention for him.
‘If I am keeping you from the duties that you find so onerous, or if you are too polite to tell me to mind my own business, I shall not mind if we return at once. I have already taken up enough of your time.’
