and, no sooner had Pendle let go of her reins than she set off at a brisk trot out of the yard into the fields.
‘Hey, wait a minute,’ shouted Ace. Snowball trotted even faster. Up down, up down, I tried desperately to rise in the saddle, but I kept getting out of time and going bump bump instead.
‘Pull her up,’ yelled Jack, but in spite of my frenzied tugs, she trotted even faster, breaking into a brisk canter as Ace tried to overtake. Oh, God, a different rhythm — one, two, three, one, two, three. By the time I’d got adjusted to it, I’d lost both stirrups and the reins and was clinging on to her mane for grim death.
Suddenly she plunged her head down in a terrifying graveyard cough, shaking me to the roots of my foundations then jerked her head upwards and hit me smartly on the nose.
Through streaming eyes, I abandoned all hope as she dived into a little copse of trees. There were branches everywhere.
‘Duck your head,’ shouted Ace. Out of the copse, into another green field, downhill this time, towards the lake. I was just wondering if a soft piece of grass might be preferable to this bumping hell, when Ace drew even, caught Snowball’s rein and pulled her to a jolting standstill.
‘You bloody little fool, saying you could ride,’ he swore at me. ‘You might have been killed by those branches.’
I was on the verge of tears.
‘Beastly, lousy horse,’ I said. ‘How can I steer it when it’s all I can do to stay on?’
Ace’s lips twitched.
Jack cantered up, laughing so much he couldn’t speak at first.
‘Darling, darling Pru,’ he said. ‘You’ve no idea how enchanting you looked from the back.’ He wiped his eyes.
I preserved my wounded dignity for a few minutes and then my sense of humour reasserted itself. I began to giggle.
They took it very gently after that, riding on either side of me like police horses bringing in the Grand National winner. We rode round the lake. A few sheep with russet bottoms looked at us curiously. A water skier clad in black rubber was zipping across the water. Gradually my nervousness disappeared and I began to enjoy myself.
About a quarter of a mile from home, I felt Jack stiffen beside me. Two figures were walking by the lake. No one could mistake that brilliant red hair. The man was obviously Pendle. They moved slowly as people do who have no destination except each other. Pendle picked up a pebble and started playing ducks and drakes. Maggie tried to do the same, but every time her stone just fell at her feet. I saw Pendle put his hand over hers and show her how to flick her wrist. She gave a cry of joy as the stone bounded across the water.
I felt quite sick as Pendle then put an arm through hers and they turned away from us to walk along the lake.
Ace looked like a thundercloud, but Jack merely smiled and rode his horse closer to mine, so our legs brushed.
‘Poor idiot, poor besotted idiot,’ he said scathingly. ‘He never gives up, does he?’
We rode straight back to the stables after that, no one saying a word.
Jack and Ace went off to have a look at Jack’s house. I curled up with a book in front of the fire, but fell asleep.
I was woken at dusk by Pendle.
‘Are you all right, not too bored?’ he said.
‘I’m fine,’ I said, stretching a little, and bending a glance in his direction intended to be subtly wanton.
Pendle gave one of my curls a little tug of endearment.
‘My spies tell me Jack’s very smitten,’ he said softly.
Which spies, I wondered. Ace? Maggie? Rose? Probably all three.
‘Oh well, he’s very handsome and all that.’ I paused in the hope that I might get Pendle worried. ‘But I don’t think my happiness lies in that direction. Besides, he’s married.’
We locked looks for a minute.
Pendle dropped his eyes first.
‘About tonight,’ he said.
‘Yes,’ I said, brightening. Perhaps at last he was going to steal down the passage.
‘There’s a pretty tedious cocktail party on the other side of the lake with fireworks for some reason. Then we thought we’d go and have dinner in Ambleside. There’s a new French restaurant opened there. Would that amuse you?’
I took a deep breath. ‘I’d much rather be with you,’ I said. ‘Couldn’t we skip the party and go out on our own without the others?’
‘Can’t really desert Ace on his first night. I think he’s a bit depressed, jet lag and all that.’
‘It’s him that’s doing the depressing,’ I said crossly. ‘Why doesn’t he go to bed?’
‘Hush,’ said Pendle. ‘That’s not like you.’
‘I don’t know what’s like me anymore,’ I said with asob.
I moved closer, close enough for him to take me in his arms, and kiss me very gently on the lips. I kept my mouth shut — terrified after being asleep all afternoon I might taste horrible — but I felt myself turn to jelly. Then just at that moment Ace and Jack came through the French windows, and Pendle let me go. I nearly wept with frustration. With a shiver, I wondered if Pendle had seen them coming up the garden and just kissed me in order to kid Ace he wasn’t running after Maggie.
Chapter Eight
As I changed for the firework party, I decided to switch tactics. So far I’d played it cool with Pendle. Now for the first time, I decided to show him I was really keen.
My green culotte dress was a show-stopper. I wondered, as I wriggled into it, if it were a bit much for the country. It clings everywhere and has cutaway sleeves and huge cut-outs back and front.
Oh, well, I thought, if it doesn’t stir Pendle to frenzies of lust, at least it will annoy Ace.
The Mulhollands’ reactions to the outfit were varied and typical. Jack choked over his drink. Pendle didn’t bat an eyelid. Rose said, ‘I wonder if I could get away with that?’ Ace raised a disapproving eyebrow and said I appeared to have run out of material. Maggie walked round and round me and said, ‘Oh, what heaven, but how do you go to the loo?’
As we were leaving, mindful of my new plan of campaign, I seized Pendle’s hand. ‘Can we go in your car, just the two of us?’
Pendle looked surprised. ‘Yes, of course,’ he said.
It was dark now, but I could still see a ghostly gleam of the lake through the trees.
‘It’s so lovely,’ I said, turning towards him. ‘Oh, Pendle, thank you for bringing me up here. I’m having such a wonderful time.’
He gave that watchful half-smile. ‘Are you really enjoying it?’
‘Oh, I am!’ I couldn’t resist putting my hand on his knee and leaning over to kiss him.
He didn’t flinch — he just drew away from me. I shrank back to my side of the car, feeling just about as wanted as a Christmas Tree on Twelfth Night.
‘Sorry, but it’s dangerous on these roads,’ he said coolly. The hot fever of mortification had not subsided by the time we reached the party. It was a curiously fossilized affair — a few young people, but mostly old women roaring around on crutches, and so many retired colonels that even the flower arrangements were standing to attention.
Rose arrived grumbling because Ace had refused to close all the windows and had put her false eyelashes in jeopardy. She was also annoyed that Maggie had appropriated the Professor’s hat and insisted on keeping it on. Maggie and Jack promptly parted like the Red Sea.
Sick at heart from Pendle’s rebuff, I flirted outrageously with Jack, who was only too willing to oblige. In a
