“Thank you,” she gulped back the crack of emotion in her voice. “That’s very kind of you … and I can’t thank you enough for looking after Demon so well. If it hadn’t been for you he might have had to be put down … and you know what that would have done to me.”
Philip smiled with his mouth but his eyes still didn’t soften. “The horse can be a monster but whatever happens there’s always room for him here.”
The door of a loose box further down the yard suddenly opened and a white-faced stable lad hurried out and headed for Phillip. “Philip … the foal. It’s well on its way.”
“Okay, George. Don’t worry. I’ll see to her. You crack on with mucking out. I’ll call you if I need you.”
The young lad, who had only commenced his employment at the stables two weeks ago and still felt out of his depth was more than happy to hand over the responsibility of a foaling to his employer and turned away to do his bidding.
“Can I help?” asked Delia enthusiastically, so wanting to be part of things again and knowing Lucy was safe with Mrs. Forest for an hour or two.
“Can you remember what to do?” asked Philip with a grin, beginning to relax his guard.
“How could I forget?” Delia almost sang, a rush of warmth flooding over her. It was so good to be back in Philip’s company. She would do everything she could to keep it that way.
The birthing was easier than expected. The mare managed well and didn’t need any help so Delia and Philip watched quietly from the sidelines until the foal slid into the world safe and sound. When Philip was satisfied the new mum and her offspring could be left together without further surveillance and feeling easier in Delia’s company, he invited her back to the house for refreshment and she left Tangles an hour later feeling her morning had been well spent and it was only a matter of time before Philip was completely hers again. She drove back to the Dower House designing her wedding dress in her mind and wondering whether Ruth would allow a grand reception at the Hall. She wanted the world to know when she eventually married her man.
Two weeks later, having received a tip off from one of Philip’s stable girls, she found the perfect pony for Lucy; a beautiful little chestnut Shetland pony called Timmy. He had been bought by a family who lived near Harrogate for their son but he took a strong dislike to riding and so they decided to part with Timmy, albeit reluctantly as they had all fallen in love with his sweet nature. He was perfect for Lucy’s first experience of horses and reminded Delia fondly of Samson and Delilah and the wonderful joy of Perkins teaching her to ride when she was so young
Delia gave Lucy her first few lessons and was overjoyed to see her daughter taking naturally to the saddle just as she had done. Philip, who was teaching Stephen, offered to include Lucy in the lessons and as it was a great excuse to be in his company, Delia agreed, spending more and more time at Tangles, with Lucy, Tina and Stephen three mornings a week and riding Demon every afternoon.
Delia was happier than she had been for years although she was slightly niggled how, even after a few weeks of being in each other’s company every day, Philip still maintained a careful distance and the conversation, which always centred around horses, remained light and easy. Delia tried to understand, knowing how he had lost Sue but surely his grief wouldn’t last forever? Patience wasn’t her strong point but there was all the time in the world she kept telling herself. He would eventually realise that she was the only woman for him.
But there were other things on Delia’s mind too. After promising Ruth that she had no designs on the estate, Delia found it was impossible to resist all interest, especially in Louis, the estate manager. She came across him one day sitting in a Landrover, writing in a tiny black notebook. Guessing who he was Delia reined in Demon and called out a greeting.
“Hello. You must be Louis. I’m Lady Delia. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”
They had disliked each other on the spot. Louis tried to baffle Delia with a rapid burst of his own language but was confounded by just as fast a reply, French having been on of the few subjects Delia excelled in at school. She tried to ask him about different aspects of managing the estate but he was surly and reluctant to answer and Delia’s suspicions were aroused. Something was not right and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
For an estate manager, he didn’t seem to be around a lot either, which puzzled her. Dick Joyce, when he was in charge, was seen every day, driving backwards and forwards over the estate, checking all was as it should be but it was rare to come across Louis and when he was in evidence, didn’t appear to be doing anything particularly constructive and had no wish to engage in conversation. Delia wondered how Ruth got along with him. She would have little experience of how to deal with an estate manager and probably left him to his own devices too much. Delia sensed trouble. She badly wanted to have a look at the accounts but on a scouting mission to the estate office decided it wasn’t a good idea to go again. The lovely Cheryl, who had helped Delia learn to type many years ago, had left, having found better-paid employment in Leeds. There
