It still doesn’t stop me from feelinganxious. I hold my breath and time stands still as I watch him get into place.So far, so good! He is sitting abreast Sadie and I can relax somewhat. Then Idutifully make my way around to the front of them to fulfil my final task,checking his stirrups are even. Again, there is no communication between us andI’m OK with that. I give him the thumbs up to indicate all looks good and he’soff.
With a good hour or so left before theschool bus arrives, I will forget about showering and get a ring-side seatwatching this unfold! There are quite a few chunks of his ride I am going tomiss because the boundary is fairly vast, but I know a good vantage point onthe edge of the field where the Highland cows graze. I should be able to seequite a lot from there, so I head over. Being the highest point in our grounds,it has the best uninterrupted views.
I waste no time in making my way there andselect just the right spot. At this point, he isn’t too far away, and Sadie isjust getting warmed up. He has coaxed her on from a solid walk into a fairlybrisk trot and she is looking frisky so there’ll be no problem in her pickingup speed. All it will take will be a little nudge into her belly and she willrespond. I wait with bated breath and my co-conspirators have joined me. Therewas no way these pair were going to miss out on the action!
“Ooh, this is exciting!” Caroline can’tcontain her emotions. “Come on, give her a kick on, get her moving; what areyou waiting for?”
“Damn it!” James chirps in and I see thereason for his frustration. Rider and horse have disappeared out of sight overthe brow of a small hill. We have an excruciatingly painful wait to catch sightof them again. It felt like ten minutes but, in reality, it was probably only acouple of minutes. Then, we were lavishly rewarded. They burst into sight,Sadie now in a rapid canter, covering ground easily and looking quite at easewith it all.
Then, disappointingly he reins her in.Something has caught his eye. He guides her over to a section of the fence andtakes a closer look. We are all impatient and James speaks for us all when hesays, “What are you doing? Get on with it man! Get her moving, you daft bugger;it’s no use stopping still. Aaahhh!” But stopping still is exactly what he didand undoubtedly the break in flow will have calmed the feisty Sadie down.
Obviously, there is a section of the fenceneeding repaired so he’s now being more methodical in his approach; frightenedto miss anything which of course unfortunately means the pace has slowed rightdown. We sit and wait, there’s nothing else for it! We keep expecting him tokick her on and get going again but it doesn’t happen. In fact, it looks asthough he is heading back this way.
He is heading back this way!“You have to be kidding me! What a waste of time and effort!” He is clearlyheading back to get materials to repair the fence. We can wait no longer,otherwise we’ll miss the bus. Cautiously, we make our way back to the croft viathe stable block. I misjudged how far away he was (thinking there was plentydistance between us) but I hear it as clear as a bell; “Stop right there! Donot move a muscle.” I tell Caroline and James to head back, it’s me he wants tospeak to.
Oh God, this plan has seriously backfired.As requested, I stand still, and he approaches. Sadie once again gives me anaffectionate nuzzle. It is temporary relief. “Explain yourself, boy!” That isall he says and I’m not sure how to respond. “Cat got your tongue? Well, let meenlighten you then! You have proven yourself once more to be a useless waste ofspace. Even after all these years you still manage to mess up when it comes totacking Sadie up. The girth was way too loose, I could feel it the minute wepicked up the pace going over the brow of the hill! I had to slow up andtighten it before we set off again. If I hadn’t done that and she’d taken off,I’d have had a nasty accident!”
“Sorry Sir. Caroline was helping me thismorning. Perhaps I was distracted with her being there. Sorry, it won’t happenagain.”
“Don’t be stupid, boy! Don’t go blamingCaroline for YOUR actions! Use your God-damn brain next time youimbecile!” With that he dismounts and leads her back to her stall.
Itake stock. Not the desired result; our plan had backfired. However, at leasthe didn’t suspect foul play. Why did I bring Caroline into the picture though?Trying to deflect all the blame away from myself? I immediately feel ashamed.And it was back to the drawing board. This time we needed something fool proof.Then I remember my promise to Caroline – we would use her plan if this onefailed. What did she have up her sleeve? I felt trepidation and excitement inequal measure.
CHAPTER 14
I
am curious to find out what George has in store for metoday. He has said very little about what he has planned, and I am leftguessing. Reluctant to let my mind run away with itself, I resolve to lettingit play out and to try to go with the flow.
Juliet is by my side and has been verysupportive. We sit at the breakfast table waiting on both George and Janeyappearing. I asked Janey to come and join us for breakfast last night. Howcould I not? Whether or not I’m doing the right thing remains to be seen. Sheis in Skye and I see no other way around it
