Comet and the Champion's Cup (19 page)

“You must be joking!” Hester said without thinking. Then she saw Mrs Brown's distraught face and added, “She'll be fine, Amanda. She'll get over it no trouble–you watch!”

“Come on, Issie!” Tina, Trisha, Lucy, Sophie, Kitty, Kelly-Anne, George and Arthur were screaming at the top of their lungs.

Down in the arena, Comet's ears swivelled as he heard the shouts of the crowd. But the ear net had muffled the noise and he didn't lose his cool. Neither did Issie as she lined the skewbald pony up to the wall, took a deep breath and rode him forward at a fast canter. Comet took four big strides and then leapt straight up in the air. It almost looked like the pony was climbing the wall rather than jumping it as he rose up and over. Then he did a neat flip with his hindquarters, flicking his fetlocks up in the air so that they too flew above the bricks.

“Is she over?” Kate asked, peeking through her fingers. “Did she do it?” Her question was answered by the roar of the crowd going wild. Issie was clear!

“We are down to just two competitors in the final round. Natasha Tucker on Fabergé and Isadora Brown on Blackthorn Comet,” the announcer said. “The course stewards are now raising the wall. They've taken
it up another ten centimetres this time. That means final height for our pony Puissance today will be one metre seventy!”

As the stewards added another row of bricks to raise the height of the wall, Issie tried to stay calm and keep Comet working at a trot around the warm-up area. A metre seventy!
It's OK
, she told herself,
that's just ten more centimetres, hardly anything at all. Comet can do it
.

“Issie!” A voice called out to her. She looked up and saw Natasha Tucker riding towards her on Fabby. There was something wrong though. Issie couldn't place it at first and then she realised what it was. Natasha was smiling at her.

“Issie!” Natasha said. “I just wanted to ask you something. It's just that, well, the ground is quite hard and I don't want to hurt Fabby's legs more than I have to and I was just wondering…well…”

“What?” said Issie.

“I was just wondering if you want to call it quits at round four,” Natasha said. “We could tell the judges that we're both stopping now and then they'd call a draw and we'd both share the first and second prize money.” Natasha gave Issie a smile. “What do you think? Do we have a deal?”

Issie looked at the wall. Maybe Natasha was right. An extra ten centimetres meant that the wall was totally huge now. Way bigger than anything she had ever jumped in her life. She looked back at Natasha, and then she remembered what Avery had said about horses being able to sense fear. At that moment, Issie could sense it too. She realised that Natasha was afraid. Afraid of the wall and afraid of losing to Issie. That was the difference between these two riders now. Sure, the wall was huge, but Issie still believed she could do it. She believed that Comet could jump it. And she wasn't afraid. She was ready.

“Thanks, Natasha, but I want to ride,” she said. “I want to see how this one turns out.”

Natasha's smile instantly transformed into a scowl. “Your loss,” she said. “Just remember I gave you your chance to be a winner, OK?”

“Natasha Tucker on Fabergé into the ring please!” the announcer called.

“Good luck, Natasha,” Issie said.

“What-ever!” Natasha snapped back as she turned Fabergé and rode into the arena. The steely determination was still there on Natasha's face, but this time as she took the first fence and turned to face the wall, Issie saw something else in there as well.

Fabergé sensed the change in his rider too. As they came in to take the wall this time, Issie could only just see the very tips of the grey pony's ears above the wall. She saw Fabergé approach and then get ready to take off and then, at the very last moment, Natasha lashed out with her whip. At the same time, though, she stiffened and hesitated and Fabergé felt the conflict of being struck by this girl who was afraid to go over the wall. Instinctively, the horse became afraid too. Instead of leaping, at the very last moment he planted his feet and slid to a stop. Natasha, who hadn't been expecting this, flew clean over his head and straight into the wall. There was a loud gasp from the crowd as the bricks and rider all tumbled down in a great heap, and then a sigh of relief when Natasha stood up and dusted herself off.

“And unfortunately for Natasha Tucker and Fabergé that fall means disqualification in the final round,” the announcer said. “Our stewards are just taking a few moments to rebuild the wall and then we'll have our last competitor, Isadora Brown on Blackthorn Comet.”

In the grandstand the crowd went completely silent as Issie entered the ring.

Comet seemed to know that every eye in the place was on him. The little skewbald had always known he was a star, and now that he had his moment to show them, he was loving it! Issie could feel the fizzing tension in his chestnut and white body. The little horse was almost trembling with excitement and eagerness as he took the painted rails with ease and came around the corner for the last time to confront the wall.

As Issie approached the wall this time she tried to clear her mind.
Don't think about how big it is
, she told herself,
and don't think about the danger. Just think about being on the other side
.

Professional showjumpers will tell you that once the fences start getting really big, jumping feels totally different. There is a moment when it doesn't feel like you are jumping at all; it feels like you are flying. It felt like that now as Comet took the wall. As the pony leapt up and up, Issie felt the world fall away behind her, and then she was in midair. As they crested the top of the wall it felt like they were in slow motion, floating there for a moment, before they came down the other side.

This time, all the ear nets in the world couldn't have muffled the noise of the crowd. The grandstand went wild with applause as the little skewbald landed on the
other side. They were clear. They had won!

“Isadora Brown and Blackthorn Comet are the winners of the pony Puissance!” the announcer called. “A fantastic jump at one metre seventy and a well-deserved win for the prize of the Puissance Cup!”

“I get a cup?” Issie couldn't believe it. “Tom, did you hear that? I get a cup!”

“You get more than that,” Avery beamed at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Issie, you just won $15,000!”

“What?” Issie couldn't believe it. She had assumed there would be some prize money for the Puissance, but she had never dreamt it would be that much! “Why didn't you tell me I was jumping for that much money?”

“Because it would have made you nervous,” Avery said. “I figured you were coping with your nerves quite well. I didn't want to say anything that might throw you.”

“Ohmygod!” Issie still couldn't believe it.

“Go on!” Avery grinned at her. “Get into the ring for prize-giving!”

Issie had to laugh as they took their victory lap of the arena with their trophy and the red sash tied around Comet's neck. This was Comet's moment and boy did the skewbald know it. He pranced about the ring with
his neck arched and his head high as if to say,
I told you all that I could do it, didn't I?

As they cantered out of the arena, the whole gang from Blackthorn Farm was on the sidelines to meet them.

“Mum!” Issie jumped down off her horse and gave her mother a huge hug. “We did it!”

“Wasn't he a superstar out there?” Mrs Brown said.

Issie hugged Comet tight around his neck. The pony wouldn't stay still though; he was still prancing about, making the most of all the attention.

“Comet, I can see you are going to be completely unbearable to live with from now on!” Issie giggled.

Hester sighed. “Isadora, he was already unbearable before. I can see that I'm going to have to build some paddocks with bigger fences when we get him home.”

“That might not be necessary,” said the woman striding towards her. Issie recognised the red hair and tan jodhpurs immediately. It was the same woman she had seen training Natasha Tucker. It was Ginty McLintoch.

“Hello, Hester,” the red-headed woman said briskly.

“Hello, Ginty,” Hester said. “I suppose you've come over to see our Puissance champion?”

“I've come to do more than that,” Ginty said. “I've come to buy him.”

“What makes you think he's for sale?”

Ginty looked Hester in the eye. “Don't play games, Hester. Everyone knows your farm is in trouble. I imagine that a cash injection from a horse sale is just what you need right now, and I'm here to offer it to you.”

“He's not for sale, Ginty,” Hester replied coolly.

“Oh, really?” Ginty raised an eyebrow and took out her chequebook. She smiled at Hester. “I've got a cheque here for $25,000 that says that he is.”

Issie looked at her aunt. $25,000! That was more than enough money to save the farm and Hester and Issie both knew it. But her aunt wouldn't, she couldn't sell Comet. Could she?

Issie watched in horror as her aunt paused for a moment. Her face was expressionless as she looked at Issie. And then Hester reluctantly reached out a hand and took the cheque.

Hester held the cheque in her hands and looked at it. Then she turned once more to the red-headed woman. “I'm sorry, Ginty. That's a lot of zeros you have written on here, but…”

Ginty looked Hester in the eye. “OK, Hester,” she said. “If you want to play hardball. What do you want? Another $1,000? $2,000? All right, I'll make that a $28,000 cheque. I've got a client that this pony would be perfect for. She's looking for a new horse. And a horse just like this one could take her to the top.” Ginty ran a hand down Comet's neck. “This pony will be perfect for Natasha.”

Issie blinked. “You mean you're buying Comet for Natasha Tucker?”

Ginty looked taken aback. “You know Natasha?”

“We go to the same pony club,” Issie said flatly.

“Well, she asked me to find her a new horse,” Ginty said. “And I think I just have.”

“Think again.” Hester lifted up the cheque daintily between her fingers and ripped it carefully and cleanly in two.

“I'm sorry, Ginty, but I've been trying to tell you…Comet is not for sale. And even if he was for sale,” she added, “you're talking to the wrong person. He doesn't belong to me.”

Ginty stiffened. “Well, who is his owner then?”

“That would be my niece,” Hester said, turning to Issie. “Comet's her pony, so Natasha will have the pleasure of seeing him at the next pony-club rally because Issie will be riding him there.”

Issie was stunned. “Really? Aunty Hess, do you mean it? He's mine? To take back home with me and everything?”

“Absolutely!” Hester said. “That is, if you want him.”

Issie didn't need any more convincing. “Of course I want him!” she said. She turned to Comet and threw her arms around his patchy chestnut and white neck.

“Well,” Ginty sighed. “I think you're all mad, of
course. You won't get a price this good from anyone else in the business.” She handed her card to Issie. “If you ever change your mind and want to sell him, these are my details. My offer still stands.” Issie accepted the card and shoved it in her jodhpur pocket.

Ginty ran her eyes over Comet one last time. “That's quite the pony you have there,” she said to Issie.

“I know,” Issie replied. “He really is.”

“Do you think we did the right thing?” Issie asked her aunt as they sat around the kitchen table back at Blackthorn Farm that evening. “I mean, should I have taken Ginty's money? It would have got you out of trouble–with the farm and everything, I mean.”

Hester shrugged. “I suppose it would have been the logical thing to do,” she said, “but then I was never really one for logic. Besides, I'm not sure that Comet would be worth all that money without you riding him. You and that skewbald were made for each other and I'm not about to split you up now. You've got a lot of adventures ahead of you yet. Maybe not at this farm–but I couldn't sell Comet to save this place. I just couldn't. Now,”
Hester looked around the table at Mrs Brown, Stella, Kate, Ben, Dan, Avery and Aidan, “shall I put the kettle on for tea then?”

Hester was just about to stand up when Issie shoved an envelope across the table to her. “Aunty Hess? I want you to have this.”

Hester looked at the envelope in front of her on the table. She didn't pick it up.

“What is it?”

“$15,000,” Issie said. “It's my winnings from the Puissance.”

“Can I add something to that?” said a voice across the table. It was Aidan and he too thrust an envelope across the table at Hester. “It's $10,000. My winnings from the showjumping. I still came second in the novice hack–plus managed to ace a couple of other events on Destiny.”

Aidan looked at Hester. “I want you to have the money. With my money and Issie's combined that makes $25,000. It's enough to save the farm for now. It will see us through until we get that next big film job.”

Hester shook her head. “No. I won't let you kids do this. This is your money. I won't take your charity.”

There was silence at the table–and then, finally, Mrs
Brown spoke. “I agree,” she said. She turned to her sister, “You're right, Hess. I won't let Issie give you $15,000. That money could be her future. She could invest it and use it for university…”

“But, Mum! I want to do this…”

“Let me finish, Issie!” Mrs Brown said firmly. “I said I won't let you give it to your aunt, but I will let you invest it with her. That is, if Hester is willing to take you and Aidan on as her business partners.” Mrs Brown smiled at her sister. “Hess, I know I always tease you about this place being a money pit, but since I got here I've been seeing things differently. It's beautiful here. I can see why you love it so much, and the riding school could be a real success in the future or maybe you could breed Blackthorn Ponies? If they all show as much promise as Comet then you could have a lucrative business on your hands selling up-and-coming showjumpers to people like Ginty McLintoch. Not to mention the film work, which I'm sure will pick up again.”