Secrets (7 page)

Luke nodded. “And my parents. They’re coming to watch for once.” He sounded unbothered, but Ellie knew him well enough to hear the slight tightness that crept into his voice at the mention of his parents.

She glanced over at him, but he was already jumping to his feet. “What are we sitting around here for? Let’s hit that disco!”

Ellie made her excuses, saying she wanted an early night, and left them to it. Pulling on a hoody to ward off the chill evening air, she went to the stables. All her uncle’s horses and ponies were next to each other. It was peaceful in their stalls. She went into all of them, straightening their rugs, stroking them, saying goodnight. First to the two hunters—Hereward and Oscar—then moving on to the ponies: Picasso, Milly, Wisp, Barney, Fizz and Bill. Wisp and Picasso were looking anxious and were pacing around, so Ellie did her best to soothe them. She thought wistfully about Spirit. When he’d been alive, he had often travelled to the shows with the team. The more nervous horses had always responded well to his calmness.

She moved on to Barney who was cheerfully eating his hay. He snorted and wiped his nose on her T-shirt.

“Thanks, boy,” she told him, but she gave him a hug. The people who’d been to see him had decided to buy him. The Royal International would be his last show for her uncle’s team before he went to his new home, but at least she’d liked the family. The girl was twelve and wouldn’t grow out of him for a long time. She was a great rider too and had fed him plenty of mints in the stable. Ellie was sure Barney would have a good home with her. “Be good tomorrow,” she told him. He looked at her, his eyes cheeky.

Ellie left the stables and went back to her tent. Her uncle was at the pub. Helen had gone around to a friend’s trailer and Luke was still out at the disco with the others. All around, she could hear the sound of the generators and music. Ellie changed into her nightclothes and climbed into her sleeping bag. She had a book with her and read it by torchlight until she started falling asleep. Then she settled down for the night. Tomorrow would be her big day in the show ring.

Oh, Spirit
, she thought.
I really wish you were here.

Hugging her arms around herself, she curled up, pulling the sleeping bag tightly over her and fell asleep.

Chapter Seven

ELLIE’S ALARM WENT OFF
at 4 a.m. She and Helen dragged themselves out of bed in the dark to help prepare Wisp and Milly for the early classes. But when they reached the stables they found Len and Luke were already there. Len’s face looked like thunder. He marched past Ellie, almost knocking her over.

“What’s going on?” Ellie asked Luke.

Luke ran a hand through his hair. “It’s Wisp. He cut his ear in the night. It’s not bad, but it will need a few stitches.”

“Oh no.” Ellie’s face fell. Wisp couldn’t go in his class with a stitched ear.

“Great start!” Luke said.

Helen and Ellie went to see Wisp. The pony seemed unbothered by the wound on his ear, but it would definitely rule him out of the ring. “I’ll clean him up,” said Helen, patting him. “You get Milly ready.”

Ellie went into Milly’s stall. The chestnut pony whickered and came over, searching for treats. Ellie fed her a mint and then plaited her up. She would work her in, then wash her off and groom her properly. Their class was due to start at 9 a.m.

Without Wisp to get ready, the team had more time on their hands. While Ellie prepared Milly, Helen and Luke saw to the other ponies. They all worked hard, exercising, grooming, plaiting, each knowing what needed to be done.

At just before nine o’clock, Ellie was sitting on Milly by the entrance to the ring with the other ponies who were in her class. Luke did the final preparations, wiping over the tack, adding more fly repellant, oiling Milly’s hooves. Her coat shone like a chestnut fresh out of its shell; her flaxen mane was rolled into neat plaits. Ellie could feel the butterflies in her stomach as she caught sight of her uncle watching from the side of the ring.

The steward undid the rope stretched across the ring entrance. “Class 136!” he called.

“Good luck!” Luke told Ellie as she took a breath. “Remember you’ll be doing the gallop up the hill. It’s a long way, don’t start too early or she’ll run out of steam by the time she passes the judges. Equally, don’t let her just take off and get out of control.”

“OK,” Ellie said, taking it all in.

“You can do it!” he told her.

“Thanks!”

Buoyed up by the confidence in his eyes, she rode Milly into the ring. The short grass felt springy under the pony’s neat hooves. Milly walked out. The stands at the side of the ring were filling up with spectators. It was a perfect day. The ring was large with trees inside it, their dark green leaves casting shadows on the grass. Ellie kept a careful eye on the two judges and stewards. More and more ponies filed in. Ellie saw Sam from the night before. She was riding a striking dun pony. All the ponies there that day had won a class earlier in the year to qualify, so the standard was very high.

“Be good,” Ellie breathed to Milly as the pony moved her head up and down. She glanced to the center, hoping the judge hadn’t seen, and cursed inside as she saw both judges watching her. The steward called to them all to trot on.

As always, the ponies walked, trotted and cantered around the ring together and then galloped up the long side. There were so many ponies, the round seemed to go on forever. Ellie thought Milly had done well apart from a nasty moment where she had almost switched legs in the canter, which would have been a very bad mistake to make and one she would certainly have lost marks for.

The steward brought them all back to a walk and then pulled them into a line in a provisional order. Milly was lying fourth. Ellie patted her. Hopefully, they could make up any lost ground in the individual show. She waited her turn, then rode out to the judge and bowed.

As she started her show, she could feel the pony bristling with the joy of being in the ring. Ellie knew she’d have her hands full getting through the show without Milly deciding to pull or canter on the wrong leg. Concentrating hard, she just about managed to contain Milly’s liveliness, although in the gallop Milly’s exuberance took hold and she set off very quickly. Ellie managed to control her, but only just. She gave a big smile to the judges as she bowed at the end and then rode back to the line, feeling shaky with relief that it was over and she’d done OK.

Len came into the ring to help her remove the saddle. “Good riding,” he said guardedly.

Ellie took a breath and held Milly as he pulled the saddle off and gave the pony a brush over. There was just the conformation section next and then the judges would make their decision …

When all the ponies had been walked and trotted in hand, the two judges got together. Ellie was back on Milly now and her uncle had left the ring. She could see Luke watching from the ringside.

How had she done? The first two ponies had both done really good shows, the third-placed one had become over excited and hadn’t slowed down well after his gallop. The places were called in reverse order, starting with eighth place. A commentator came into the ring and called the numbers into a microphone. Every time a number was called, the pony was ridden out to take a place in the winning line-up and there were cheers from the supporters in the stand.

Eighth place was called, seventh, sixth, fifth … Ellie could feel her hands starting to sweat in her gloves. Another pony was called in for fourth place. Would she be out of the ribbons completely?

“Number 132,” said the steward, pointing at Ellie. Third place! It wasn’t a win, but it was still brilliant to be placed so high at such an important show.

Patting Milly hard, Ellie rode out to loud applause and then listened as the final two ponies were also called out. Sam won the class on the dun pony. There was a massive cheer in the stands from Caroline’s team. Then one of the judges walked along the line, presenting the rosettes from a basket. Ellie tied hers to the string on her number, tucked the tails into her jacket pocket and then followed the winners round for a lap of honor. It was amazing to be cantering around such a big ring with so many people clapping. Ellie followed the second-placed pony out of the ring as Sam went on for the final lap on her own.

Luke and Len met Ellie.

“Not bad, lass,” said Len, before striding away to do a final check for Oliver Armstrong who was riding Bill in the next class.

Ellie jumped off Milly and hugged her. “Congratulations!” she called to Sam as she rode past.

“Thanks!” Sam beamed.

“You did really well,” Luke said to Ellie.

“Mmm. It wasn’t a win, though,” said Ellie. Their eyes met and she knew he understood how she felt. She was pleased with the yellow rosette, but she also knew that on another day Milly might have won that class. Still, that was showing. Sometimes you could do the best performance you’d ever done and the judge simply might not like your pony. At least that hadn’t happened. Ellie knew in her heart that the two ponies placed ahead of her had performed better and deserved to be higher placed that day.

“You still have Picasso to go,” Luke said. “There’s the chance of a win yet.”

“Yeah, and you have Barney to ride,” she reminded him.

“I’d better fetch him,” said Luke, but just then a man’s voice called his name.

Ellie saw Luke jump and glance around. A tall, good-looking man in his fifties, with graying hair, was coming towards them. His eyes were the same bright blue as Luke’s, but instead of being teasing, they were hard.

“Oh, great,” Luke muttered. He squared his shoulders as the man reached them. “Hi. Richard, this is Ellie. Ellie, this is my father—Richard.”

Not “Dad”
, Ellie noticed.

“Nice to meet you,” she said politely to the older man. She could feel the tension coming from Luke. She remembered everything he’d told her about his father, how he had never been there for him when he was younger, how he had rarely done anything with him, always being too busy working or doing other things.

Now the introductions were made, neither Luke nor his dad seemed to know what to say. Richard stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“Where’s Angela?” Luke asked briefly.

“Your mother’s still at the hotel. You know she doesn’t like getting up early. She’ll be here to see you ride later, though. Twelve thirty, Len said.”

Luke nodded.

“So how was your first class?” his father asked.

“I couldn’t go in.”

“Wisp injured himself,” Ellie added.

Luke’s father didn’t even bother to ask if the pony was OK. “You’ve got a decent chance of winning your next class, though, haven’t you?” he said to Luke, who shrugged.

“Maybe.”

“We should go,” Ellie put in hastily, feeling the tension growing in Luke by the second. “We need to sort the horses out. We’ll see you later, Mr. Black.”

“Yes. I’ll be at the ringside for your class,” Richard said to Luke.

Luke gave the smallest of nods.

“Come on,” said Ellie, remembering her promise to help him escape from his parents when he needed to. Luke didn’t say anything as they led Milly back towards the hill. Ellie stole a glance at him. His expression was brooding.

“So,” she said. “Want to talk about it?”

“Nope.”

“He didn’t seem that bad,” she volunteered.

Luke swung around, bitterness clear in his eyes. “Oh no, he’s not that bad. Not unless you’re a six-year-old boy who loves your dad so much you beg him to come out with you or let you go with him, but then you’re constantly told no, he’s too busy. Just as he was always too busy when I was seven, eight, nine and ten, as well. And then I just became a bother to him when I didn’t get along at school and his time was ‘wasted’ by my head teachers calling him in.” Luke glared. “He pushed me to one side all the time I was growing up, Ellie. How do you think that felt? He never wanted to spend time with me. Weekends he was working. Holidays he was traveling and I was sent to Len’s. He had no time for me then. I don’t want him in my life now!”

He strode on ahead of her. Ellie pulled Milly into a trot and caught up with him. She felt the hurt radiating from him in strong, hot waves. She touched his shoulder, knowing there was nothing she could say to make things better. Just as for horses, sometimes all she could do was be there to hear them. She couldn’t change the bad things that had happened, but she could help by understanding.

“It’s awful,” she said softly. “I agree. I’m sorry it was like that. It shouldn’t have been.”

Their eyes met and for a moment it was as though she was seeing deep down inside him, all his usual barriers down. He let out a deep breath. “I don’t normally talk about this stuff.”

She shrugged, knowing he wouldn’t want her to make a big deal out of it. “You’ve listened to me enough in the past. It’s OK.”

He put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick, warm hug. “Thanks. Though I don’t want to talk about it any more. But thanks for listening and not saying anything stupid.” He smiled, looking more like his usual self. “Tomorrow I shall repay you by celebrating your birthday in style.”

“What? At the disco?” Ellie teased.

“I might even treat you to a burger if you’re lucky—with cheese!”

She rolled her eyes. “Wow, I can barely wait!” They grinned and walked together up the hill to the stables.

Chapter Eight

LUKE’S TEASING MOOD DIDN’T
last for long. When he arrived on Barney for the start of his class, both his parents were standing at the ringside with Len, his mother in a black-and-white zebra-print dress. She was very slim and glamorous, with long, glossy brown hair and smooth skin.

“She looks really young,” Ellie said to Luke as he brought Barney over to where she was standing.

Luke raised his eyebrows. “It’s amazing what Botox, the odd nip-and-tuck and hours at the gym can do. I hope she doesn’t scare the horses in that dress.”

Ellie glanced at him. “You OK?”

“Sure! Why wouldn’t I be?” But as Luke rode away she saw him give Barney an uncharacteristically sharp leg aid. The pony jogged. “Walk!” Luke snapped.