To Be the Best (25 page)

Philip followed her across the room.

He stood directly behind her, breathing in the fragrance of her hair, her perfume. It was something spicy, musky almost, and he found it provocative. He had the sudden urge to put his arms around her, and he had to exercise enormous constraint not to do so.

In a tightly controlled voice, he said, ‘Oh, that’s Andrew, the Scottish sea captain, who came to Australia as a free settler in 1852, and that’s his wife, Tessa, in the portrait next to his. Andrew was the founding father, settling here on this land, starting the sheep station, and putting down the original foundations of this house, which he called Dunoon, after the place he came from in Scotland.’

‘It’s a very beautiful house,’ Madelana murmured in a husky voice, so conscious of Philip’s proximity she could barely speak.

‘Thank you…I think so, too. But actually, it was Andrew’s son, Bruce, my great-grandfather, who gave the manor its feeling of the American Old South in the early 1900s, after a trip to America. He built the new façade, added the pillars, and superimposed the look of the plantations of Georgia and Virginia.’

‘And Kentucky…it reminds me of home.’

Philip walked around her so that he was able to see her face, and his dark brows lifted in surprise. ‘You come from bluegrass country?’

Madelana nodded.

‘But you don’t sound at all southern.’

‘And you don’t sound particularly Australian,’ she said, and then she laughed for the first time since meeting him, and this eased the tension which had been building inside her. ‘I was born and raised in Lexington.’

‘Then you must have grown up around horses. You
did,
didn’t you? And you
do
ride, don’t you?’

‘Yes.’

His eyes lit up, and his voice was buoyant as he exclaimed spontaneously, ‘Come riding with me!
Now.
I want to show you the land, take you over the station…you can’t have seen very much last night, especially in the dusk.’ He glanced at her clothes. ‘I’m sure we have breeches and boots to fit you.’

‘I brought my own riding things,’ Madelana said, then explained, ‘Before we left New York, Paula told me we’d probably be coming here for a weekend, and to be prepared. In fact, she told me exactly which clothes to bring.’

‘Smart girl, my sister,’ he said, the lopsided grin sliding onto his mouth again. ‘Come on then, what are we waiting for!’

Philip grabbed hold of her hand, hurried her out of the gallery and into the hall, adding, ‘I’ll have a quick cup of coffee in the breakfast room while you’re changing. I’ll be waiting for you in there.’

‘I’ll only be a few minutes,’ she said quietly, swept up by the power and magnetism of this man.

True to her word, she arrived in the breakfast room within the space of ten minutes.

When she appeared in the doorway so quickly, he was surprised, but pleasantly so. Women who fussed about their hair and their makeup, and dawdled, and kept him waiting
had always been an irritant to him. He was accustomed to the Harte women, who rarely primped but always looked smart, and he was glad Madelana fitted into this mould.

As he rose and went over to her, admiration flickered in his eyes. He liked the way she was dressed. She was obviously a genuine horsewoman, not an amateur who merely fancied herself in the get-up, and did not take riding seriously. Her clothes announced this to him. Her man-tailored, red-and-purple plaid wool shirt and cream breeches were in good condition, but by no means new, and her black boots, as highly polished as his own, were well worn and obviously a few years old.

Smiling broadly, taking her elbow, he led her out of the house and across the back courtyard to the garage.

As they walked past the collection of vintage cars lined up against the wall of the roofed-in walkway, he asked, ‘Which way did you drive to the manor from the airfield last night?’

‘Tim Willen brought us on the main road,’ Madelana answered. ‘I saw quite a lot of the station – the sheep pens, the shearing sheds, and that whole area of work buildings, as well as the compound.’

‘Good-o…then we can get out to the countryside immediately, go for a
real
ride, instead of just puttering around,’ he announced, helping her into his dark blue Maserati.

Philip had phoned through to the stables while she was changing, and when they arrived at the old buildings which she had so admired the night before, their horses were already saddled.

The head groom was waiting for them, and after Philip had introduced her to Matt, he took her over to the stalls. ‘This is Gilda,’ he said, opening the stall gate, leading out the roan mare. Handing Madelana the reins, he went on, ‘She’s all yours. You’ll find she’s gentle, but with enough spirit not to be too boring for you.’

Philip stepped away from the horse, and resisted the temptation to help Madelana mount.

‘Thanks, she’s beautiful,’ Madelana said, looking at the roan appreciatively. She began to stroke and fondle the young mare’s nose and head, and nuzzle her, then she whispered in her ear, endeavouring to make friends, as the grooms in Kentucky had taught her always to do with a strange horse. After a couple of minutes of this play, Madelana felt that they knew each other well enough, and she put her left foot in the stirrup, swung herself up into the saddle.

Philip had watched her performance with Gilda, nodding to himself at her expertise, and smiling inwardly. Now he mounted Black Opal, his glossy ebony-coloured stallion, and led the way out of the cobbled stable yard, across the main road, and down a dirt track that sloped towards a small copse.

They trotted single file along the narrow track overhung with golden elms and willows, and soon came out into a wide meadow where the green grass rippled under the light breeze. For a while they cantered side by side, and then unexpectedly Philip broke into a gallop, spurring Black Opal forward, leaving Madelana behind.

‘Come on, Gilda girl, come on mah honey,’ Madelana cooed, leaning forward on the mare’s neck, rising slightly out of the saddle, standing as she broke into a gallop and streaked after Philip.

She caught up with him, and they galloped together through several adjoining meadows, jumping fences, racing neck and neck, until Philip finally slowed and reined-in Black Opal.

Madelana instantly followed suit, knowing that she must take his lead, since she was on strange ground and in unfamiliar surroundings.

As they caught their breath, they looked at each other.

‘That was great. You’re terrific,’ Philip said. ‘But we’ve
got to cool it now, we’re coming to the sheep and cattle grazing fields.’

‘Yes, I understand,’ she said.

They wandered at a gentle pace through the beautiful pastoral countryside, passing herds of cattle and flocks of sheep roaming the meadows and the lower slopes. They skirted copses filled with the ever-present golden elms and eucalyptus, and travelled along a deep and lovely valley, following the winding, silver thread of the river Castlereagh for a short way, and finally they went slowly up into the green hills of Dunoon.

They spoke intermittently.

Madelana asked the odd question now and again, and occasionally Philip volunteered bits of information, but for the most part they were quiet.

This pleased Philip. He did not always wish to talk, was frequently introspective and preoccupied and women who chattered nonstop got on his nerves. Her silence was like a balm. He was conscious of her in every respect, yet she was not an intrusion on him or his inbred sense of privacy, and there was no awkwardness between them, at least as far as he was concerned. In fact, just simply riding along with her like this made him feel lighter, happier than he had in years.

Madelana was having similar feelings.

The anxiety and tension she had experienced in the portrait gallery had lessened when she was in her room changing her clothes, had dissipated almost entirely during the time she had been out here in the open air with him.

Although New South Wales was as far away from Kentucky as anyone could get, she felt closer to home than she had since leaving her beloved bluegrass country four years ago. The stillness of the gardens, which had struck her so forcibly earlier that morning, was even more pronounced
in this vast landscape, and the overwhelming peacefulness was filling her with a sense of tranquillity. And because she was relaxed, she was unexpectedly at ease with herself and with Philip.

They rode together across his land for almost two hours.

At last they came to the place he had been heading for since they had left the stables. It was the highest point on Dunoon, and Philip led the way up the steep incline. When he reached the top of the hill, he jumped down off Black Opal, stood waiting by the side of the horse for Madelana, who was only a short distance behind him.

She came up onto the crest, handling the roan beautifully and with the skill of a seasoned equestrian. Nevertheless, he wanted to help her dismount, but once again he refrained. He was afraid to touch her.

As she swung out of the saddle, dropped lightly to the grass, he strolled over to the huge oak that spread its ancient branches across the hilltop like a giant parasol of lacy green.

Madelana joined him, and he told her, ‘My great-great-grandfather planted this oak over a hundred years ago, and this is my favourite spot. It was Emma who first brought me up here when I was a little boy – she loved it, too. You can see for miles around. Just look!’ he exclaimed, flinging his arm out in a sudden sweeping gesture. Then he shaded his eyes with his hand, gazed out across the undulating terrain, and there was pride and love in his voice, when he said ‘There’s nowhere in the world like it, at least not for me.’

‘It is staggeringly beautiful,’ Madelana replied, meaning her words. Everything seemed more vivid to her at Dunoon…the sky looked infinitely bluer, the clouds whiter, the grass and trees greener, the flowers more colourful. It was a paradise, as he had said earlier when they were riding through the valley. She took several deep breaths. The air was crystal clear up here, and so pure and bracing.

Philip took off his wide brimmed hat, threw it down, ran his hand through his thick black hair. ‘Let’s take a rest before heading back,’ he suggested, motioned to the ground, and sat down.

Madelana nodded, also seated herself, enjoying the dark-green coolness under the shady tree after their long ride in the sun.

They were both silent for a short while, and then Philip said, ‘It must have been wonderful to feel the way they did, don’t you think?’

‘Yes,’ Madelana said, understanding immediately that he was referring to Paul and Emma.

‘Have you ever been in love like that?’ Philip asked.

‘No, have you?’

‘No.’ He immediately fell silent, slipped down into his thoughts, and Madelana was quiet.

‘Are you married?’ he asked suddenly.

‘No, I’m not…nor have I ever been.’

Philip gave her a sidelong glance. He wanted to ask her if she was involved with anyone special but he did not dare. Already the conversation had been more breathtakingly personal than he had intended.

As if aware that he was studying her surreptitiously, she turned her head, gave him a long look through those quiet, unwavering grey eyes.

He smiled at her.

She smiled back. Then she pulled her knees up to her chest, rested her chin on them, sat staring out into the blue-and-white haze of sky and cumulus clouds, drifting.

Philip leaned back, rested his head against the gnarled tree trunk. Intuitively, he knew that she knew about his reputation as a playboy. He stifled a sigh. It had never bothered him in the past. Now it did. He wondered how he was going to overcome this with her.

The evening had turned suddenly cool, and a strong wind was blowing down from the hills above Dunoon, ruffling the curtains, making them billow about wildly, and chilling the air in her bedroom.

Paula shivered, rose from the dressing table, and went to close the window.

Once seated again, she picked up her pearl choker, fastened it around her neck, put on the
mabé
pearl-and-diamond earrings, and then sat back, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Not bad, she thought, for an overworked executive and harassed wife and mother of four who’s knocking thirty-seven.

She turned her head, glanced at the colour photograph on the dressing table. It was of Shane and her with Lorne, Tessa, Patrick and Linnet, taken by Emily on the terrace of Pennistone Royal in the spring. Her heart tightened imperceptibly when she thought of her two youngest children; in their different ways they were both so vulnerable, and they needed her.

They had been in bed and fast asleep when she had phoned Shane earlier that morning. With the difference in time between Australia and England she was actually one day ahead, and it had been almost midnight on Friday when she had reached him at Pennistone Royal. He had just returned from dinner with Winston at Beck House; Emily had already left for Hong Kong, on her buying trip for Genret, and apparently the two best friends had enjoyed a rare bachelor evening together.

It had been wonderful to hear his loving and reassuring voice, to know that all was well at home. Lorne and Tessa
were now properly settled in at their respective boarding schools, and Nanny Pat was back from her week’s holiday in the Lake District, and was once again in command of the nursery and her young charges.

‘No problems, darling,’ Shane had said, sounding so close he might have been in the next room. ‘I’ll spend the weekend here with the kids, then push off to London on Sunday night. And listen, angel, I heard from Dad today. He phoned to tell me he and Mother are definitely coming for Christmas, and so young Laura will be with us too, and Merry and Elliot have also accepted. It looks as if we’re going to have quite a mob with us up here in Yorkshire…it’ll be like the old days when Blackie and Emma were alive. We’ll have a wonderful time.’

His news had delighted her, and they had chatted for another half hour about the Christmas plans, the children, and other family matters, and Shane had promised to ring her in a couple of days. She had felt much better when she had hung up. She missed him and the children enormously when she was travelling, was never completely at ease when she was separated from her family. She tried not to worry, but invariably she did, and she suspected she would never change. Her nature, after all, was her nature.