“Now, just a moment! I haven’t offered her the position yet.”
“Do you have a choice?” Miss Corbett’s brow was up.
He sighed heavily. “Then I suppose w
e are agreed?”
“Oh, we are most definitely agreed.” Cherry almost laughed.
Mr. Trekner cast his eyes towards the sky and silently prayed.
~ Seven ~
TWO FAIR-HAIRED CHILDREN looked into one another’s blue eyes and grimaced. “Well …” the boy said on a defiant note, “she won’t stay. None of them do, and this one won’t be any different.”
His sister eyed him sadly. “I don’t know, Felix. Maybe this one will like us … maybe … and then it will be different. It just might be nice to have someone—”
He pulled a face at her. “What’s that you say? Someone to tell us what to do—when to go out, when to do this or that—keep us from the stables?”
They were at that moment on their way to the stables, for horses were a passion with both of them.
“Hmmm. I shouldn’t like to be kept from the horses, and that last governess was dreadful about it. She did have to go …” his sister mused.
“Aye, just let me look after us. I know what to do.”
“Still, this one is supposed to be a friend of Mr. Trekner’s, and we do like him.”
“What is that to say to anything?” he scoffed. “He is a man.” As if this statement settled the matter, he proceeded, expecting the subject to be closed. It wasn’t. His sister wasn’t ready to let it go.
“Yes, but, Felix … if this one does turn out to be … er, pleasant, promise me you won’t put a frog in her bed like you did to the last one.”
He stopped and went very still for a moment before he exclaimed in some surprise, “But, Francie … that was funny! You laughed too!”
“So I did, but she deserved a frog in her bed,” his sister answered thoughtfully.
“And this one will get the same if she sends us off to bed without dinner,” retorted her brother, ready for a fight.
She could see she wasn’t getting anywhere and decided to let the matter drop for the time being. At any rate, they had reached the large, rambling barn, and the frown had vanished from his face as Spike, their pony, came into view. Felix called out his name, and they both squealed with delight as the pony raised his small head and returned their greeting with enthusiasm.
Thomas, the head groom, smiled and moved towards them as they fed carrots to Spike and cooed affectionately to the pony.
“Seen Brown Glaze yet, darlin’s?” Tom asked with a nod at them.
“That we did, Tom, and looked her over in her pen, but we didn’t see any signs,” Felix answered, his face alight with keen interest.
“Didn’t ye now? Well, well … she be waxing all right, and I think it could be tonight.”
“Tonight?” Francine shrieked. “Oh, Tom, we want to be there when she foals, please, please …”
“Now, now can’t be spending the entire night in the barn, ye know.”
“Yes, we can, please, Tom. No one will know.” Both twins pleaded, hands pyramided placatingly as they closed their eyes with their hopes.
Tom turned suddenly, his attention elsewhere as he put up a finger and hushed them. He was on no ceremony with these children, as he had taught them to ride, just as he had their father.
The twins watched as he started off towards the stud paddock, calling their prize stallion’s name as he moved in that direction. “Frenchy! Eh, son, settle down.”
* * *