Clarissa: Historical Romance (Chronicles of the Hudson River Valley Book 1)

by Jean Jacobsen

  “What is it, Baines? What do you mean, peculiar like?” Clarissa didn’t have time for peculiarities.

  “Just an observation, lassie, nothing for certain yet,” his voice belied his words. There was definitely something wrong.

  “You must have noticed something for you to bring it to my attention. Don’t leave me in suspense tell me.”

  “Well now, it’s a couple of the ones scheduled for the auction. They seem to be acting colicky-like if you know what I mean.” The worried look on his face told Clarissa all she needed to know.

  “Show me which ones Baines.” Panic started to set in, she knew that colic could kill a horse. She had only seen it once, but that was one time too many. She could remember only one time when a horse had colic and she had watched her father and Baines work and worry over him. After a long night of taking turns walking him around, never letting him lay down, the constriction had passed and he had thankfully recovered. She should be so lucky now. Lochwood could not afford to lose even one of these fine animals.

  “So far, it only seems to be Lady Godiva and Love’s Revenge. I saw them rolling around in the pasture after we turned them out this morning.”

  “You mean, something other than just a horse rolling in the grass and dirt for a good back-scratch?”

  “That’s just it lassie. I approached them to get a better look and they each got up well enough and joined the other horses. It got me to thinkin’, that’s all.”

  “Keep an eye on them, Baines. We don’t need any problems before the auction.”

  “That’s true enough. I’ll be out and around today soaking up some sun in these old bones before cold weather sets in. It’ll be a good time for me to observe them more closely.”

  “Thank you, Baines. I’ve always been able to count on you.” She started to walk away and turned on her heel, hand on her hip, “What do you mean old bones? You never seem to age in my eyes.”

  He chuckled as he replied, “I think ya need to get your eyes checked. Don’t ya see all the snow on this old mountain top?” He removed this cap and pointed to his snow-white hair.

  “Yes. I see the snow, as you call it. For your information, my eyesight is fine. Perhaps it’s just in my heart that you will always be forever young. I’ll be at the racetrack today timing the lot of them to make my final decision on the ones going to auction. Send for me if you see anything out of the ordinary.”

  “That I will. I’ll be working with our new groom today. He doesn’t seem to be coming along as fast as I’d like. He seems nervous, jumpy-like, especially at feeding time.”

  “You haven’t mentioned this before, why now? I’ve seen how he handles the horses and it’s with the utmost kindness, like our other grooms.” A worried look crossed Clarissa’s face as she, too, now started to question her observations. Could this have anything to do with the way the horses were acting? A now familiar knot of tension returned to her stomach as she started to doubt her every decision. So much was riding on her ability to get these horses to auction in top shape. Clarissa was brought back to the conversation.

  “Maybe so, perhaps I’m overreacting,” he said. “I know how important the auction is to the future of Lochwood. I’d best stop making problems where they don’t exist. You’re doin’ a fine job an’ I know your father would be proud of you.”

  “You know what I’m like when I set my mind to something, Baines. It’s on one track and I stick with it to the end.” She started this project and she would see it through to the end, whatever that might be.

  “Oh lassie, you don’t need to be remindin’ me of your one-track mind. Except that you seem to possess more than one track at a time. Go on with ya now and we’ll meet up at feeding time.”

  Clarissa decided to take a quick look at the horses in the near meadow before proceeding to the racetrack. She leaned on the white fence, pensive, observing all the horses. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her trained eyes.

  At the racetrack, Clarissa approached the waiting horses. She could see the next one up, Ladies Folly, was kicking at her side. The rider was having a hard time staying seated. Clarissa had him dismount and held the bridle while she looked over the horse. He seemed to be in some distress.

  “When did this start?” She questioned the groom.

  “Well, he was a bit edgy when I took him from the stables and rode him here this morning. I didn’t think much about it, you know they can be temperamental.”

  As Clarissa walked around the horse, he continued to paw at his belly, not a good sign.

  “Take him back to the stables. Do not ride him. Unsaddle and walk him back.”

  “Yes, Miss Tanner, right away.”

  Clarissa didn’t like what she was seeing and wanted to speak to Baines about Ladies Folly. She called a halt to the training and ordered all grooms and horses returned to the stables.

  “The schedule is all off for today. I don’t know how I will recover this lost time.” Clarissa mumbled to no one in particular as she mounted Figgy. Delays and interruptions were hard for Clarissa to adjust to. She didn’t like what she was seeing or thinking about the horses. Perhaps Baines would have some answers. When she arrived, he was attending to another horse that had the same symptoms. Her heart sank. Surely this wasn’t happening, and she was making a problem where none existed.

  Baines had a horse in the walkway of the first stable. It was being held by one of the grooms as Baines calmly ran his hand over the shoulders and belly of the horse in a soothing manner. This horse did not seem to be in as much distress as some of the others.

  Clarissa hurried to his side and spooked the horse who jerked on his lead rope. “Easy now,” he said. “You seem to be in an awfully big hurry there Lassie.”

  Clarissa related the incident at the training track, which elicited a frown from Baines.

  “I’ve noticed the same thing happening here. A couple of the horses have been turned out into the nearby meadow for observation. One was seen rolling around in the dirt and kicking at her belly. Not good signs, as you well know. I’ve taken the liberty to send for the vet to come here straight away.”

  “We are so fortunate to have you here Baines. How many horses seem to be affected?” She was second-guessing herself again. She should have been the one to send for the vet. All around her were horses in various stages of distress. Panic was truly setting in. She held her stomach as she bent over to catch her breath. After a couple of minutes, she was temporarily back in control and straightened up to her full height.

  “So far we have five horses here with similar symptoms. Are there more from the racetrack?” asked Baines.

  Clarissa released a big sigh she didn’t even know she had been holding. “I’m afraid we have at least one more, Ladies Folly.”

  “Saints preserve us, lassie. We can’t afford to have them ill so close to the auction. If I’m right, we are looking at colic. We best start walking them around until Doc arrives and can confirm my fears.” Baines had seen horses afflicted with this during his many years of working around them.

  Baines instructed the groom to take the horse to the pasture for some exercise and observation. Follow me,” said Baines “we’ll each need to take a horse and start walking them around.” He called for two more grooms to help with the horses in the stables while he and Clarissa made their way to the meadow. If this was colic, they needed to get the horses on their feet and walking around as quickly as possible, if it wasn’t colic, the exercise wouldn’t do them any harm.

  Side-by-side they continued their conversation. She turned to Baines with a questioning look, “Have we changed our feed supplier recently?”

  “No Miss. The last time I went for feed I did notice a couple of new faces around the store. Didn’t think anything of it, workers come and go.”

  “Can you do some quiet checking on those new guys, Baines?”

  “I have a couple of trusted friends I can put the word out to, quiet-like. It might take them a couple of days to get back
to us. In the meantime, we have our hands full enough with this new problem.”

  It was nearly an hour before Doc showed up. The sound of a buggy approaching the stable area brought everyone’s attention that way. Doc alighted quickly and made for the paddock.

  “Miss Tanner, Baines,” he said as he quickly approached them, touching the brim of his hat. “I came as soon as I received your message. What seems to be the problem? Which of the horses is in the most distress?”

  “Casanova for one, Doc and, Lady Jane for another” answered Clarissa. “We just finished a twenty-minute walk.” Doc reviewed each horse’s feed record with Clarissa and Baines to see if anything there was amiss. Thank heaven her father had insisted that meticulous records be kept of feed portions as well as a daily record of each horse's activities. It was now becoming clear to her just how important these records could prove to be useful. Doc thoroughly read the entries, flipping back and forth between pages. The silence between them was almost more than Clarissa could endure. Her eyes darted from Baines to Doc, her face lined with deep concern.

  It seemed like a lifetime had passed before Doc spoke. “I see nothing out of the ordinary in the journals. You say you’ve checked the feed for mold and no sand is present in the pastures? This is most curious.”

  They were puzzled that the feed amounts and kinds had not varied. Doc suggested they do further investigating into their feed bins before issuing the evening portions.

  Doc walked around each horse, observing their behavior. He ran a hand over their shoulders, down their legs, and across their bellies. This was no easy feat as the horses were restless, swaying from side to side all the while trying to strike their bellies with a hoof. An occasional groan rolled from deep inside each horse as if an orchestra was tuning up. He remained in deep thought.

  As they approached Casanova’s stall, they could see he was on his back, rolling around and making sounds which were between a grunt and a whinny. Doc said, “He needs to be standing. Get him up and don’t let him lay down.” They complied immediately, with very little help from the horse. “Get him back outside to walk around.”

  Baines complied and led Casanova to one of the grooms. “Take care with this one. I’ll not have him die on my watch.”

  When he re-entered the stables, he found Doc still questioning Clarissa. “Have you noticed anything or anyone acting out of the ordinary?”

  “You mean as if they were nervous or guilty about something?” Clarissa clarified.

  “Yes, exactly, how about you Baines?” and gave them a moment to consider his question.

  Clarissa clutched her throat as if having difficulty swallowing and croaked out, “Jimmy-Jimmy had a nervous look on his face one-day last week when I was here for the evening feeding. When I looked at him, he ducked his head down and turned away.”

  “Ah now Miss, ya cannot be thinkin what your ‘suggestin here,” Baines gasped. “I know Jimmy is new, but he came highly recommended and I had him checked out before hiring him.”

  Doc jumped in now “Let’s all step back and take a deep breath. Miss Tanner, describe how this Jimmy looked as you passed him while he fed the horses.”

  Clarissa recalled how Jimmy’s eyes seemed to follow her around the stable, quickly avoiding any prolonged eye contact and his body language suggested he might be hiding something. “It was merely a fleeting thought at the time,” she concluded.

  Baines had also noticed the same reaction as he strode the length of the stable making notations in his journal. “I assumed the lad was a bit nervous being new to our stables and routine. I didn’t give it a second thought.”

  “Where is Jimmy now?” asked Doc.

  “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him since he left to fetch you, Doc.”

  “Jimmy is not my main concern right now. I’ll deal with him later,” Clarissa stated. “Doc, what is your prognosis for the horses?”

  “I fear it is not the good news you are hoping for Miss Tanner. These are signs of colic.” Doc slowly shook his head. “Casanova is by far the worst of the lot, then Lady Jane. The next twenty-four hours will be the most critical for them. You must keep up the walking routine, even throughout the night. They cannot be allowed to lie down.”

  “I’ll see to that,” said Baines.

  “I couldn’t possibly sleep while my horses are in such danger. I’ll be here as well,” Clarissa flatly announced.

  “Very well, I’ll dose the other horses that are at the highest risk and take my leave. Be sure to send word if you require my services during the night. Otherwise, I’ll check back tomorrow morning.”

  “Thanks, Doc. Say a prayer that they all survive, will you?” said Clarissa.

  “To be sure, Miss Tanner.” Doc touched the brim of his hat as he turned to minister to the horses.

  Clarissa let a gasp escape her before she could stifle it with her gloved hand. “Oh, Baines, this is a disaster. I must be dreaming. Casanova is our number one champion up for stud service. The money we could garner from him alone would be enough to carry Lochwood through the winter.”

  The pair looked at each other with more stress etched on their faces than when they had received news of her parents’ deaths. “Oh, Baines. Why is this happening to us, and now, just before the auction?”

  “Coincidences don’t just happen. Someone or something set this attack in motion and I won’t rest easy until I find the cause. You can count on that, lassie.”

  Clarissa’s heart ached with the thought that she could lose any one of these fine animals. How had so many of them become ill at the same time? She had calculated what she could expect to receive from the sale of each one without depleting their numbers. She expected to be in the horse business for many years to come, but not if this was a sign of the future.

  They checked the feed bins and talked about everything they could think of that might affect the horse’s diet. As they extended their search, Baines noticed an empty feed sack, which had been left crumpled in the corner as if someone had been in a hurry to discard it. Upon further inspection, he found fine grains of sand caught in the fabric. He let out a string of Gaelic that Clarissa was thankful she didn’t understand.

  “How the blazes did this get in here? Who would do such a thing?” moaned Baines as he grabbed his cap from his head and slapped it on his leg in disgust.

  The realization of what they had just found hit Clarissa with a hard jolt. “Baines, does this mean someone deliberately set out to make our horses ill? How could they and who did this?”

  “I surely don’t know Lassie, but you can bet I’ll be finding out and in short order.” With that, Baines and Clarissa left the feed storage area and returned to the main walkway where the grooms were trying to keep the horses on their feet and walking. They would rotate the horses in the meadow into the walkway where they could keep them under close observation as nightfall was coming on.

  Clarissa started lighting the lamps, which hung on posts along the walkway before returning to the main house for some warmer clothes. It was going to be a long cold night and she was prepared to spend it with her horses. Her dread had increased ten-fold when she returned and caught up with Baines.

  “There, there Lassie. It only looks bad. We’re doing everything we can. Now it’s a waiting game.” He reached out and gently patted Clarissa’s shoulder to provide a small bit of comfort.

  “Let’s each take a horse and walk them in the paddock,” suggested Clarissa. “That way, we can observe the other horses and talk while we are walking.” They walked into the pasture and Clarissa continued questioning Baines. “Did you have an opportunity to check their feed for moldy hay?”

  “I have and everything is in top shape, except for the feed bag we discovered earlier. The timing of this colic with the auction so near is what has me wondering if someone is worried about our success.”

  Clarissa’s eyes grew wide with this last comment from Baines. “It hadn’t occurred to me that someone would endanger our horses. If
they find fault with me that’s one thing, but don’t take it out on the horses.”

  “Sad to say, lassie, the rest of the world can be a cruel place. We’ve been fortunate enough to keep it away from Lochwood. I fear something or someone has found a crack in our armor.”

  Clarissa’s mind was racing with thoughts of villains hiding behind every tree and shrub as her shoulders gave a little shudder.

  They returned to the stables to exchange horses and started their circuit around the paddock. Mr. Bates was waiting in the walkway. He had heard about the horses being sick. “Miss Tanner, I’ve come to see if I might be of assistance.”

  News traveled fast in small communities and tonight was no exception. “Thank you, Mr. Bates. I believe we have the situation well enough in hand.” Her words belied her dread that she could lose any one of these fine animals.

  “Very well then, I’ll take my leave. It would be a shame for the auction to go forward without Lochwood having any horses up for sale.” He touched the brim of his hat and departed.

  Clarissa was stunned by this comment. Did he think she was not fit to manage this farm? The auction had been her idea and now it sounded as if he was taking over. She was more determined than ever to see the horses through this crisis.

  Chapter Nine

  T o the casual observer, it would have appeared to be a parade of horses and people circling the fenced-in area adjacent to the stables. Horses plodded along, occasionally stopping to kick at their bellies and stretching their bodies hoping for some relief, people with their heads down murmuring encouragements as they walked. The walking routine continued into the night leaving the staff barely able to move.

  A light supper of cheese and apples, venison and game bird along with a steaming pot of tea arrived from the manor house. “Here you are Miss. Your grandmother thought you might be in need of a hot cup of tea and something to nibble on. I’ve put the tray just inside the stable doors on that large barrel. Can I be fetching ya something else?”