by K E O'Connor
“He’s a handsome boy.” I held my hand out for the horse to snuffle against. His soft nose nudged my fingers for a few seconds before turning to do the same to Fleur.
“He’s magnificent,” said Fleur. “I adore horses. His name is Brutus. When we first got him, he was a bit of a brute. He didn’t like to be ridden, other than by Archie. But over time, he’s mellowed. Now, I can easily handle him.”
Brutus huffed warm air onto my hand and gave a shake of his mane as Flipper approached.
“Your dog’s okay around horses, is he?” asked Fleur. “Don’t want them to come to blows.”
“Flipper is fine around anyone,” I said. “He’s just curious, but he’s used to horses.”
Flipper gave a gentle whine, and Brutus backed up several paces. They both seemed nervous, and I knew why. Archie had just appeared beside his sister.
Fleur rubbed her hands over her arms. “Suddenly gotten chilly. I should have bought a pullover with me.”
I nodded and looked at Archie, who stared affectionately at his sister. “Were you close to your brother?”
“Of course,” said Fleur. “He could be a real pain at times, but then aren’t all older brothers? We used to have the usual sibling rows, but we loved each other. And he was generous, too. He promised me I could stay here as long as I wanted after I was kicked out of my London apartment. Honestly, neighbors are so fussy about little things like noise and parties.”
I saw Archie smile at his sister and shake his head. “Big brothers always tend to be overprotective of their sisters.”
“He was terrible,” said Fleur with a smile. “Archie used to want to vet every guy I dated. But I wasn’t serious about any of them, so he was wasting his time. I do think he wanted me to settle down with a nice chap, though. Someone who would look after me. But I never needed any of them. I always had Archie. Well, until the accident.”
I ran my hand down Brutus’s nose. “Why are you telling me this?” I asked Fleur.
“Because you’re closer to Juliette than I am,” said Fleur. “She might let something slip and reveal she had a hand in Archie’s death.”
“How could she have hurt Archie?”
Fleur folded her arms over her chest. “I have no idea. All I know is that they were not happy. My brother had even mentioned divorce to me a couple of times. Although I’m not sure he was all that serious. But their relationship was not a good one, and it wouldn’t surprise me to know Juliette had something to do with Archie’s death.”
“You think she killed him?”
“She has the most to gain from his death,” said Fleur. “Juliette gets to keep the house and all of Archie’s assets. I get nothing. Not a penny. I have to rely on that old shrew for tiny handouts whenever she feels like it. It’s not fair.”
I glanced at Archie and saw him shake his head again. He didn’t seem convinced by his sister’s words. “Could Juliette have frightened the horse accidentally and Archie fell off?”
“Then she should have confessed that to the police if she’d done something so stupid,” said Fleur. “But she never went riding with Archie, so she wouldn’t have been out with him when he fell.”
“Maybe it was an accident, and Juliette feels guilty about her involvement. If she spooked Brutus by mistake, she'd feel terrible about it.”
“If that is the case, Juliette should come clean and be charged with murder,” said Fleur.
“But if it was an accident, then it couldn’t be murder,” I said.
Archie waved his hands in the air, trying to get my attention, but I had to ignore him. Speaking to thin air in front of Fleur would make me look like a crazy woman.
“I know you don’t get along with Juliette, but I don’t think she is involved with this,” I said.
“You hardly know her,” said Fleur. “Like I said, she has this false image she portrays to people. But when she lets her guard down, the real Juliette comes out. She’s mean with money and cold-hearted. And I don’t think she loved Archie.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Don’t you consider it strange how quickly she married Ben after Archie died? I bet they were seeing each other while Archie was still alive.” Fleur leaned towards me and raised her eyebrows. “Juliette was being unfaithful.”
“Do you have any proof of that?”
“Other than my own eyes and ears, no,” said Fleur. “But maybe the two of them were in it together. Juliette could have made Ben kill my brother, so the two of them could be free to squander his money.”
I couldn’t imagine Ben hurting a fly, let alone killing someone to get his hands on their money and wife.
“Lorna! I thought I heard voices.” Zach appeared from the other side of the stables and walked towards us, dressed in a grubby pair of trousers and a loose linen shirt with a grey jumper over the top. Jessie dashed past him and sniffed noses with Flipper. “Are you thinking of going out for a ride?” He nodded at Fleur.
“Fleur was just showing me the stables,” I said to him.
“Yes, the horses are lovely.” Fleur fluttered her eyelashes at Zach. “Are you any good at riding? We could go out for a hack together.”
“I like horses well enough.” A bemused smile appeared on Zach's face. “But I’m not much of a rider. If we went out together, I’d only hold you back.”
Fleur tweaked the collar of Zach’s shirt. “I’m sure a strong man like you could keep up with little old me.”
Zach took a discreet step back. “Plus, I’m busy with the gardens today.”
“Juliette will never know what you’re up to,” said Fleur. “And if she did spot us out together, I’d say I insisted. She wouldn’t dare say anything then.”
“I’ll bear that in mind,” said Zach.
I glanced over at Archie and saw agitation on his face. Looked like he didn’t approve of his sister flirting with the gardener. And to be honest, neither did I. Time to put a stop to this.
“Shall we go back to the house?” I asked Fleur, manoeuvring myself closer to Zach.
“I’m happy here.” Fleur dismissed me with a wave of her hand. “You go back if you like. I want to get to know my new gardener better.”
I could feel the jealousy rising up in me, a hot unpleasant ball of acid. I had no definite claim over Zach. We’d only been dating for a few months, but I hated to see him being pawed by this gorgeous creature. “I do need to get back to work. And you said yourself it was chilly out here. You don’t want to catch a cold.”
Archie swirled around me in a cold blast of air, and Flipper and Brutus neighed and barked in distress as they sensed his growing irritation.
“It would be good if we both went inside,” I said to Fleur, tugging on her arm.
“You go,” said Fleur. “There’s something interesting I want to investigate out here.” She grinned at Zach and batted her overly long lashes at him again.
“I should get back to work too.” Zach gave me a puzzled look as he scratched his stubbled chin. “It was nice to see you both.”
“No, you’re staying right here,” said Fleur to Zach. “You can help me saddle Brutus. And while you do, I’ll convince you to come riding with me. You’ll come with me in the end; I always get my way.”
Archie swirled around me again, and Brutus kicked his stable door several times with an enormous hoof. Flipper barked and circled me several times, and Jessie picked up on his distress and followed him with an alarmed look on her furry black face.
“Keep your animals calm.” Fleur shot me an irritated look. “They are spooking Brutus.”
“It’s not the dogs spooking the horse.” I looked over at Zach and mimed ghost at him, waving my fingers in the air.
Fleur saw me and glared in my direction. “What on earth are you doing?”
“Nothing, but we should go.” I placed a hand on Flipper’s head to stop him pacing. He looked up at me as he pawed the ground.
Archie still swirled around us, growing angrier as he glared in Zach
’s direction.
“Don’t you have to get back to work, Zach?” I asked him, gesturing with my head, trying to get him to take the hint and disappear.
Zach gave me another puzzled look. “That’s what I was trying to do.”
Fleur caught hold of Zach’s arm and pulled him to her side. “Don’t you go anywhere. I have plans for you.”
Before I could protest, Archie shot towards Zach and passed straight through him. Zach gave a cry of alarm, staggered backwards, and hit the stable wall.
Flipper barked and Brutus gave another solid kick of his stable door, this time breaking through. Splinters of wood flew through the air and straw tumbled out into the yard. Brutus shook his head for a few seconds, his ink black mane swaying from side to side. He backed up a couple of steps, reared onto his back legs, and shot out of the stable.
Chapter 9
“Stop him!” shrieked Fleur as she watched the retreating horse disappear into a nearby field, his head held high and a triumphant neigh floating back to us on the breeze.
“Maybe he won’t go far.” Zach looked over at me and raised his eyebrows as Fleur continued to yell and flap her arms around as if attempting to summon Brutus back.
I wanted to explain to him what had just happened, but I couldn’t start talking about an angry ghost attack when Fleur was still around.
“You don’t understand, you idiot,” snapped Fleur. “Brutus is worth a fortune. We breed from him. If he gets injured, that will cost you both money.”
“Why will it cost us money?” I asked Fleur.
“Because your dogs scared him,” said Fleur. “Therefore, you’re responsible for whatever happens to Brutus. We need to get that horse.”
“The dogs didn’t scare him,” I said.
“Then what did?” Fleur wheeled round and glared at me.
Once again, I was at a loss for words, unable to tell her that her dead brother’s ghost was standing beside her and freaking out the animals. “I’m not sure.”
“Exactly, because this is all your fault,” said Fleur. “And if you don’t get that horse back, it’s going to cost you your job. And I will be seeking damages if Brutus is no longer able to be a stud horse.”
“I’ll help get him,” said Zach. “We can use the dogs to guide Brutus back to the stables.”
“Don’t you dare let those beasts bite Brutus,” said Fleur. “He’s been scared enough by them.”
“Our dogs don’t bite.” I stomped out of the stables, fuming about Fleur’s ridiculous allegations. It was all her brother’s fault this had happened. Well, Fleur was to blame too. If she hadn’t been flirting with Zach, Archie wouldn’t have gotten angry.
I followed the still galloping form of Brutus across the field, Flipper, Jessie, and Zach hurrying after me.
“Do you want to tell me what went on back there?” Zach grabbed hold of my elbow to slow me down. “I take it Archie made an appearance.”
“He did,” I said. “And he wasn’t happy with how his sister was flirting with you.”
“Fleur was flirting with me?”
I shook my head. Sometimes, men could be so dumb. “She was. And Archie was not happy. He decided to charge straight through you and cool down your ardour.”
“I wasn’t flirting back,” said Zach. “Fleur’s not my type.”
I shook off his hand. “We don’t have time to discuss that now. We have a horse to round up.” I broke into a jog, the dogs following me, as I tried to squash my own feeling of jealousy. I knew Zach hadn’t been encouraging Fleur, but it still stung to see her making her interest in him so clear.
After a few seconds, Zach caught up with me. “I’m not interested in Fleur.”
“But she’s interested in you,” I said.
“Which is flattering, but meaningless,” said Zach. We passed through some trees, and Zach grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me behind one of the wide trunks. “You know I don’t like her.”
I stared up into Zach’s eyes. “How do I know that?”
He took hold of my head and held it between his strong, warm hands. “Because I like you.”
“You do?” I felt breathless and my anger faded. I shouldn’t be angry with Zach. None of this was his fault.
Zach grinned down at me. “Yes, I do.” He leaned down and kissed my lips.
“I’m not sure one kiss is enough to convince me,” I said.
“I can give you another,” said Zach.
This time, it was my turn to grin. “That’s a start.”
He kissed me again, and I leaned into his embrace, enjoying the feel of his strong muscles and inhaling the scent of dried grass and mud from his clothes. It wasn’t the most sophisticated of smells, but it was one I associated with Zach after he’d been working outside all day.
We would have continued, but Flipper raced back to my side and began barking, circling the tree and pawing at the ground.
I groaned and pulled away from Zach. “As much fun as this is, we have a horse to round up and a hysterical Fleur to calm down.”
***
A mud splattered hour later, I was exhausted and my favorite pair of black pumps were ruined. I’d chased after Brutus through muddy fields, a recently cut hay field that had sliced into my legs, and failed to avoid several large cowpats. But Brutus had been caught. Flipper and Jessie had done an excellent job as impromptu sheep dogs, and he was now safely back in his stable, unharmed but sweating from his long run around the fields. He’d had a thoroughly lovely time. Me, not so much.
“I’ll still need to check Brutus over to make sure he hasn’t been injured,” said Fleur as she shut the bolt on Brutus’s stable door.
“You’ll need to get him rubbed down as well.” Zach brushed mud from his trousers. “He'll catch a chill otherwise.”
“I’ll get the groom to deal with that,” said Fleur. “Unless you want to do it. I wouldn't mind seeing you with your shirt off, working up a sweat of your own as you deal with the horse.”
“I have a garden to take care of,” said Zach.
Fleur looked over at me and raised her eyebrows. “I suppose you don’t know anything about horses?”
“I don’t know how to groom one, if that’s what you’re asking.” I looked down at my ruined shoes and sighed.
“You’ll have to throw those old things away,” said Fleur as she gazed at my feet. “They look like last season’s knock-offs anyway.”
I bit my lip, ignoring the annoyance that filtered through me. These were my favorite pumps.
“I’d offer to buy you a new pair,” said Fleur, “but I’m all out of cash as usual. Ever since Juliette married Ben, she’s been tying the money in loops to keep it all for herself and her dumb toy boy.”
“You could lend me a pair of yours,” I said to Fleur, knowing full well she would never give me anything of hers.
“We’re not the same size,” said Fleur. “And we have a different kind of style. You’re more chain store and I’m designer.”
I focused on knocking some of the mud off my pumps, wishing Fleur's head was under my foot. I discreetly looked round for any signs of Archie, but he’d decided not to hang around and see what happened to Brutus. So much for him being his favorite horse.
“Do you really think Juliette is hiding your inheritance from you?” Zach asked Fleur.
“I know it,” said Fleur. “And I bet she’s doing it because Ben is telling her to. On the outside, he seems like a happy-go-lucky guy, but I bet when it’s just the two of them, he reveals his true self. Besides, why on earth would he want to marry Juliette? She spends most of her life complaining about headaches, and is so much older than him. Most people mistake her for his mother.”
“Maybe the two of them are in love,” I said.
Fleur tutted and shook her head. “He’s in it for the money. Don’t be fooled by his floppy-haired charm. And have you seen how Juliette treats him? More like a toy than a real man. When he irritates her, she throws him a treat, usually in the for
m of money, to get rid of him for a while. It must be so humiliating for Ben. The only reason he would want to stick around is because he’s getting something out of it. And that something is money meant for me.”
“They seem happy enough,” I said, recalling how doting and concerned Ben had been over breakfast when Juliette wasn’t eating. “And Ben is a nice guy.”
“You were there when I tried to get the car keys from him,” said Fleur. “He basically suggested I move out.”
“But it was only a suggestion,” I said. “And if you are finding village life too quiet, then moving closer to town makes sense to me.”
“It doesn’t to me,” said Fleur. “And particularly not when Ben’s hoarding most of my money for himself. He bought himself a whole new wardrobe of clothes after he married Juliette. There’s no way he’d be able to afford all of those clothes without money from my brother’s estate.”
I wasn’t convinced by Fleur’s argument. Ben was a genuinely decent guy. He had married up when he fell in love with Juliette, but I couldn’t see him doing something as cold as simply marrying for the money. But maybe I should keep more of an open mind. Money and access to assets were reasons husbands killed wives and vice versa.
“We should go and get ourselves changed.” Zach gestured to the mud splattered all over my once smart green dress.
“Good idea,” I said. “And I’m long overdue from getting on with the work Juliette left me.”
“She won’t notice what you’ve done anyway,” said Fleur. “If she’s not asleep or complaining about headaches, she’s taken one of her sleeping pills and is walking around in a foggy mess. You could get away with doing hardly any work and she wouldn’t even notice.”
I shook my head; that was not the way I liked to work. I would never take advantage of an employer like that. “I’d better get going.”
“Don’t forget what I said,” said Fleur. “Juliette is hiding what I’m entitled to. And that husband of hers is in on it too. He’s a sneaky one. He must love money a lot to be married to her.”
I raised my hand as I walked away from Fleur, Zach by my side and the dogs following us.
