Kate's Progress

by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

  ‘Oh, hence the Brigadier,’ Kate said, enlightened.

  ‘Harry? He’s a decent stick, but he’d never be able to support Camilla’s shopping habit. I’m not sure she really favours him, anyway. He’s a bit old for her.’

  ‘She married one older man,’ Kate pointed out. ‘Maybe she has a taste for them.’

  Jack sighed. ‘Well, Ed would be glad if Harry took her off his hands. He works every hour God sends trying to put the estate on a firm footing, but it’s a bit like pouring water into the sink without putting the plug in first.’

  ‘What does he do in London? Jocasta said he had a company.’

  ‘Yes, he has his own firm, a procurement consultancy.’

  ‘Procurement? Don’t tell me he runs a brothel?’

  Jack roared at that. ‘The last person! My God, imagine old strait-laced Ed …! No,’ he said, settling down again, ‘he advises companies on how to source the things they buy more efficiently and cheaply, and set up management systems and develop relationships with their suppliers and so on. It’s a joke, really,’ he concluded. ‘He spends his time in London saving other companies money, then comes home and spends the money he makes that way paying Camilla’s bills.’

  ‘No wonder it makes him mad,’ Kate said with sympathy. The sink with the plug out – what a potent image!

  Jack smiled and shrugged. ‘Ed’s problem is that he’s always felt responsible for everyone and everything, from the time our mother died and he thought he had to look after me – and Dad come to that, because Dad was a basket case for a long time afterwards. And he was only six years old. He needs to lighten up, realize he doesn’t have to solve the problems of the whole world. That’s my role in all this, in case you hadn’t twigged.’ He gave her a wicked look. ‘To provide the comic relief, make him laugh, get him to relax once in a while and have a bit of fun. Generally loosen the corsets.’

  ‘I can see you try really hard at it,’ Kate said solemnly. ‘Does it work?’

  ‘Not too well.’ Jack grinned. ‘I do my best to set him a good example, but however much I loaf around and mess about, he insists on treading the straight-and-narrow and being generally reliable and conscientious.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m afraid he’s a hopeless case.’

  Kate thought of the brother with the chronic feeling of responsibility, and all he faced in a world that generally approved of self-indulgence, and was sorry for him. She was sad for the little boy all those years ago who, having just lost his mother, took up the burden of the whole family because he thought no-one else would. And he had grown up seeing himself as ‘dark and grim’ and without the knack of getting on with people, like his easy-going, happy-go-lucky younger brother. Life was so unfair.

  ‘But why are we talking about my brother,’ Jack went on, breaking the brief silence, ‘when there are two much more fascinating people right here at this table? Camilla says she’s asked you next weekend. I’m glad! I might even enter for one of the classes at Buscombe, if you’ll be there to be impressed.’

  ‘Can you still enter at this late stage?’

  ‘Oh yes, right up to the day before. Of course,’ he added less positively, ‘it would mean I’d have to practise a couple of times before then, which sounds too much like hard work. Especially when I could be impressing you by taking you out to expensive restaurants instead.’

  Kate mimicked wiping sweat from her brow. ‘Phew! For a minute then I thought you’d abandoned your lifelong hedonism. Don’t give me shocks like that.’

  ‘You,’ Jack said severely, ‘are a very wicked woman.’

  Thirteen

  As promised, the showers marched through on Tuesday night, and Wednesday dawned sparkling bright, the sky so brilliantly clear that it looked as if it had been washed and polished. Kate looked at her half-finished papering with no regrets at leaving it for another morning. After all, she was in no hurry – as Jack said, she was her own boss.

  As she was putting the kettle on, Kay popped in with two brown eggs: ‘For your breakfast. New laid. Bill Crang give my Darren a box yesterday from his hens in his garden. I s’pose you wouldn’t be able to babysit for a bit tonight, would you?’ she concluded wistfully. ‘Only there’s that James Bond film I wanted to see and it’s finishing this week and there’s this friend of Darren’s and his wife going, and we thought we could make a foursome if …’

  ‘Of course I will,’ Kate said. ‘No problem.’

  Kay looked as happy as if she’d just won a raffle. ‘Oh, look at you, you’re so nice! And we thought we’d go for a curry after, if that’s all right? If we catch the early film, we’d still be back by half-ten-ish, if that’s not too late?’

  ‘Fine,’ Kate said. ‘You enjoy yourselves, take as long as you want.’

  So she had a breakfast of two delicious boiled eggs and toast under her belt when the sound of hooves brought her to her door at ten to nine, and she saw Jocasta coming round the side of the house on Daphne, and leading a smaller, darker-coated pony by the headcollar it was wearing over its bridle.

  ‘Isn’t it a lovely day!’ she called out in greeting, kicking her feet free of the stirrups and jumping down. ‘This is Chloe, she’s a darling. Are you riding like that?’

  Kate looked down at her jeans. ‘Is that a problem?’

  ‘Oh, no, as long as you don’t get sore knees. Jeans aren’t very comfortable.’

  ‘Well, jeans will have to do. I don’t have any riding clothes.’

  ‘So,’ Jocasta said, ‘which do you want to ride? Chloe’s very quiet, and you’re so slim she’ll carry you easily, but if you want Daphne I don’t mind swapping.’

  Kate could tell from the tone of voice what the right answer was. ‘I’ll try Chloe, shall I, and see how we get on?’

  She fetched the halved apple she had put ready and shut her front door behind her. The ponies’ soft muzzles wrinkled at the smell of the apple and they took the pieces eagerly from her palm, though Daphne gave her a gleaming sidelong look and allowed her to feel just a touch of teeth against her skin, to let her know who was boss around here. See, I could bite you if I wanted, but I won’t.

  ‘Do you want me to check your girth and do your stirrups?’ Jocasta offered as Kate tied the rope loosely around Chloe’s neck.

  ‘No, I’m fine,’ Kate said. Chloe stood patiently for her; and one good thing about her size – she was easy to mount. Kate could almost have stepped on. Daphne swung round, impatient to be off, and Jocasta swung him back with easy, accustomed skill, saying, ‘Oh, this is so nice! It’s lovely to have someone to ride with. Ed’s always so busy these days, and Jack hasn’t got on a horse for ages. He’s supposed to exercise the horses when Ed’s in London but he’s too lazy, he just turns them out. I wish I had a sister. You don’t know how lousy it is only having brothers, like mine.’

  ‘Well, only one of my sisters rode, and she soon gave it up,’ Kate said, adjusting herself to Chloe’s short stride as they rode off down the track. It was a long time since she had ridden a pony, and she had forgotten how the short neck made you feel as if you were going to come off over the front all the time.

  ‘Why?’ Jocasta asked in astonishment.

  ‘Why did she give it up? Because she got interested in boys instead.’

  ‘Oh, boys!’ Jocasta said witheringly. ‘I’m never going to get mixed up with boys. Horses are much nicer.’

  ‘I have to agree with you, on the whole,’ Kate said. ‘Much nicer, but not nearly so easy to marry.’

  ‘I’m never getting married,’ Jocasta said definitely.

  ‘Really? Are you sure?’

  ‘What good does it do you? My mother was only married a little while and then my father died and now she’s stuck here when she’d much rather live in London. And stuck with Ed, when he’d much rather be without her.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure that’s not—’ Kate began.

  But Jocasta went on in a very matter-of-fact way, as if it didn’t upset her in the least, ‘No, it’s true. There was
a terrible row on Sunday night when he got back from taking you home. You were lucky to miss it. All about Mummy selling Little’s – again. And Mummy said he was irrational because he’s always telling her he won’t pay her bills, and then when she finds a way to pay them herself he doesn’t like that either.’

  ‘I’m not sure you should be telling me all this,’ Kate said uneasily.

  ‘Oh, that’s all right. You’re one of the family now. And everyone knows all this stuff anyway. So Ed said the whole point was not to run up the bills in the first place, and he said everyone must try and spend less, and Mummy said that was rich, what about Jack, and Ed said Jack paid his way working at the factory, and Mummy gave such a honk – like this, “Hah!” – that she nearly choked herself and she said Jack hadn’t done a day’s work in years. So then I said if everyone had to save money, I’d leave St Hilda’s and they could save my school fees. Because I hate it there,’ she added as an aside. ‘The other girls are so lame, and I’d much sooner go to day school so I could come home every day and go riding and stuff. So then Mummy said she’d be damned if I left St Hilda’s, it was the best school and she was damn well going to make sure I got something out of the estate because it looked as though my school fees were all I ever would get, and then she burst into tears and ran upstairs.’

  ‘Oh dear, that must have been awkward,’ Kate said.

  ‘Not really, she does that a lot. But it was horrible on Monday, with everyone humping around in a bad mood, and Mummy having to stay home because Ed was there and he’d have asked where she was going if she went out. And it was raining so much I couldn’t go riding. And then on Tuesday, as soon as Mummy heard Ed had gone to London, she said we’d go up too and buy me some new clothes and have lunch at Harvey Nick’s, which is my favourite place, and she bought some new clothes too, so that put her in a good mood again, and that’s why I couldn’t come and ride with you yesterday.’

  ‘The weather’s nicer today,’ Kate said consolingly. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen a clearer day. It’s gorgeous.’

  ‘Yes, and this afternoon I’m going to see my friend India who lives at Porlock Weir – she’s the only one at St Hilda’s I really like. Mummy’s going to drive me, because she’s in a good mood because Ed’s not coming back until tomorrow night. She’s going to have tea with India’s mother while India and I go to the beach. Mummy says the water will be far too cold for swimming but if we want to give ourselves heart attacks that’s our lookout.’ It was said quite serenely. Either Jocasta was a very good actor, or she had developed an indifference to the conflicting passions of her family that should stand her in good stead against the buffets of the wider world.

  ‘It probably will be too cold,’ Kate said, from experience.

  ‘Well, we can paddle and mess about, anyway. Are you settled in now? Shall we have a canter?’

  ‘I think I can manage that.’

  ‘OK. Just shout if you want me to stop. Chloe’s quite fast for her size, but she won’t overtake Daphne.’

  And she was off. Daphne had evidently been waiting for this moment, because in a few strides he was no longer cantering but galloping flat out. Chloe followed willingly, her little hooves slamming the earth in a rapid staccato like gunfire, but her first enthusiasm soon cooled and she dropped back to a more sustainable pace. Jocasta and Daphne drew ahead until they were only a dot on the horizon, but eventually she pulled up and walked the blowing pony back towards them. After that they left the track and turned on to the moors, and rode more quietly, while Jocasta, at Kate’s request, pointed out landmarks and gave the names of hills and recounted some of the old stories about the places and the people.

  The sun grew warm on their backs and the smell of the earth rose through the bracken as they disturbed it. The little becks sparkled down in the coombes, too far away to be heard, and the skylarks went up, laying their throbbing song against the blue heaven. Kate was in that rarest of human states, experiencing perfect happiness.

  They came back a different way, describing a large circle, and when Kate found they were at the crossroads in Bursford, she said they might as well ride home to The Hall, and she would walk back from there.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Jocasta said. ‘It’s no trouble to ride up to your house – I don’t mind leading Chloe back.’

  ‘No, let’s take them home. I’m sure Chloe’s had enough of my great weight on her back.’

  ‘Pooh! You’re nothing. She can go all day.’

  But Kate was feeling stiff, not having ridden for a long time, and thought the walk would do her good, loosen her up, so she insisted.

  They didn’t ride through the main entrance but through a five-barred gate, half hidden in the overgrown hedge, which led by a curved track through the trees to the stable yard. It was mostly red-brick Victorian, evidently coeval with the house, but with the addition of a modern range of loose-boxes and a big equipment shed.

  Jocasta jumped down and led Daphne towards the old stable, and jumped in surprise when Ed came out. She scowled. ‘You aren’t supposed to be here. You’re not supposed to be coming back until tomorrow.’

  ‘I got what I wanted to do finished. And I want to have some practice rides before the weekend,’ he said neutrally, and looked across at Kate. ‘You terrible child, did you make Kate ride Chloe?’ he said.

  ‘She didn’t mind,’ Jocasta said.

  ‘I didn’t mind,’ Kate confirmed, ever the diplomat. ‘She’s nice – once I got used to the short stride. It’s a long time since I rode a pony.’

  He looked at her for a moment as if judging whether she meant it or not, then said briskly, ‘I promised to show you the stables. What better time than now? Jocasta, take the ponies and turn them out. You’d better give them both a small feed – Chloe because she’s old and Daphne because he’s racing at the weekend.’

  ‘How much?’ Jocasta asked, coming back to take Chloe’s reins from Kate, pulling Daphne behind her. She looked sulky.

  ‘One scoop of oats and two of chaff for Daphne, half that for Chloe.’ She turned away. ‘Don’t forget to brush out the saddle marks.’

  ‘I know, I know.’ She trailed off, leading the ponies towards the gap between the old and new buildings.

  ‘And then take the dogs out for a walk,’ he called after her. ‘They don’t look as though they’ve been out for two days.’

  Jocasta muttered something under her breath that sounded like, ‘You spoil everything,’ and gave him a glower over her shoulder.

  Ed watched them go. ‘You can’t imagine how it warms my heart to be welcomed back so enthusiastically,’ he murmured.

  I’m glad to see you, Kate thought, but didn’t quite like to say it. He looked at her and gave one of his little quirk-of-the-lips smiles, as though he had heard the thought. He looked tired, Kate thought. Worries of the world on his shoulders, of course – who wouldn’t be tired?

  ‘You surprised her, that’s all,’ Kate said.

  He looked at her. ‘You don’t need to defend her. It wasn’t her fault her mother took her shopping in London as soon as I was out of the way.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Kate. ‘How—?’

  ‘I have my sources,’ he said.

  She remembered the Brigadier saying ‘people tell him things’.

  ‘It was one of the reasons I came back early,’ he said. ‘Damage limitation.’ What a life you lead, Kate thought. ‘Anyway,’ he said, in a brighter tone, ‘let’s look at the stables.’

  They had a quick peep into the old block, which had six stalls, with the typical high wooden divisions with bars at the top, wooden hay racks and a cobbled floor. ‘It’s a piece of history,’ Kate said.

  ‘I think so,’ Ed said. ‘Jack was for pulling it down and replacing it when we decided to have some loose-boxes, but I said it should be preserved. There aren’t so many of them left around the country any more. So we added the new range on.’

  ‘I’ve always wondered about the bars,’ Kate said. ‘Did Victorian horse
s bite?’

  ‘Probably. I don’t suppose they were treated with such kindness and affection as nowadays.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘There were more of them, for a start. And they were looked after by grooms, not their owners. I expect grooms had their favourites, but the rest were just a job.’

  ‘How many horses do you keep?’ Kate asked.

  ‘Five, apart from the ponies. Two of the hunters are out already, and there’s a general riding horse who lives out most of the time. We’ve just kept the two up for the point-to-pointing, Graceland and Henna, but I suppose I should turn Henna out if Jack’s not riding her at the weekend.’

  ‘He said he might,’ Kate said.

  ‘He won’t,’ Ed said with certainty. ‘He’s not in the mood at the moment. He tends to ride by fits and starts. For a few weeks he’ll be out every day and taking it seriously, and then he’ll suddenly drop it and lounge about doing nothing and saying he can’t be bothered. He’s in can’t-be-bothered mode at the moment. Come and see the two in stables, anyway.’

  As they crossed the yard, a head came out over the door of one of the boxes, and the horse nickered in greeting. It was a bay of about sixteen hands, big and handsome and fit-looking. It lowered its muzzle trustingly into Ed’s hands, then ran its lips over his head, and finally rubbed the side of its face up and down his sleeve, solving the problem of an itchy eye in the way Kate always thought was probably the true root of the relationship between man and horse. At some point in history horses had discovered what humans were good for, and the bargain was made.

  ‘This is Graceland – Gracie,’ Ed said with so much affection in his voice, Kate was suddenly glad there was someone he could love unreservedly. ‘He’s mine.’

  ‘He’s a big fellow,’ Kate said, stroking his neck.

  ‘Sixteen-two,’ Ed offered. ‘Seven years old, and jumps like a stag.’

  ‘He’s got a tremendous crest,’ Kate said. ‘I should think he takes some holding.’