Dream Pony Read online

  “Jess!” he cried, pointing to his watch. “Where have you been? I hope you haven’t been getting last minute nerves!”

  “I’m not nervous,” Jess said as she took a deep breath, “because I’m not going to ride for you today. You can win your trophies without me.”

  “What are you talking about?” Jasper’s voice was calm, dangerous even. The others all stared at Jess in amazement. “Is this some kind of bad joke, Jess?” Jasper continued. “Because this really isn’t the time.”

  “No, it’s not a joke.” Jess looked at Camilla and Lucy and Samantha and Allison and suddenly she felt very certain.

  “I can’t ride for Rychester,” she said clearly. “I don’t belong with you. Skylark doesn’t belong with you. You’re involved with things I’m ashamed of.”

  Jasper laughed scornfully. “You don’t believe all that rubbish in the papers do you? Come on now Jess.”

  “Yes,” Jess said firmly. “Yes, I do believe it, so I’m not riding today. I’m not riding for Rychester ever.”

  “But we won’t be able to win the team event without you, Jess.” Camilla interrupted incredulously. “We need five riders.” Her voice became wheedling. “And Skylark – she looks fantastic. She’s such an asset to Rychester. All the other stables will be really envious that we’ve got such a good pony.”

  “But you haven’t got her, Camilla.” Jess was quietly confident. “She’s my pony. Not Rychester’s.”

  Camilla’s voice changed instantly, and now she spat out her words furiously. “I always thought you were a bit of a wimp, Jess. And you’re not exactly the world’s greatest rider, are you? You never deserved a place on our team anyway.”

  Jess shrugged her shoulders and turned away. Camilla was a selfish, spoilt, girl. But then how could she help be anything but, with a father like Jasper Carlisle. Camilla’s words, designed to cut, meant nothing to Jess.

  “I warn you, Jess,” Jasper continued. “If you leave us now, you’re out of Rychester for good.”

  Jess walked over to her pony and put a hand on her neck. “Rychester doesn’t need us, Skylark,” she murmured. “So we’re not going to jump today. I don’t know where we’re going to stable you, but we’ll come up with something.”

  “Now just hang on a minute, Jess,” Jasper’s voice was cold and controlled as he took a step towards her. “Rychester may not need you, but it’s certainly going to keep hold of Skylark. Do you think I wasted my time and money buying an expensive show pony just so you could whisk her off right from under my nose?”

  Jess froze. What was Jasper talking about?

  “You can go where you want, Jess,” Jasper said now. “But Skylark belongs to Rychester, and here she will stay.”

  “But…” Jess was confused. She wasn’t sure how to stand up to Jasper’s cold aggression. Suddenly she felt very small and alone. Any boldness she might have felt before evaporated slowly. “But Skylark’s mine,” she said. “I won her.”

  “Legally Skylark is still Rychester’s,” Jasper said. “For the year she’s stabled here anyway. It was part of the competition rules…you can’t have read the small print properly. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we’ve got a show to win…Mel!” Jasper called loudly as the stable girl appeared. “Let’s get these horses into the box. You’ll be riding Skylark for Rychester today.”

  Could it be true? Jess didn’t know what to say. She stood rooted to the spot, looking helplessly on as Skylark was led up the ramp of the box. There was nothing she could do to stop her pony being taken away. As the box roared out of the stable yard, she could only stare after it. What had she done? If only she had kept her mouth shut and stuck with Rychester, she wouldn’t be in this position now and Skylark would still be hers.

  In a flash Jess knew what she had to do next and, grabbing her bike, she flew out of the Rychester yard without a backward glance. Pedalling furiously along the country lanes, she didn’t stop for breath until she arrived, twenty minutes later, at Sandy Lane Stables. The familiar homely yard was bustling with activity as riders and horses prepared for the Ash Hill Show. Suddenly shy, Jess pedalled slowly up the drive.

  A puzzled Rosie looked up from where she was plaiting Pepper’s mane and stared straight at Jess. Then her face broke into a beaming smile and she rushed over to her friend.

  “Jess, what are you doing here? I thought we’d be seeing you at Ash Hill. We’re just getting ready to go. Where’s Skylark?”

  “Jess!” Charlie cried. “Where have you been hiding?”

  “Hello Jess,” Tom smiled at her. “Been jumping any more death traps recently?”

  It was all too much. The sound of her friends’ voices, alongside her anxiety about Skylark caused something inside Jess to snap, and suddenly she could hold the tears back no longer…

  “Jess…Jess. What is it?” Nick appeared and his face showed only concern as he tried to console the girl. “Take a deep breath and start at the beginning,” he started, leading her off to the cottage.

  Jess managed to take control of herself, telling Nick everything that had happened – the story in the paper, her decision not to ride at Ash Hill, how she had gone about telling Jasper, and finally about Skylark not really being hers.

  Nick sighed heavily and shook his head. “What a story, Jess,” he said seriously. “Jasper Carlisle sounds like a nasty piece of work. But I’m proud of you. For what it’s worth, I think you’ve made the right decision.”

  “I thought I had to,” Jess squeaked miserably. “But what about Skylark? It looks as though I’ve lost her.”

  Nick fiddled with some pens on the table and glanced out of the window at the others getting ready for Ash Hill in the stable yard. He seemed to be weighing things up in his mind and it was a few minutes before he spoke again. When he did, his voice was measured.

  “Look, I don’t know all the fine details about this competition,” he said slowly. “But I’ll go and talk to Jasper this evening. I’ll think things through at the show, but right now, we have to be on our way. Make sure you’re here at 6 o’clock this evening and we’ll drive over to Rychester.”

  Jess’s heart leapt hopefully, but she was still upset. “Can’t I come with you to the Ash Hill Show?” she pleaded.

  “I know it’s difficult, Jess,” Nick shook his head. “But it’s probably best if you stay away from the show today. It might be awkward if Jasper sees you there, and I don’t want any scenes. Let’s wait and tackle him tonight. Trust me on this one, OK?” Nick put a comforting hand on Jess’s shoulder.

  Jess was desperate to go to Ash Hill, frantic to see Skylark, but Nick had asked her to trust him and she would. As she followed Nick out of the tack room into the stable yard, Rosie raised her eyebrows enquiringly, but Jess had no time to talk to her because Nick had taken charge.

  “Come on everybody,” he called now. “Let’s get these horses loaded or we’ll be late.”

  And for the second time that morning, Jess was left standing on her own in a stable yard, watching as a horse box drove away to Ash Hill. As this one disappeared out of sight, Jess looked downcast and kicked her heels in the gravelled earth. It was going to be a long day. She’d told her parents she hadn’t been picked to ride at Ash Hill, but they still thought she was going along to watch. She could hardly just turn up at home – that would mean explaining everything. And she didn’t want to tell them all that yet. She knew they would only worry about what she was going to do with Skylark. No, she’d just have to busy herself around Sandy Lane.

  Jess wandered over to the cottage and found Nick’s wife, Sarah, tucked away in the cosy kitchen of the cottage.

  “Jess!” Sarah looked surprised to see her. “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s a bit of a long story,” Jess answered wearily.

  “Well, sit down and tell me everything.” Sarah beckoned to the table. “Have you had breakfast yet?”

  “No.” Jess shook her head, suddenly realizing that she was very hungry.

  “
Good, well there’s a basket of croissants that need eating up before Ebony slobbers all over them.” Sarah smiled. “And then I was planning to lunge Storm Cloud. I could do with some help…”

  “Count me in.” Jess beamed broadly.

  16

  SHOWDOWN

  At a quarter to six that evening, Jess stood in the yard at Sandy Lane, impatiently waiting for everyone to get back from the show. She had been home for a quick supper, but hadn’t told her parents about the events of the day.

  At six on the dot, the horse box rolled up the drive and the yard was immediately a flurry of activity.

  “Jess…Jess,” Rosie cried. “I won…Pepper and I won the Open Jumping.”

  “The Open Jumping? That’s brilliant.” Jess was delighted for her friend. “And where was Rychester?”

  “Nowhere,” Rosie grinned. “Not a rosette in sight…they fell to pieces. The team event was won by a stables on the other side of Brookwood. You should have seen Jasper Carlisle’s face…he was red with rage.”

  “Really?” Jess laughed with surprise. She couldn’t quite believe what Rosie had told her. Surely at least Camilla would have won something. But there wasn’t time to ask questions now as Nick was running back out of the cottage.

  “Sorry Jess, I had to make a phone call. All part of the plan.” He smiled at her mysteriously as he opened the door of the Land Rover. “Right, are you ready to go?”

  Jess could only nod. What had Nick got in store? What was he planning to say to Jasper?

  As if sensing her unease, Nick kept up a steady stream of chatter on the way to Rychester. Jess listened silently, grateful that he didn’t seem to need any response from her.

  “Rosie and Pepper jumped tremendously, Jess,” Nick said. “You would have been proud of her. The competition from Rychester wasn’t very fierce after all. Who was the rather sour-faced girl riding Skylark? It was so funny – she pounded your poor pony into the ring and launched her at the first jump on far too tight a rein–”

  Jess winced at this, but Nick hadn’t finished the story.

  “Skylark wasn’t having any of it and screeched to a halt in front of the fence. The girl went soaring over the top and landed very unceremoniously on her bottom. Skylark was completely unfazed and just stood there shaking her head and neighing loudly. They retired of course.” Nick shook his head and smiled. Jess couldn’t stop herself from laughing out loud.

  They were still laughing as the Land Rover turned into the drive at Rychester. The place looked deserted and suddenly Jess felt herself tense up. What if Jasper wasn’t here? What if he’d already taken Skylark away somewhere else? She jumped down from the cab and ran over to her pony’s loose box. Her heart leapt with joy as she saw Skylark poking her head curiously over the stable door. The grey pony gave a loud whinny as Jess reached up and hugged her neck. She breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good.

  Jess turned around and saw Nick striding over to the office. Quickly she ran over as he was knocking on the door.

  “Come in.” Jasper’s voice came loud and clear.

  Jess followed Nick into the office. Jasper sat at the desk, rifling through some papers on the table in front of him. He was alone. When he saw Nick walking towards him, he jumped up.

  “Hello, can I help?” he asked.

  Nick put out his hand and smiled politely. “I don’t think we’ve met,” he said evenly. “I’m Nick Brooks. I own Sandy Lane Stables over at Colcott.”

  “Sandy Lane. Where have I heard that name recently?” Jasper said. And then he caught sight of Jess, standing nervously behind Nick, and his friendly voice didn’t sound quite so friendly any more.

  “You’ve got a nerve showing your face around here, haven’t you?” he said.

  “Er, it’s actually Skylark we’ve come about, Mr. Carlisle,” Nick said, interrupting Jasper mid-flow before the conversation could get heated. Quickly he went on before Jasper had a chance to say anything. “I understand Jess isn’t able to keep Skylark here any more, so I’ve offered to keep the pony at Sandy Lane. We’ve come to collect her and settle any outstanding bills.”

  Jess gave a gasp and her stomach churned excitedly. Keep Skylark at Sandy Lane? It was an excellent plan, but would Jasper allow it? As she looked at Jasper and saw the malicious grin spread across his face, she realized Nick was clearly mistaken if he thought it was going to be that simple.

  Jasper let out a low, disbelieving laugh. “Very good of you Mr. Brooks,” he started, his silvery voice still sounding pleasant. “Who wouldn’t want a pony as valuable as Skylark? But I’m afraid it’s not quite as easy as that.” Jasper put his hand into the top drawer of his desk and drew out some official looking papers. “You see Skylark legally belongs to Rychester.”

  And as he handed the papers to Nick to look at, he spoke again. “If any of you had bothered to read the rules you would have seen that,” he said, flashing the briefest of smiles. “And by entering the competition, Jess, you gave your agreement to abide by those rules,” he explained rather smugly.

  Jess felt suddenly faint and the room began to spin. She took a deep breath and looked around her. The tables and chairs, the filing cabinets, Nick and Jasper, they seemed to disappear somewhere far away and all she was aware of was the pounding of her heart and the sound of her breathing. Everything else had gone very quiet. So this was it. Her dream really was over. Skylark wasn’t hers.

  “Is that some kind of threat?” Jasper’s angry voice cut through her thoughts and she looked up to see him looking angrily at Nick. What was going on? What had Nick said? Jasper looked furious, but Nick was calm. He shook his head slowly and when he spoke again his voice was reasonable.

  “Not at all, Mr. Carlisle,” Nick said. “It’s just an observation. I would have thought that with all the trouble your cosmetics company is in at the moment, the last thing you need is bad publicity about your riding stables.”

  What was Nick talking about? Jess listened hard.

  “I shouldn’t think taking away a child’s pony will add anything to your already damaged reputation,” Nick said seriously.

  “But the pony’s mine,” Jasper spat.

  “Carlisle the Pony Snatcher,” a familiar voice rang out from the office door and everyone turned around to see Penny Webster from the Daily Advertiser standing on the doorstep.

  “What…?” Jasper began.

  “Hello everybody,” Penny smiled as she walked cooly into the room. “Thanks for the phone call, Mr. Brooks. You’re right – the Daily Advertiser would be very interested in the story. Now let me see if I’ve got the facts straight,” Penny paused dramatically and flicked through her notebook. “Jasper Carlisle, owner of the disgraced cosmetics company, Vrai Vert, gives a pony away in a competition,” she continued. “But when the lucky winner decides, understandably, after all that has happened, that she doesn’t want to keep her pony on at Rychester, Mr. Carlisle surprises her with the announcement that the pony isn’t really hers at all. Some mean trick to play on a child, don’t you think? I can see the story on the front page of tomorrow’s Daily Advertiser accompanied by a picture of the tearful child.” Penny glanced sympathetically at Jess.

  “All right, all right.” Jasper held up his hand. “I can see you’ve got this all worked out.” His voice became quieter. “Have the pony. It disgraced me at Ash Hill today anyway. It’s more trouble than it’s worth. Just take it away from here and–”

  “We’ll say no more about it?” Nick said enquiringly.

  “Yes, all right,” Jasper spluttered. He sank down into his chair, and Jess noticed the lines on his face. He suddenly looked very old. He clearly wasn’t used to not getting his own way. “Now get out of here, the lot of you.” Jasper pointed wearily at the door.

  “If you could just sign here.” Nick pointed to a space on the documents, then there’s no problem, we’ll be quite happy to take the pony off your hands.”

  With a grimace, Jasper signed away, and Jess, Nick and Penny needed no
second bidding. As the office door shut behind them and they emerged into the stable yard, Nick turned to Penny. “Thanks for turning up here,” he smiled. “I don’t think Mr. Carlisle would have given in without you.”

  “That’s OK,” Penny said. “I’m glad things have turned out the way they have.” Penny flashed Jess a smile.

  “Now how are we going to get you and Skylark back to Sandy Lane then?” Nick turned to Jess with a sparkle in his eye. “You won’t both fit in the Land Rover.”

  Jess grinned back. She wanted to thank Nick, but she was speechless with happiness.

  “Well, her tack’s still here, I presume,” Nick continued as Jess nodded silently.

  “In that case,” Nick said. “There’s only one thing to do.”

  “I’ll have to ride her back to Sandy Lane,” Jess finished, finding her voice at last.

  “What a good idea,” Nick said. “I’ll head off now and get her stable ready.”

  “Thanks Nick…thanks for everything,” Jess managed, before she raced off to get Skylark.

  17

  HOME AT LAST

  Jess leaned back on her brush the next day and surveyed the stable yard. Stray bits of hay blew across the ground and there was no denying the woodwork on the buildings could do with a lick of paint. But to Jess, Sandy Lane Stables looked perfect. Skylark too seemed happy enough in the small but snug spare loose box.

  Jess had explained everything to her parents when she’d got home yesterday evening – about Jasper trying to keep Skylark, and Nick’s part in the pony’s recovery. Her parents had been appalled at the story and then worried…worried how they were ever going to be able to pay Nick back for the stabling. But Jess had soon told them everything – how Nick had offered to keep Skylark at livery in return for her use in lessons, and how she didn’t mind that – not when it meant she got to keep her pony.