to stroke her nose. She stamped her foot and shook my hand away to nuzzle my palm. I saw Fred smile. âWhat is it?â I said.
âI can see you like horses,â he replied. âYou can always tell. Something about the way you touch them.â
I smiled back. âWhatâs her name?â I asked.
âStarshine,â he said.
I laughed. âOf course.â Fred was easy to talk to, I thought. I found it hard to remember that he was a servant.
I ran a hand down the horseâs nose and touched the star. âHello, Starshine, Iâm Polly,â I said. The name slipped out automatically.
Fred looked perplexed. âPolly is a sort of nickname,â I explained. âItâs what my friends call me. Father said Penelope was too grand a name for a tomboy like me. So I became Polly. And you and I,â I turned back to Starshine, âare going to be friends, arenât we?â I stroked her mane. âFred, would you saddle her for me, so that I can ride her?â
âWhat now, miss? Iâm afraid thatâs not possible. Iâve already taken her out this afternoon.â
âWell, can I ride another horse then?â I asked.
He shook his head. âIâm sorry, miss, Iâve had no instructions from the house that any of you young ladies are to ride this afternoon.â
âDoes that matter?â I exclaimed.
âIâm afraid it does,â he said.
I felt like crying with frustration. Iâd put on my riding habit for nothing. All day Iâd been looking forward to a ride. All Aunt ever did was put obstacles in my way. Yes, you may go to the stables, so long as you only look at the horses. I couldnât even try appealing to her. She, Uncle and Arabella had gone out for a drive in the carriage and wouldnât be back until tea. It would be dark by then. I stalked away angrily, but I wasnât watching where I was going. Halfway across the yard I heard a shout and felt a hand grab my wrist, and pull me backwards. I tried to shake it off, but the grip was too firm.
âSorry, about that, miss,â Fred said breathlessly, releasing my wrist. âBut I had to stop you before you stepped under that horseâs hooves. Didnât you see her?â He nodded his head. A few feet away, a young horse was walking round and round, dragging at her halter, fighting a lad for it. âThat filly is a wild one, you never know where she will put her hooves next,â he said.
I felt a bit shaken, but I laughed. âThank you, Fred,â I said.
âSheâs his lordshipâs latest purchase,â Fred said, admiringly. âBut she needs a bit of handling. Nervous. His lordship hopes to race her at Ascot later this year.â He hesitated. âWell, if youâre all right, miss, that lad needs help.â He touched his cap and ran up to the boyâs side. I watched as they struggled with the horse. She was putting up quite a fight. I felt I knew how she felt.
I went to find Clemmie. She was leaning over the edge of a stall, talking to her pony and stroking its nose. Miss Dunn was standing well back, glancing around nervously, as if afraid that a passing horse would kick her. âHas Fred found you a horse to ride?â Clemmie asked. Neither of them had seen my narrow escape.
âHe has,â I said. âHer name is Starshine. Sheâs beautiful. But I canât take her out today,â I said crossly, âor any other horse.â I still felt sore. Why hadnât Aunt thought I might actually want to ride?
âNever mind, weâll go out tomorrow,â declared Clemmie. âIt will be fun, wonât it, riding together. Usually Fred or one of the other stable boys takes me out. Arabella wonât â she doesnât like horses.â
That didnât surprise me. I couldnât imagine Arabella on a horse. And at least, I thought as we walked back to the house, there was one place at the