A Roll in the Hay, стр. 32
“Get. Out.”
“This is my family. Get out before I drag you out. And I wrangle horses daily, so make no mistake, pulling you across the hall by your hair will barely be a workout for me. Get the fuck out of my house, and don’t you darken my doorstep again, plus one or otherwise.”
Robin looked like she might argue the toss, but whatever Susannah’s furious expression had settled into apparently gave her second thoughts. The door slammed, and Susannah stood there staring at it.
Surely Robin had made that up to hurt her? But she sounded so sure, so utterly convinced that it happened. If it had, was that justification for why she was trying so hard to wrest back control? Or was she just bitter and deluded, trying to tear strips off Susannah in any way she could?
She still hadn’t decided by the time she stood up in front of the small gathering to make her presentation. Susannah’s stomach roiled with anxiety. At first it felt as though the foundations of her world and much of her self-confidence had started to crumble beneath her. With a reassuring look from Finn, Susannah found her footing a few slides in and delivered the presentation as she’d intended. The room responded with polite applause.
“Thank you, Councillor Javit,” she said as the man came over to shake her hand. She noticed Jonathan slipping out after checking his phone, no doubt summoned by Robin. He could report back how well it had gone. “If it’s not too impolite, might I ask how you’re planning to vote when my application comes up?”
“Ah.” He looked at his shoes. “Please know, Lady Karlson, that it’s nothing personal. I just have to go with what has the right tone for the area. You understand.”
“I do.” Susannah scanned the room, not seeing potential allies anymore. They were all Robin’s people, it seemed, braying and slapping each other on the back as they drank her booze and made plans to deny her the business dream she’d always wanted. It was enough to make her want to scream, but of course that would never do. Susannah came from a long line of women who’d had to bite their tongues and outsmart men to get their way.
The prickling tears took Susannah by surprise, and she slipped out of the room as fast as her legs would carry her, hampered only by her damned high heels. At a loss for somewhere no one would come looking for her, she followed her feet in the direction of the stables.
Maybe that was for the best. Humans might keep letting her down, but the horses wouldn’t.
The tears fell as Susannah walked, but at least there was no one around to witness them.
Chapter 11
This wasn’t an official visit by any means, nor was it even strictly necessary. Billie Jean’s first check-up had revealed the sprain to be healing nicely, and the lovely old girl had already been out for some light trotting around the paddock with the grooms.
Tess just happened to be in the area. Which wasn’t hard when the Midsummer Estate comprised most of the area.
So what was a fifteen-minute detour when everything was just a drive away? Tess could call it excellent customer service for a new client that they really wanted to keep sweet. Tess was simply following through on her promise to herself to further her career to its maximum potential.
Yeah. Not exactly convincing.
She was already at the stables, and noticing a lack of activity. None of the estate staff seemed to be in evidence. Tess heaved a sigh of relief. At least this way no one would question her unscheduled visit.
She called out to Billie Jean on her way in, scuffing her wellies against the rough cement floor and kicking a few strands of hay with every step. Even though the stables were immaculate in every way, there was simply no containing hay to neat bales for each stall. Like glitter, some always got loose and found a way into every crack and crevice.
“Hey, girl.” Tess patted the horse on her smooth nose. She got a whinny in response. It was only when Tess set her bag on the ground that she heard the snuffling sound. That was no horse. “You’re looking good there, Billie Jean. Quiet in here today.”
Nothing. Whoever made the sound had gone completely silent now. Maybe frozen in fear.
“I’m coming into the stall now,” Tess said in her most “soothe the savage beast” tone. “Let’s take one more look at that fine leg of yours.”
The stall door swung outwards, the hinges perfectly oiled so there was barely a sound. Tess counted to three before stepping inside, Billie Jean swishing her tail and ignoring her all the while.
“You found me.”
Tess wished she was more surprised to see Susannah sitting on the groomer’s stool with her head in her hands. The clothes were especially fancy, a dress with one of those tiny jackets over the top and shoes with heels that could easily stab a person. Not that practical for strutting around the stables.
“I wasn’t looking,” Tess said. “I really did just come to check on Billie Jean here. I can go—”
“No, no,” Susannah wiped her face with delicate fingers, sporting a manicure on her short, neatly kept nails. “You’ve already seen the worst of it, so we may as well just get through the awkward part.”
“I’m sorry to intrude, really. Not the intruding type, as a rule.”
“Apart from when you’re trespassing, of course.”
“Right. Apart from that. Again, not intentional,” Tess said, just to correct the record. “Must have been another one of my wrong turns. Happens to the best of us. Just like having a cry in private.”
Susannah smirked. Her mascara had run a little. It gave her that air of a tragic heroine. Her hair had been pinned up at some earlier point, but blonde strands had come loose all over the place. “Artfully mussed” looked annoyingly good on her.
“Is it anything you need