A Roll in the Hay, стр. 33

“How would you know? You just got here,” Susannah wrapped her arms around herself. “Unless she was fine when you checked up on her the other day. Which rather begs the question of what you’re doing here now?”

“Just being overcautious. First official patient and all that.”

“Or did you think she was healing too quickly? Hmm? Maybe if you just eased off a bit, she’d show some more symptoms and you could prove your value a second time?”

Tess actually took a step back at that. “If you think for one minute I’d hurt an animal, that I’d prolong her pain by one second…just to… That’s horrible. I can’t believe you’d accuse anyone of something like that, let alone me, when I’ve done nothing to deserve it.”

There was a sort of thundering in her ears. Tess couldn’t remember the last time she was so angry.

“Oh, come on. I wasn’t insulting your character or anything—”

“No, you were. That’s exactly what you were doing.” Tess wasn’t on the back foot now. She marched down the side of the stall until she got right in Susannah’s face. Her very shocked face. “You think because you sit up there with your money and your land that everyone else must be out to…what? Rob you? That we’re all just peasants and criminals here to sully your lovely existence?”

“Now that’s a little melodramatic. I thought you were only too pleased to be part of the staff around here.”

There was that condescending tone again, that posh little scoff. It didn’t even matter that Tess knew Susannah was born to all this, that she probably couldn’t help her default position of looking down on everyone around her. Part of Tess felt very sure that if Susannah would just try, she might even pass for a normal human being.

“I might not have a title or two to my name, but I’m not going to stand here and be disrespected. I worked hard to get where I am. I studied and I put in the hours, and I went to a top university. I built a vet practice in London out of almost nothing, and even when it was practically stolen away from me, I still managed to work my way into starting fresh up here. I provide a service—one you need, by the way—and I charge a fair rate for it. That doesn’t make me your staff, or your servant, or anything of the kind.”

“Hey, hey!” Susannah raised her hands in surrender. “I was… Well, I’d say I was joking but that’s not quite right. Oh, stop glaring at me like that. You’re quite fearsome when you lose your temper, Miss Robinson.”

“Doctor Robinson.”

“And here you were telling me off about how titles don’t matter.”

Tess glared. She was still too mad to concede the point.

“I had a bad afternoon, okay?” Susannah said. “Caused by people being their worst selves all over the place. Greedy, selfish, destructive. So I got myself into a bit of a state after it all and came out here to get some good company and peace until they all left. Which you just interrupted with that perfect timing of yours.”

“I’d prefer an actual apology.” Tess folded her arms over her zipped-up padded jacket. “If you know how, that is.”

“Oh, would you? And I’d like the council to stop denying me planning permission because they’re all in the pocket of my sister-in-law, but we can’t have everything.”

“Can’t we?”

“No. Are you really ready to fall out with me and cancel this contract before it’s even come into force?” Susannah stood up then, getting in Tess’s face. “Do you really want to go back to Margo and Adam and tell them you blew it? Again?”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Get someone else to do your dirty work for you? Well, I won’t quit, so you’re going to have to get your hands sullied this time and fire me.”

“Oh, don’t be stupid. Why would I fire you?” Susannah threw her hands into the air and turned away. “You’re one of the few things around here that I don’t hate.”

Tess felt like she had just run into a plate-glass window she didn’t know was there. “Oh, so now you’re joking?”

“What?”

“You’re still trying to be funny? Because you have been nothing but rude to me since I got here. Even when I was fixing up your horse. Even just now when I was asking if you were okay!”

Susannah turned back to face the fight. “Fine! I’m sorry! Actually, properly sorry. I’m so used to being on the defensive, especially lately. It seeps into every word and every thought, and suddenly everything comes out in raging bitch.”

“Wow. That was some apology.” Tess risked reaching out to pat Susannah on the arm. “I wasn’t blaming you for everything that’s wrong in the world, but I guess I got my answer on whether you’re okay or not.”

“Crying in a horse’s stall really does provide its own answer on that one. Would you rather we took this up to the house? The clear-up should be done. I’m assuming you don’t have anything on this evening if you’re coming up here this late in the day?”

Tess wasn’t quite sure how she got from a rage fit to a drinks invitation, so she took a moment to pat the horse’s back, shamelessly playing for time. “I’m sorry too. For my tone, although some of the content still stands.”

“Sounds like a truce to me. Besides, we need to get along, if for no other reason than my horses like you.” She glanced at her favourite. “You’re a damn traitor, Billie Jean.”

That got a snort from the horse.

They stepped out of the stall, and Susannah closed the heavy wooden door behind them.

“These are some fantastic stables,” Tess said. “When are you due to bring in more horses?”

“Going to look at a few in the next couple of weeks and take in as many as I can before I have to