Charlotte and the Starlet (19 page)

'What's unfair is a girl having to get her own drink.
I'm parched.'

Charlotte turned but didn't dare believe. 'Leila?'

'No, Cher. Who do you think?'

Charlotte had never been so happy to hear one of
Leila's smart-alec comments. She gave Leila water.
Leila gulped it down and looked around.

'How long was I out?'

'A day.'

'A whole day?' Leila whistled. 'So, how did you go
in the jumps?'

'I didn't.'

'You blew it?'

'No, I didn't jump. I wanted to be with you.'

Leila struggled to her feet. 'Tell me you're pulling
my leg.'

But she knew from Charlotte's look this was no
joke. She became agitated. 'What on earth were you
thinking?'

'I guess that I wanted you to know that somebody
was never going to desert you, no matter what.'

Leila felt herself choking up. 'Okay. Let's not try
and shut the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Can you still make the JOES?'

'Only if I win the point-to-point.'

'You're going to win the point-to-point.'

'Not possible. The rules state that if I had prior
knowledge my mount was ill I have to give twenty-four
hours notice. Yesterday I could take a replacement
on the spot because I didn't know –'

Leila cut in. 'So you can't use another mount. You
don't need another mount. You got me.'

'That's ridiculous. You're not strong enough.'

'I will be with you riding me. Now come on. I need
to get some energy into me. Hit me with a Mars Bar.'

Charlotte smiled. 'You'll stop at nothing to get
chocolate, won't you?'

Miss Strudworth had been forced many times to
inform parents that their children, those little apples
of their eyes, just weren't good enough to make the
JOES. Somehow, no matter how difficult, she always
found the strength. But here today, with Charlotte's
father, a man who had driven more than a thousand
kilometres in an old station wagon, she was finding it
extraordinarily difficult to come to the point.

'Charlotte's been injured?' Tony Richards was
trying to make sense of the woman's babbling.

'No, but her horse was sick. And that ruled her out
of the jumps and, oh, this is all my ...'

She noticed his attention leave her and a broad
smile spread over his face. 'Charlie!' he called.

Strudworth turned around to see Charlotte trotting
over on Leila.

'Hi, Dad.' She gave him a big hug.

'Miss me?'

'Of course. But Miss Strudworth has looked after
me.'

Charlotte saw her father's look of disbelief.
Strudworth's eyebrow shot up. Charlotte fired the
quickest of winks to her. 'And this is Leila. She had a
virus but she's all better.'

'Leila's a horse?' Her dad looked slightly baffled.

Leila felt Charlotte's dad's hand slide down her
neck. Just like her dad would have been, strong and
caring.

The other riders were moving past. 'Charlotte, you
had better get to the start line,' urged Miss Strudworth.
'I'll look after your father.'

A short time later the riders had lined up in a paddock,
facing the bush. It wasn't dissimilar to the Golden
Buckle race, thought Charlotte. The course took the
riders from the paddock out into the bush through a
cross-country course, before rejoining the paddock for
the run home. The finish line was by the bleachers,
where a sizeable crowd sat ready and waiting. Charlotte
was too far away to pick out individuals but she knew
her dad was there and she hoped, although she would
never have said this out loud, that Todd might be too.

Further down the line, Emma sidled up to Lucinda
and Rebecca.

'If Charlotte wins today, one of us could miss out
on the JOES.' She wasn't telling them anything they
hadn't figured out for themselves.

'We know.'

'Good,' said Emma. 'Then let's make sure she
doesn't win.'

'Riders, ready!' commanded Strudworth.

'Sure you're up to this?' asked Charlotte of Leila.

Leila snorted. 'There's no limit to this little baby. You
want soul, you get soul, you want action, you get ...'

Before she could finish, the sound of Strudworth's
whistle split the air and the horses sprang off. Charlotte
spied an opening between Rebecca and Lucinda and
sent Leila towards it, but Rebecca and Lucinda
deliberately shifted in on their mounts and sandwiched
her. Leila knuckled over, almost falling. It took
Charlotte all her skill to keep her up.

In the stands the crowd let out a collective gasp.
Watching through binoculars, an angry Todd shouted
it was deliberate. The man behind him, Charlotte's
dad, muttered, 'Too right it was.'

At ground level Miss Strudworth was thinking the
same thing. And out on the course there would be
many places where such tactics would go undetected.
She really hoped Richards and her mount could stand
up to the treatment.

'Are you okay?' Charlotte called down to Leila as
they entered the bush.

'I'm more than okay, I'm angry,' replied Leila.

They had lost substantial ground in the incident
but Leila was already making it up on the tail-enders.
She continued to make good progress, leaping logs
and hedges, scooting fast down narrow dirt tracks.
Pretty soon Charlotte and Leila had passed the
stragglers at the rear and joined the middle group.
Leila was feeling confident until she saw the tell-tale
shimmer up ahead.

'Water! No way. I hate water, unless it's Perrier.'

'Just imagine it's perfume.'

Leila tried to pretend it was a big puddle of Tommy
Girl. She jumped.

Splat! Into muddy water. That sure wasn't Tommy
Girl.

Emma, Lucinda and Rebecca were right at the front
of the pack. Emma looked back over her shoulder and
yelled to the others that Leila and Charlotte were still
there and making ground. Immediately The Evil
Three slowed and spread themselves across the track.

Charlotte and Leila were at top pace as they
rounded a bend where the track narrowed. Suddenly
Charlotte found three horses in front of her. There
was no time to stop! Leila saw the danger too, and to
avoid collision she scampered wide off the track,
crashing through bush. Charlotte clung on for grim
death. If Leila hit a rabbit hole here she would snap a
leg. Leila was too angry to even think about that. She
powered through the scrub and hooked back up
onto the dirt track, further behind The Evil Three
but intact. Once more she dug deep to pick up the
gap.

Realising the threat, Lucinda dropped back. It
looked like direct action would be needed. As
Charlotte moved alongside her she raised her riding
crop and brought it down over Leila's nose. Hard.

OWWW, that hurt. But Leila would not give up.
Then she saw the crop raised again. Oh no! Wham!!!
Down it came again, hard, right on her nose.

Leila's eyes were starting to water but she was
determined. She saw the riding crop head towards her
again – this time Leila was ready. She grabbed it in her
teeth and yanked hard. Lucinda had no chance. The
power of the horse pulled her right out of the saddle.
She sailed through the air towards a stinging nettle
bush ...

Charlotte concentrated on the drumming of Leila's
hooves. She was focused on the remaining two horses
up ahead. Any moment the bush would give way to
paddock for the run home.

Leila could almost taste victory. The rumps of the
other two horses were not far away now and she was
closing. But as they breached the bush and landed on
grass, she felt Charlotte ease off.

'What are you doing? I'm not tired, we can catch
them,' she yelled.

'Not yet,' replied Charlotte. 'This straight is longer
than you think.'

In the stands Mr Graham saw Leila losing ground and
commented to Miss Strudworth that it looked like a
race in two now.

Miss Strudworth reluctantly agreed. It appeared
Richards' horse had run out of puff. Not surprising
considering how sick it had been. Looking over their
shoulders at the receding Charlotte, Rebecca and
Emma believed it too.

'She's finished,' said Emma, matter-of-factly. 'Just
you and me.' And with that she drove her horse
forward. Rebecca went with her.

Behind them Leila watched the others pull away.
'We gotta go!'

'Not yet,' said Charlotte, with icy calm.

'We'll be too late.'

Charlotte reiterated more firmly. 'Not yet.' She knew
that Leila would have to be nursed for one final effort.

For you, Mum, she thought, as she reached down
and rubbed the toy horse on her saddle.

In the stands people were on their feet as Emma
and Rebecca charged towards the finish line at least
six lengths clear of Charlotte. Tony Richards understood
Charlotte's tactics – after all, he'd taught them
to her – but now even he was worried she had left it
too late.

Charlotte calculated the distance to the line. She
knew the breeze would be starting to work against the
girls in front. 'Now,' she commanded Leila, pushing
her with her hands and heels. Leila needed no further
invitation. She switched on the turbo.

His heart sinking, Todd watched Emma and Rebecca
charging at the line, hardly a breath separating them.
And then his eye caught Leila powering out of nowhere
like a jaguar, picking them up with every stride.

Rebecca and Emma literally heard the ground
shake. They looked across and saw the looming
shadow.

'Come on, you lazy nag!' yelled Emma, thrashing
her grey horse with her crop. But her horse was tired
and not inclined to help her. Rebecca's was even more
tired. Charlotte gathered them in a stride. Leila put
her nose in front and won!

In the stand the crowd was cheering. Loudest of all
were Todd and Mr Richards as they both punched the
air in triumph. Neither could have been more excited
if he'd won himself. Even Miss Strudworth was jumping
up and down and squealing like a schoolgirl.

As Leila and Charlotte slowed down past the finish
line Leila said, 'Don't you dare tell people we won by
my nose.'

Charlotte laughed and wheeled Leila around where
they could bathe in the applause of the crowd. She
patted Leila on the withers.

'Hey, we did it.'

Leila suddenly felt very, very, very tired.

'I need a drink,' she mumbled, before flaking flat on
her tummy.