Keeping the Peace (31 page)

‘This is a one-off, you hear?’ He fixed her with a cautionary eye. ‘Next time you ask me to do something make sure I’m paying attention.’

Pippa was halfway through her roast beef and mayonnaise sandwich when Emmie appeared at the door after over a week’s absence. She was shivering, her nose as red as an alcoholic’s against the pallor of her cheeks.

Pippa dusted the crumbs off her fingers and went round to greet the stable lass.

‘Hey, stranger. You don’t look like you should be back here,’ she said with a gentle smile and closed the office door, shutting out the cold. ‘How are you feeling?’

Emmie averted her gaze, her puffy eyes circled with purple rings as she looked down. She scuffed her booted toe against the carpet.

‘I don’t know, to be honest,’ she said in a trembling voice. ‘I went to see the doctor yesterday.’

Pippa took her arm and led her to a couple of Reception seats. Emmie looked on the verge of collapse.

‘What did he say?’

‘He said –’ Emmie licked her lips and took a deep breath. ‘He said I’m pregnant.’ She gave a frightened chuckle. ‘Six weeks to be exact.’

Pippa stared, her brain completely void of anything to say. What could she say? Congratulations, even if it’s unplanned? Express her condolences on the creation of life? Who’s the father?

‘Wow,’ she settled on. ‘Um, how do you feel about it?’

Emmie shrugged. She attempted a weak smile.

‘Scared,’ she said. ‘I’ve had my suspicions for the past few weeks, but having the test and getting a scan has really hit home.’

Pippa gazed at her in sympathy, feeling the girl’s fear. She was also itching to ask if Billy was the father. As far as she knew, the two of them weren’t officially a couple. For Emmie to be six weeks pregnant, she would surely have known by now.

‘Have you told anyone else?’

Emmie nodded and brushed a stray tear away with a shaking hand.

‘Billy knows. He’s taking full responsibility.’ She smiled. ‘He’s being very supportive even though I know he’s scared too.’

‘Oh, so it’s Billy’s,’ Pippa said before she could stop herself. ‘Sorry, that was rude. Of course it would be Billy’s. I just didn’t realise you and he were – you know,
involved
six weeks ago.’

‘We weren’t really. But it was Boxing Day and he came round to see if I was okay after work. And well, one thing led to another and you know what happens next. Neither of us were exactly
prepared
and it’s the only time we’ve been so careless. What are the odds, eh?’ Emmie gave a mirthless chuckle.

Pippa’s eyes widened in horror. This whole thing was her fault! She had talked Billy into visiting her after Black Russian’s fall and now Emmie’s life was about to change completely. And at nineteen years of age, Pippa couldn’t see how it would be for the better.

‘Have you discussed what you’re going to do?’

‘I’m going to keep it. There’s no two ways about that,’ Emmie said. She looked down at her hands. ‘But the doctor told me I should stop riding out in case I have a fall. He said I can still do stable duties though.’

‘Oh, God, we’re going to have to tell Jack,’ Pippa shuddered. How would he take it, she wondered, losing one of his best riders because she was having a relationship with another member of staff? Not too kindly, she imagined.

‘He’s going to kill me.’ Emmie shook her head. ‘Or Billy.’

‘No, he won’t,’ Pippa tried to reassure her. ‘Why would he? You’re a woman. You’re bound to have babies at some stage. He knows that.’

‘Yes, but a mistake like this? And with Billy?’ she quaked. ‘I’m more terrified about telling Jack than I am about telling my parents.’

Pippa took a deep breath.

‘You don’t have to tell him then. I will.’

A wave of relief washed over Emmie’s face before she shook her head.

‘No. You shouldn’t have to. It’s my responsibility. I should tell him.’

Pippa shifted awkwardly in her seat.

‘Well, to be honest with you, Emmie, I feel partly responsible. See, I kind of encouraged Billy to go see you that night.’ She rubbed the girl’s slouched back comfortingly. ‘Let me deal with Jack. You’ve got enough going on to keep your mind occupied.’

It wasn’t until the following morning that Pippa got the opportunity to speak to Jack. Laden with two mugs of tea, she knocked on his door and shouldered her way inside.

‘Morning,’ she greeted him.

Jack looked up from his paperwork and Pippa tried to gauge what sort of mood he was in.

‘H’ro,’ he grunted.

Not great,she ascertained. Oh, well, it didn’t really matter what mood he was in now. It certainly wasn’t going to be very chipper in a couple of moments’ time.

She waited until Jack had taken a tentative slurp of his drink. She wasn’t going to have him with third degree burns as well if she could help it.

He looked up at her when she remained standing by his desk then darted a look sideways.

‘Can I help you with anything?’ he said.

Pippa took a deep breath.

‘Perhaps put your drink down first.’

Jack frowned, but did as he was bade. Pippa’s hands were shaking so much she did the same.

‘What have you done?’ he asked warily.

‘Me? Nothing… for a change. Emmie came in yesterday after you’d left for the races.’

‘Is she better? When is she coming back?’

‘Well, there’s the thing. It’s all dependent on how you take things.’ Pippa bit her lip and wrung her fingers.

‘What? Stop talking in riddles, Pippa. Take what?’

‘Oh, hell. I’m not doing this very well. Okay, here goes. Emmie’s pregnant.’

Jack sat up in his chair as if she’d just pulled a gun on him, making her glad she’d asked him to put his tea down.

‘
Pregnant
?’ he spluttered. ‘How?’

‘In the usual way I imagine. I didn’t ask for details.’

‘No, I mean she hasn’t got a boyfriend.’ Jack frowned. ‘Has she?’

Pippa closed her eyes and asked God to protect Billy.

‘Yeah, she does. It’s Billy.’

Jack’s nostrils flared and his eyes turned a thunderous shade.

‘Billy? Billy from here?’

Pippa grimaced and nodded.

Jack stood up so fast his chair fell over. In two strides, he was already past Pippa and heading for the door.

‘I’m going to kill that little shit,’ he growled. ‘Stupid idiot doesn’t know the difference between his dick and his brain. Wait until I get my hands on him.’

Pippa was struck dumb by his fury then instinct kicked in. She caught hold of Jack’s arm and dragged him to a stop.

‘No! Stop it, Jack. Just calm down for a minute.’

‘Calm down? CALM DOWN?’ he fumed, his shoulders shaking. ‘Don’t you see what that little fucker has done because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants? He’s fucked up Emmie’s life! And he hasn’t done me any favours either. Emmie can’t ride out when she’s pregnant!’ He shook off Pippa’s hold, but she was quick to bar the doorway.

‘Just wait, please,’ she said, her eyes pleading. ‘Just sit down and take some deep breaths. You going out there and giving Billy a boxing isn’t going to help anything.’

‘No? It’ll make me feel better though.’

‘Look, he’s feeling just as scared as Emmie is right now. Don’t make it any harder on him. He went over to her place with the best of intentions –’

Jack snorted in derision and Pippa gave him a withering look.

‘– he went over with the best of intentions after Black Russian was killed. He wasn’t taking advantage of her.’

Jack’s eyes were still stormy, but Pippa was relieved to see he wasn’t shaking quite so much. She stepped away from the door and held his arms in an effort to calm him further. She felt his muscles tense beneath her grip and he drew his head back.

‘He could still have used some common sense,’ he said.

‘Jack, this is Billy we’re talking about.’ She rubbed his arms in a consoling gesture.

Jack tore his eyes away from hers and looked down at her hands.

‘Proves my point though, doesn’t it?’ he said, his tone hoarse. His Adam’s Apple bobbed as he swallowed and he stepped away from Pippa. ‘Relationships in the workplace always end in a mess.’

Pippa felt her cheeks burning. What was he implying?

‘Their relationship hasn’t ended,’ she retorted, more severe than she had intended to cover up her embarrassment. ‘So they made a mistake. Would it have made a difference if the baby’s father was someone we didn’t know?’

‘Oh, God,’ Jack groaned, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. ‘Emmie’s going to have a baby. She’s just a kid!’

‘They’re both kids. That’s why they need your support, not your hostility.’

Jack gave a thunderous growl and thumped his fist on the desk, making Pippa and the tea cups jump. ‘God, nine months then she’s going to have to go on maternity leave. Who’s going to ride Asian Dancer for the year and a half that’s she gone, huh?’ he ranted at her. ‘She’s already thrown two lads off in the past week. I can’t get a decent workout into that bloody horse because most of the time she’s tearing around the Gallops without a rider.’

‘Make a plan then,’ Pippa replied, her patience gauge hitting E. ‘Maybe one of the other lads will learn to stay on her. Maybe you shouldn’t be so reliant on one rider.’

‘Are you trying to tell me how to do my job, Pippa?’

‘No, Jack! Of course not!’ she snapped. ‘But at the very least I would expect a man of your experience not to lean so heavily on one person. Do you know Emmie was more scared of telling you than she was about telling her parents? What does that say, huh? Don’t you think she can feel how heavily you rely on her?’

‘I don’t rely on her that much! She’s just a bloody good rider. I’d be a fool not to take advantage of that. I was going to help her get her amateur’s licence. Now what is she going to do?’

‘She’s going to do stable duties until it’s time for her to go on maternity leave.’

‘Oh, she is, is she?’ Jack chortled, crossing his arms across his chest.

‘Yes. Wouldn’t you rather she was doing that than nothing at all? She needs your support.’

‘Yes, I heard you the first time,’ he snapped. He shook his head and went to pick up his chair. As an afterthought he scribbled a couple more lines in his Entries and Declarations notebook and tossed it onto the other side of the desk.

Pippa snatched it up and stalked towards the door.

‘Bloody stupid kids,’ she heard him mutter.

She stopped by the door and turned to him, the last of her patience evaporating.

‘Jack, have you never made a mistake in your life? If I recall, you blamed yourself for Black Russian’s death because of mistakes
you
had made in his training, right?’

Jack stared at her.

‘And I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that you were feeling pretty shit after that, weren’t you?’ she continued. ‘Just imagine what Emmie and Billy are feeling right now.’ She turned on her heel and left, tempted to slam the door behind her.

Sitting down at her desk, she picked up that morning’s post and began to sort through them, too distracted to start on entries. She paused as she flipped over one envelope. It was addressed to her. The return address was Stairway to Avon.

Realising it was her long awaited quote, she slit open the seal. Her hands shook as she read the contents, panic drawing from her limbs and gathering in a hard ball in her stomach as she absorbed the figures. This was not good. Maybe they’d made a typo and put an extra zero on the end by mistake? She knew the cost of replacing Hazyvale’s staircase wasn’t going to be cheap, but…

‘Nine thousand pounds?’ she croaked.

‘What?’

She looked up to see Jack had appeared from his office, his jacket zipped up, ready to ward off the raw February wind outside. Still stunned, Pippa couldn’t speak. Jack frowned at her.

‘What’s nine thousand pounds?’

‘My quote,’ she managed. ‘For the staircase. N-n-nine grand.’ She looked up, her eyes wide with panic. ‘I can’t afford that.’

Jack looked far from sympathetic.

‘I guess you’re going to need to make a plan then,’ he said, quoting her earlier words.

She watched him walk out of the office then looked down again at the piece of paper, the typed words blurring before her eyes.

Nine thousand pounds? Something would have to give.

P
ippa walked along the row of stables towards Peace Offering’s box, the gaiety of the stable staff’s farewells to each other as they looked forward to the weekend lost on her. Peace Offering was looking over his half door, the blaze down his face luminous in the darkness, a scarecrow’s hand of hay poking from either side of his mouth.

He pricked his ears and tossed his head at her approach.

She smiled at his comic appearance before a blanket of sadness wrapped itself over her shoulders. Did he know she was his owner? Did he realise how his entrance into her life had turned it upside down? Was it all about to come crashing down around her?

She rubbed her fingers between his nostrils and looked into his glistening eyes.

‘Peace Offering,’ she murmured, ‘whoever named you got it right, didn’t they?’

He butted her hand and resumed his chewing, his lips skewed to capture the strands hanging from the corners of his mouth. With a smile, she helped move the hay into a more accessible position.

‘What am I going to do with you, boy?’ she sighed. Her sinuses filled with the tangy comforting smell of warm hay and horses. Looking around, her gaze followed the silvery snail-trail of the Gallops’ running rail lit by the rising moon. At the crest of the hill, she could just see a light protruding through the skeletal trees from Jack’s house. ‘What am I going to do
without
you?’

Her shoulders sagged as the inevitable became clearer in her mind. Peace Offering was a luxury and in her current financial crisis, luxuries would be the first to go.

‘Now there’s a sad stance if I ever saw one,’ an unmistakable Irish voice broke into her thoughts.

Pippa gave Finn a weak smile of greeting as he strolled towards her.