Free A Flight To Heaven by Barbara Cartland Page B

have taken such a risk – why, you could have been badly hurt.”
    Chiara shivered.
    “Yes, Mama. I was lucky and Erebus was hurt. He is very lame.”
    Lady Fairfax sighed.
    “Perhaps it is for the best. It might be wise if you did not go on any more of these wild rides.”
    Chiara was about to protest, when the butler entered with a folded note on a small silver tray. He bent down so that Lady Fairfax could take the note.
    “Lord Darley is coming to take me for a drive!”
    Lady Fairfax was on her feet in an instant, a warm blush of excitement lighting up her face.
    Chiara caught her breath, thinking that his friend, Mervyn Hunter, might be coming too. But Lady Fairfax was reading the rest of the note.
    “Oh, there is a message here for you, Chiara. Mr. Hunter has been called away to an important race meeting, but sends his compliments and most sincerely hopes that you have recovered from your mishap last night.”
    “There would have been no mishap, Mama, if he had not come chasing after me.”
    “Chiara – ” Lady Fairfax began, about to reprimand her daughter, but then she paused and looked thoughtful before continuing,
    “My darling, Mr. Hunter – is very fond of you, I think. It may be that he cares for you so very much that it caused him to behave somewhat foolishly, perhaps in his excitement he misread the situation. I am sure that he did not mean you any harm. Quite the opposite. Please, my darling, try to think of him a little more kindly.”
    She then turned and left the dining room, hurrying to meet Lord Darley.
    Chiara went up to her bedroom and sat on the sofa.
    She found the letter Elizabeth had sent her, where she wrote about Mervyn Hunter.
    “You say that he is very handsome. Have you been thinking about him? It could be love!”
    Perhaps her Mama was right and he did care for her. He was certainly handsome and she did find herself thinking about him – he had been in her mind since the moment she awoke this morning.
    But when she thought more about him, she felt not happy and joyful, but angry and anxious. If this was love, it was not a pleasant sensation at all.
    *
    A few days later, Mervyn Hunter watched from the Grandstand at Epsom as the horse he had trained, which was the favourite to win the race, suddenly seemed to lose speed and fell back from first place to finish fifth.
    He then lowered his binoculars and cursed under his breath.
    “Oh, bad luck!” Mrs. Fulwell, who had come to the meeting with him, slid her arm through her brother’s.
    “Hmph! It’s the jockey’s fault, lazy little tyke. He seems to have no idea what to do with his whip. Come, I shall have words with him.”
    They made their way through the colourful crowd of excited racegoers to the unsaddling enclosure.
    Reuben Jones, a small wizened man, who had won many races over his long career, shook his head as Mervyn Hunter shouted at him.
    “He ’ad nothin’ left to give, guv’nor. He was worn out as we came into the final furlong. He’s a good ’orse, but you’ve trained ’im too ’ard,” the little man said.
    “I did not ask for your opinion, Jones, and I would thank you to keep it to yourself,” Mervyn Hunter growled. “If you ride one of my horses again, I shall expect you to follow my instructions and use your whip! That’s the way to get results.”
    The Jockey shrugged and backed away.
    “If you say so, guv’nor.”
    The tired and sweating horse was led away, its head hanging low in defeat and weariness.
    “What a shame, Mervyn.” Mrs. Fulwell squeezed her brother’s arm. “You are a man of such talents, you just need a little luck.”
    “What I do need,” he replied, his thin lips curled angrily, “is a good stables and fine gallops to work the horses on. I am sick to death of trying to train winners in whatever rough corner of farmland I can get someone to loan out to me.”
    “Cannot Lord Darley do anything to help you?”
    “Ha!” he gave a disdainful little laugh. “I had some