Free Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt

world.”
    ” They’re not. They don’t like me. I rode Grey Mare and she ran fast and wouldn’t stop, and if Tapperty hadn’t caught her rein she would have killed me.”
    ” Grey Mare wasn’t the mount for you. You should have a pony to start with.”
    ” Then I had Buttercup. She was as bad in a different way. She wouldn’t go when I tried to make her. She took a mouthful of the bushes on the bank and I tugged and tugged and she wouldn’t move for me. When Billy Trehay said Come on, Buttercup,” she just let go and started walking away as though it were all my fault. “
    I laughed and she threw me a look of hatred. I hastened to assure her that was the way horses behaved until they under stood you. When they did understand you they loved you as though you were their very dear friend.
    I saw the wistful look in her eyes then and I exulted because I knew that the reason for aggressiveness was to be found in her intense loneliness and desire for affection.
    I said: ” Look here, Alvean, come out with me now. Let’s see what we can do together.”
    She shook her head and looked at me suspiciously. I knew she felt that I might be trying to punish her for her ungraciousness towards me by making her look foolish. I wanted to put my arm about her, but I knew that was no way to approach Alvean.
    ” There’s one thing to learn before you can begin to ride,” I said as though I had not noticed her gesture, ” and that is to love your horse. Then you won’t be afraid. As soon as you’re not afraid, your horse will begin to love you. He’ll know you’re his master, and he wants a master; but it must be a tender, loving master.”
    She was giving me her attention now.
    ” When a horse runs away as Grey Mare did, that means that she is frightened. She’s as frightened as you are, and her way of showing it is to run. Now when you’re frightened you should never let her know it. You just whisper to her, it’s all right. Grey Mare … I’m here.” As for Buttercup she’s a mischievous old nag. She’s lazy and she knows that you can’t handle her, so she won’t do as she’s told.
    But once you let her know you’re the master she’ll obey. Look how she did with Billy Trehay! “
    ” I didn’t know Grey Mare was frightened of me,” she said.
    ” Your father wants you to ride,” I told her.
    It was the wrong thing to have said; it reminded her of past fears, past humiliations; I saw the stubborn fear return to her eyes, and felt a new burst of resentment towards that arrogant man who could be so careless of the feelings of a child.
    ” Wouldn’t it be fun,” I said, ” to surprise him. I mean … suppose you learned and you could jump and gallop, and he didn’t know about it until he saw you do it.”
    It hurt me to see the joy in her face and I wondered how any man could be so callous as to deny a child the affection she asked.
    ” Alvean,” I said. ” Let’s try.”
    ” Yes,” she said, ” let’s try. I’ll go and change into my things.”
    I gave a little cry of disappointment, remembering that I had no riding habit with me. During my years with Aunt Adelaide I had had little opportunity for wearing it. Aunt Adelaide was no horsewoman herself and consequently was never invited to the country to hunt.
    Thus I had no opportunity for riding. To ride in Rotten Row would have been far beyond my means. When I had last looked at my riding clothes I had seen that the moth had got at them. I had felt resigned. I believed that I should never need them again.
    Alvean was looking at me and I told her: ” I have no riding clothes.”
    Her face fell and then lit up. ” Come with me,” she said. She was almost conspiratorial and I enjoyed this new relation ship between us which I felt to be a great advance towards friendship.
    We went along the gallery until we were in that part of the house which Mrs. Polgrey had told me was not for me. Alvean paused before a door and I had the impression that she