The Prize (6 page)

Not that Dominic Blackwell seemed to notice. He had the same loveless attitude to horses as Kennedy. Meanwhile Georgie was back on the ground in the stables, shovelling dung and filling haynets.

You shall go to the ball, Cinders,
she told herself as she filled yet another barrow with manure that afternoon. But that seemed as unlikely as a mouse turning into a coachman. How was she going to win Dominic Blackwell over when all she ever did was clean out his loose boxes? She was at the bottom of the apprentice heap right now and unlucky Georgie looked doomed to lose.

Chapter Six

A
re you coming to dinner or not?” Alice asked impatiently as she held the bedroom door.

“I don't think I can move,” Georgie groaned, lying face down on the bed.

Her body ached from the afternoon spent shovelling dung and polishing tack, but it was more than that.

Alice rolled her eyes. “Listen, my apprenticeship sucks too, you know.”

“I thought you said Allegra was cool to work for?” Georgie said, not moving.

“She is,” Alice said. “But it's still dressage. I'd much rather be on a showjumping yard.”

“Not on Blackwell's,” Georgie groaned. “I can't believe he made Kennedy his head girl!”

“Yeah, yeah, it's a travesty,” Alice said dryly, “now pull yourself together, we're leaving.”

Georgie groaned and dragged herself up.

Daisy and Emily joined them on the front steps of the boarding house and the four girls made their way up the driveway towards the dining hall.

An endless stream of complaints punctuated their walk from Badminton House to the main school grounds as the girls compared aches and pains.

“You should see the inside of my thighs!” Emily said. “They're virtually purple with bruises. Tina Dixon is obsessed with doing sitting trot with no stirrups. I spent half the afternoon trying to stay onboard this bonkers mare of hers while she kept telling me that all I needed to do was relax and stop gripping with my thighs.”

“At least your injuries are from riding,” Georgie said. “I broke my back trying to muck out the loose boxes while Kennedy got to ride all afternoon.”

“Georgie, don't let her take advantage!” Emily insisted. “Tell Dominic Blackwell that it's not fair and you should both be doing stuff equally.”

“It's no good,” Georgie groaned. “Dominic knows who her stepmum is and he's being totally greasy. Kennedy has convinced him that she's his access-point to endless riches and that she can get him the ride on Tantalus. He's so busy sucking up to her he can't even be bothered with me.”

“You just need to impress him,” Alice said.

“How? With my dung-shovelling abilities? He can't even get my name right!”

“Well, what are you going to do?” Emily asked.

“Georgie's just gonna have to cope. Georgie has no choice. Georgie needs to suck it up,” Georgie replied.

“Why are you talking like that?” Emily frowned.

“That's how Dominic talks!” Georgie giggled. “He refers to himself in the third person!”

Alice pulled a face. “You're not serious?”

Georgie began to imitate him. “Blackwell has the best stables in the Northern Hemisphere! Blackwell runs a tight ship! Blackwell is… a total nutter as far as I can tell. Honestly, I am so knackered. I'm going straight to bed after we do our homework.”

“Ohmygod!” Emily suddenly remembered, wincing. “Sorry Georgie, I forgot to tell you. Conrad was looking for you earlier on. He said to tell you that you're supposed to report to the Burghley House tack room tonight to do your fatigues.”

Georgie had survived a day of hard labour, slogging while Kennedy rode. And now her rival's vindictive prefect boyfriend was going to make it worse. Her misery was complete.

Georgie concentrated on stabbing her pasta with her fork and glumly followed the conversation over dinner that evening. Daisy proved to be a welcome distraction as she was telling the Badminton House girls about her first day with polo rider Seb Upton-Baker.

“He wanders around the yard in these tight white breeches like someone out of a Jilly Cooper novel,” Daisy said rolling her eyes. “All the girl grooms follow him around like dogs with their tongues hanging out. I think they only work there in the hope that he'll ask them out.”

“Including you?” Alice asked.

Daisy looked insulted. “Eww! He's, like, twice my age!”

“You could do worse than a jet-set international playboy,” Alice laughed. “His last girlfriend was a supermodel.”

“I'd rather be a polo player than go out with one,” Daisy replied sniffily.

“You are a polo player,” Emily pointed out to her. “We're in the school team, remember?”

“A proper player, I mean.” Daisy said. “Seb is an eight-goal player and the way he rides is totally amazing. I tried to play stick and ball with him and some of the other grooms. I thought I would know the ropes from the Bluegrass Cup but this high-goal stuff is so much more intense. And you should see the way he runs the stables. The grooms treat those ponies like gold.”

“Well, I fell off a seventeen hand horse today,” Alice said. She seemed remarkably cheery about it. “Allegra let me ride Virtuoso. He's her Grand Prix horse. He can do the most incredible stuff like flying one-time changes.”

Emily grinned, “I thought you found dressage boring?”

“I do. I mean I'm not into just trotting around like a dullard, but the way Allegra explains all the fancy moves is kinda interesting,” Alice admitted.

“What bothers me about this whole apprentice thing is when do we get to spend time with our own horses?” Georgie said. “I won't get the chance to ride Belladonna this term if I'm spending all my time in lessons or at Blackwell's yards.”

“I know!” Emily agreed, “Barclay is hardly getting any work and he goes a bit bonkers after too many days without riding.”

“We should get up early and ride before school,” Alice suggested.

Georgie hadn't thought of that. “Are we allowed?”

“We're not allowed out on the cross-country courses,” Alice said, “but surely we can use the indoor arena?”

“Good plan,” Daisy agreed.

“And let's set up some jumps!” Alice grinned. “I'm desperate to jump something!”

On the way back down the driveway the girls discussed the details of their morning ride. At the point where the driveway branched off towards the Burghley House stables Georgie peeled off from the group.

“I better go straight to the stables and face the music,” she sighed. “I'll catch you guys—”

“Hey!” Emily interrupted, “Isn't that Riley's pick-up?”

Georgie looked down the driveway. There was Riley's red truck parked outside Badminton House.

“Ohmygod.” Georgie suddenly had an awful sinking feeling. “I completely forgot! I told Riley I would ride trackwork with him tonight.”

As she walked towards the boarding house Georgie saw Riley climb out of the driver's seat and give her a wave. She waved back, her heart racing, palms sweating. Somehow she knew this wasn't going to go well.

“What do you mean you can't come?” Riley's face fell. “You said you wanted to help me to train Marco…”

“I know,” Georgie said, “but I've been so busy I just forgot and—”

“You forgot!” Riley's expression was incredulous. “I tell you that this race is crucial and it just slips your mind that you're supposed to help me train for it?” He raked a hand through his hair in exasperation. “Geez, Georgie!”

On the gravel outside Badminton House the other three girls stood about looking uncomfortable.

“You know what,” Emily said, “we'll see you later, Georgie.”

“Yeah,” Alice agreed. “Come on, Daisy.”

Daisy seemed to be enjoying her ringside view of the confrontation and looked disappointed at being forced to leave. “OK,” she sighed, “but it was just getting good!”

The girls went up the front steps leaving Riley and Georgie alone. The silence was deafening. Finally, Georgie spoke.

“I don't know what else I can do, Riley,” Georgie sighed. “I said I was sorry. I'm saying it again. I'm really sorry, OK?”

“Fine,” Riley said. “Just put your jodhpurs on and we'll go now. We can still make it to Keeneland Park in time to get a couple of laps of the track in.”

Georgie shook her head. “I can't, Riley. I've got Fatigues.” Riley's face fell even further. “Who gave you Fatigues?”

“Conrad.”

Riley was furious. “Is he still giving you a hard time? Georgie, why didn't you tell me?”

“Because I knew you'd be like this!” Georgie said. “He's a prefect, Riley, and… you don't understand.”

“Why?” Riley said. “Because I don't go to Blainford?”

“Yes!” Georgie said. “Riley, this is my world. I'll deal with Conrad.”

“So this is your way of dealing with it? By letting me down?” Riley said. “Well done, Georgie. You've clearly got everything under control. I'll back off and get out of your way!”

He walked around to the driver's door of the pickup.

“Where are you going?” Georgie couldn't believe he was storming off.

“I'm going to the track to ride my horse,” Riley said.

He held the car door open for a moment and then said. “You know what, Georgie? I think we're both under a lot of pressure. Maybe we need a little break.”

“I know,” Georgie agreed, “but I can't take time off until the end of the term and…”

“No, Georgie,” Riley said softly, “I meant a break from each other.”

Georgie's eyes went wide. “Oh.” She felt herself trembling all of a sudden. “Are you… are you breaking up with me?”

Riley shook his head. “No… maybe… I just think we need some time apart.”

“Do I have a choice?” Georgie asked.

Riley hesitated at the door of the pick-up and Georgie wished he would stop and turn around, but he didn't. “I'll see you later, OK, Georgie?” he said with sorrow in his voice. “You take care.”

And before Georgie could say anything more, he'd started the engine and driven away.

Walking back up the driveway towards the Burghley House stables Georgie was shaking, fighting back the tears. Riley had just split up with her! Or had he? He said he wanted to take a break – what did that mean? A break was just a cowardly way of saying that he didn't want to be with her any more. She felt numb with shock. This couldn't be happening.

Georgie walked through the stables and headed for the tack room. There was no sign of anyone and when she reached out a hand to try the door it was securely locked.

“Oh this is just great!” Georgie shook the door furiously. She could have gone to the track with Riley after all!

She was storming back through the stables to leave when she ran head first into Conrad Miller.

“Going somewhere, Parker?” Conrad's tone was supercilious.

“I didn't think anyone was turning up,” Georgie said.

“Well, I'm here now,” Conrad said. “Follow me.”

He walked through the stables and unlocked the door to the tack room, holding it open so that Georgie could follow him inside.

The Burghley House tack room was a long, narrow space with saddle racks lining the walls.

“You're on saddle-cleaning duty,” Conrad said, lifting a saddle down off the rack and propping it on the floor in front of Georgie. “You'll find the kit in the box by the door.”

Georgie groaned. “Why am I cleaning a Burghley House saddle?”

“Because,” Conrad said, “Prefects don't have to clean their own saddles. That's what first years are for…”

As he said this, he lifted down another two saddles off the top racks.

“You can do these two as well when you finish that one.”

“I'll be here all night!” Georgie was horrified.

“There were supposed to be two others on Fatigues but they got excused,” Conrad said. “So I guess that means you've got their work to do too.”