Lucia transferred her green gaze to Milly and said irritably, ‘Why ever not?”
But Milly merely gestured at the window and they all turned to see Nicky trudging wearily up the drive.
‘My God!’ breathed Adam through his teeth, but Roz put out a hand and everyone else appeared to be numbed for a moment, then there was a general exodus to the front veranda to form a reception committee, although no one said a word.
Nicky stopped just below the veranda and looked up miserably.
It was Richard who took command once again. He moved forward and said sternly, ‘If you ever do that again, Nicky, I’ll never have anything more to do with You, I swear!’
Nicky’s face crumpled like a flower. ‘I won’t, I won’t,’ she wept. ‘Oh, it was so awful! My car broke down in the middle of nowhere and I had to get a lift in a lorry with no springs, which made me sick, and on top of it the driver tried to make pass at me. I really thought I was independent enough to cope, but when you’re feeling like throwing up on top of everything else, it’s just … Richard, don’t be angry. I only did it because I love you, but you’re right, we should have just come out … have we?’ she asked dazedly from the shelter of his arms now as if suddenly comprehending why almost her whole family was standing there, not to mention Richard’s.
Adam said, ‘Yes, Nicky, and you can thank your lucky stars, it’s Richard who has to deal with you, not me, because I might have been tempted to put you over my knee and spank you. However, I’ll let Richard fill you in on the details and the rest of us will—oh hell, it’s only half past nine in the morning! was going to suggest a drink, but …’
‘What about a champagne breakfast?‘ suggest Milly. ‘I could rustle one up in no time.’
‘Milly, you’re a genius,’ said Adam with his lips quirking.
Several hours later Milly and Adam and Roz. waved everyone goodbye.
The champagne breakfast had passed off well. Nicky had been absolutely radiant and Flavia, although still emotional, in a different vein altogether, which caused her to remark frequently on the sweetness of young love. Lucia had pinched her lips together, however, at every mention of it.
As for Margaret, she had taken Roz aside and confided that she only wanted Richard to be happy. But she had added as an afterthought that she wouldn’t be surprised if Nicky found twelve months a lifetime to have to wait once she’d come down to earth.
While Angelo had approached Adam with his third glass of champagne in his hand and said, ‘Seeing you don’t object to young marriages any more, dear brother …’
But Adam had interrupted him with a grin. ‘Don’t push your luck, mate! I still believe in judging each case on its merits.’
To which Angelo had replied gravely. ‘I see. Ah well, perhaps I ought to start lobbying Roz in the meantime.’
Fortunately Amy had claimed Adam by then, but Lucia had overheard Angelo’s last remark and directed a positively poisonous look at Roz this time.‘
Roz had thought, oh … so that’s it. She thinks I’m exerting too much influence. If only she knew!
But now they were waving everyone off—Nicky was going to spend the rest of the holiday with her mother—and as both. cars disappeared out of the tall gates, Milly disappeared inside and Adam exclaimed, ‘Thank God they’ve all gone! I’m exhausted!’
Roz smiled. ‘Why don’t you go back to bed?’
‘No I have to go into the office for a few hours.‘
‘Couldn’t someone come down here?’ she suggested.
He, shrugged. ‘l guess they could, but I doubt if I’d sleep anyway. I won’t be away all day. Will you …?’ He looked at her questioningly.
‘I’ll be fine!’ she said brightly, clinging steadfastly to her resolution, and he left about half an hour later, not noticing, as he drove off, Les approaching grimly across the lawn.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘I DON’T believe it,’ said Roz dazedly.
But in the end she had to. The vet had happened to be at the stables, getting a blood sample from another horse, when Nimmitabel had got fractious, pulled away from her strapper, slipped, and been obviously lame and hopping when they caught her. He had had his portable X-ray machine with him and the X-rays had been rushed to his surgery to be developed. The result—there was no doubting that Nimmitabel had fractured the pastern bone in her left foreleg.
‘So she’ll never race?’ said Roz, her face pale and distraught.