The two of them headed out to the stables. Liane frowned when she saw Jean Pierre taking her horse out of her stall. She quickly strode up to him. “Hey! That is my horse, why are you taking her?” she demanded.
“I wish to ride her. Don’t worry, you will be compensated greatly,” he replied to her without even glancing her way. He carried on walking to the tracks with her mare. Liane gave Tracey a puzzled look.
“I do not want any compensation, I want you to release my horse,” Liane replied as she followed him out to the tracks.
“That is your choice, but I am riding your horse.”
Liane could not figure out what was wrong with him. He had his own horse that he rode regularly. So why the sudden desire for hers?
“My choice is to ride my own horse.”
“And you shall, in due time.”
“Give me back my horse!” Liane shouted. She rarely showed any emotions. Charles had taught her that a woman of her stature should not be easily angered, should not shed tears and she should not raise her voice. But something about Jean Pierre made her lose control. She already disliked him and now, here he was taking her horse without her consent and he did not even attempt to apologise!
“Relax, I am only taking her for one lap,” he said. He turned around to face her. “It's only a horse,” he added. Liane's jaw dropped open.
“And what is wrong with your own?” she asked him.
He shrugged his shoulders. “This is a fine horse. I wish to test her out.” He mounted without another word and rode off. Tracey approached Liane.
“Can you believe that?” Liane asked Tracey. In all the years she had been going to the country club, no one ever behaved with such rudeness. And why was it that he was suddenly coming on the same day and time as her? She had managed to go years not running into him and now in the last month, he was everywhere. And what was worse was that everyone was going out of his or her way to do things for him and he was taking full advantage. One snap of the fingers and people were running to do his bidding. Liane was fed up with him. He was only a cousin to the crown prince, not the prince.
“Well, that’s interesting,” Tracey said. Liane whipped her head in her direction.
“What is interesting?”
“Your reaction.”
“What about it?”
“I don’t think I have ever heard you raise your voice.”
Liane rolled her eyes and leaned against the wooden railing. She knew that she was overreacting but she had just had a rough day dealing with Charles and his demands and riding was the only thing that got her through the day and now she was forced to wait to ride her own horse.
Tracey and Liane stood there watching Jean Pierre ride. Liane was growing increasingly impatient and continued to fume at his behaviour. As she glanced around, she saw the other female members standing around as he rode around the track. They giggled as they vied for his attention. She couldn’t understand the attraction. While he was good looking, he wasn’t anything special and his behaviour made him that much more unattractive to her.
Finally, Jean Pierre finished riding and dismounted in front of Liane before handing her the reins and walking off. He did not even bother to apologise or thank her.
“See how rude he is?” Liane asked Tracey.
“But handsome.” Liane narrowed her gaze as Tracey laughed. “I know he is arrogant. Just relax, Liane. You have your horse now. Hopefully he won't steal her again.”
Grunting, Liane mounted her horse and headed out to the track. She could relax now and for the next hour, she could forget about the pressure she was under from her mother to become a good crown princess. She could forget about the constant stream of visitors that came to her house every single day trying to win her over. Horseback riding was the only thing she could control in her life, and she was not going to let someone like Jean Pierre ruin it for her.
***
After Liane finished riding, she took her mare back to the stable and gave her a treat while one of the stable hands removed the saddle and gave her a rub down. When she arrived back in the changing room, the girls were whispering about her and how lucky she was to share the same horse as Jean Pierre. Liane frowned as she dressed quickly. There was nothing special about sharing a horse with Jean Pierre; especially when he took her without permission.
As she left the club she ran into Jean Pierre in the reception area. “Oh, come on,” she mumbled as she tried to walk past him but he started speaking to her.
“What shall I compensate you with?” he asked. His tone was rather sardonic.
“If there’s no apology coming out of your mouth, then please refrain from speaking to me,” Liane replied as she attempted to brush past.