Destiny and Stardust (17 page)

“Not for long, though,” Kate added. “Tom and the ILPH are finding them new homes, remember – they'll have to be split up eventually.”

“Well, at least a few of them will be staying together,” Hester said. “I've been talking to Tom. He's agreed that Destiny and the two mares with their colts at foot will stay here at Blackthorn Manor with me.”

“Really?” Issie said. “Aunty Hess! That's wonderful.”

“Well, I couldn't let Avignon's son and his grandchildren go off and live somewhere else now, could I?” Hester said. “Destiny belongs here at Blackthorn Manor and so do his children. Besides,” she added, “I think Tom is right. Those two colts may be future superstars. If they have Avignon's bloodlines and that Blackthorn spirit then there will be no stopping them!”

Issie looked over at Destiny. The black stallion had been put in a separate paddock from the rest of the horses. He was high-stepping now in a swift trot along the fence-line, his head held high. He gave a shrill stallion's call and ran at the fence where Issie was standing, heading straight for her and then swerving at the very last minute with a playful buck.

“Show off!” Issie yelled at him, making Stella and Kate laugh.

“I still can't believe I actually rode him,” Issie said softly under her breath.

“I can, my dear.” Hester smiled at her. “You're quite the horsewoman. But then, you've got good bloodlines too, you know. I wouldn't expect anything less from my favourite niece.” And with that, Hester threw her arms around Issie, smothering her once more in a tight, Chanel-scented hug.

It turned out that Issie's arm was badly sprained, but thankfully not broken.

“Thank goodness! Your mother would have killed me if I'd sent you home in a cast,” Hester said. “Still, I don't suppose she'll be any more pleased when you turn up wearing that bandage and a sling.”

Issie was hoping that the last few days at the farm would have been enough time for her arm to heal before she had to face her mother. But the doctor said she needed to keep wearing the sling for another week – and it was time to go home.

“The holidays are over and my leg is on the mend. I'll be getting the cast off next week,” said Aunt Hester. “I've called your mother and she's expecting you home tomorrow. Tom is going to borrow my horse float to take Blaze back with you too. You can leave as soon as she's had her vet check in the morning.”

“I can't believe I'm going to be leaving,” Issie said. “I love it here so much. And I'll miss you, Aunty Hess.”

“Well of course you will, darling! But you'll come back again, won't you? Blackthorn Manor is your home too now.”

Dinner that night was a celebration and a farewell. All the riders had helped in the kitchen so that Aunt Hester could have a night off cooking. “This is the best meal I've ever had at Blackthorn Manor!” Aidan said as he tucked into a perfect piece of roast beef and mashed potato.

That night, for the last time, Issie went to sleep staring at the painting of Avignon opposite her enormous four-poster bed. When she woke up the next morning Strudel was sniffing around her feet and the sun was streaming in through the windows.

Issie had already packed her bags the night before. Now, as she pulled on her jersey and jeans, she decided to say goodbye one last time to the manor menagerie before breakfast. In the kitchen she found a bag of carrots to take with her as a goodbye treat for Butch, Blossom and the rabbits, throwing in a few apples as well as a farewell gift for the ponies.

The early morning light was golden and warm as she walked across the lawn. The rest of the house was shrouded in sleep and the air was still. She stopped off to see Butch, feeding the greedy pig four big carrots, then walked on past the duck pond to Destiny's paddock.

Issie was surprised when the stallion didn't hesitate, but came straight up to the fence to greet her. As the horse poked his elegant neck over the rails of the fence to take a carrot Issie put out a hand to stroke his glossy, jet mane.

“We would never have saved the ponies without you, Destiny,” she said softly. Destiny gave a nicker as if he understood. Issie was about to say something else when a low, feline growl behind her made her jump.

“Meow!” Aidan grinned. “I can't believe you're still falling for that old trick, Issie!”

“Aidan!” Issie scowled at him. “I knew you weren't the Grimalkin – you just startled me, that's all.”

“Sorry,” Aidan said. Although he didn't look sorry at all. He was still smiling as he came over to the fence, took a carrot out of Issie's bag and fed it to a buckskin mare who had finally summoned up the courage to come close enough to the railing.

“Do you think they'll be OK? The Blackthorn Ponies, I mean,” Issie said to Aidan.

“Yeah, I do. They'll be just fine – thanks to you,” Aidan said.

“Me? No… I didn't do anything…”

“Of course you did,” Aidan said. “You were amazing, Issie…” Aidan went quiet and looked at his feet. “Listen, I've been trying to tell you something since the first day you got here.” Aidan's bright blue eyes were almost hidden beneath his black fringe as he looked up at her.

“What is it?” Issie asked.

“This,” Aidan said. And without another word he stepped forward and kissed her.

Issie felt her heart skip a beat as Aidan's lips brushed against her own. Then she jumped back in shock. “You kissed me!” she said.

“I know!” Aidan said. “I was hoping that, well, that you wouldn't mind.”

“I don't… it's just, well, I'm just kind of surprised…” Issie felt the butterflies in her tummy fluttering like crazy. Aidan had just kissed her!

“I didn't mean to… I… I'd better go…” Aidan said, his face glowing with embarrassment.

“No! Don't!” Issie yelled after him. But it was too late. Aidan was already racing off back across the lawn towards the manor. She was about to run after him when a voice from the stable doorway startled her.

“Isadora! There you are!” Tom Avery called to her. “I've been looking for you everywhere. The vet has some very important news about Blaze. You'd better come in here immediately.”

The warmth of Aidan's kiss disappeared as if someone had poured ice water all over her. Issie broke into a run and followed Avery back in through the stable door to the very last stall in the row where Blaze's nameplate was now hung from the carved wooden horse head on the door. Inside the stall the vet was bending over the mare. He had a syringe of blood in his hand and a worried expression on his face.

“What's wrong with Blaze. What is that for?” Issie asked, looking at the vial of blood that the vet was now putting into a plastic bag in his hold-all.

“This must be the mare's owner, yes?” the vet said to Avery.

“Yes, Andrew, this is Isadora. You'd better tell her what you just told me.”

Issie felt the blood drain from her face. “Tom? What is it? What's wrong with Blaze? What is all this about? I thought you said her wounds weren't that bad. She just needed stitches…”

Issie was panicking now; she could feel her heart racing. She felt like she was going to be sick.

“Isadora, no! I'm sorry. I've gone and given you the wrong end of the stick here.” Avery smiled. “Blaze is just fine, but, well, you'd better explain Andrew…”

The vet stepped forward. “I came in to treat your mare this morning and when I was checking her wounds I noticed a few things about her that seemed odd. I've given her a thorough check-up, and I'm pretty sure that I'm right. I've taken blood tests which will confirm it once I've got them back to the lab but in the meantime you just need to make sure she's well fed. Just treat her normally and she should be…”

“I'm sorry… you still haven't told me… what is wrong with my horse?” Issie couldn't stand it any longer. “What is the matter with Blaze?”

“Nothing's wrong with her,” the vet said. “Your horse isn't sick, Issie, she's in foal.”

“In foal? You mean Blaze is going to have a baby?”

“It certainly looks likely,” the vet said, popping the last of his equipment into the hold-all and giving Blaze a pat. “Your mare is about to become a mummy.”

“Blaze!” Issie squealed, throwing her arms around the mare's neck. “Ohmygod! That's wonderful!”

The news that Blaze was in foal came as such a shock to Issie that the drive home to Chevalier Point was a total blur. She was so overcome, she didn't know what to think. Blaze, her own special pony, was going to have a foal!

“Isn't this the most exciting news you've ever heard in your whole life!” Stella squealed in the back seat of the Range Rover where the three girls were crammed in together.

“Can you still ride her?” Ben asked. He and Dan were sitting up the front with Avery for the ride home.

“The vet said it was fine – at least until her tummy gets really big,” Issie nodded.

“And Destiny is the father, right?” Kate said.

Issie shook her head. “The vet couldn't tell me that for sure. He needs to check the blood tests first. I guess we'll know in a day or two.”

“Ohmygod! Imagine how beautiful the foal is going to be!” Kate beamed. “What do you think she'll have, Issie? A filly or a colt?”

“I hope it's a girl,” Stella said. “A little baby Blaze running around. How cute would that be?”

For the whole trip they talked on and on about the foal, what it would look like and what they were going to name it. Issie was so excited, she almost forgot all the other events of the past few weeks: breaking in Destiny, making the Flying Angel leap from Mystic, saving the Blackthorn Ponies and her kiss with Aidan that morning…

It was late afternoon when the Range Rover pulled up at the pony club. Avery pulled the horse float to a stop underneath the magnolia trees in the first paddock and Stella jumped out to help Issie lower the tail flap.

“Here, you can't do that with your sore wrist. I'll help you put Blaze's rug on while you get the feed sorted,” Stella told Issie.

“Thanks,” Issie said.

“How much longer are you going to have that sling for anyway?”

“The doctor said maybe a week or so. It's starting to feel better already.” She gave her wrist a wiggle.

When Issie emerged again from the tack room with Blaze's feed the mare was rugged up and ready for her.

“I'm going to check on Coco. I'll meet you back at the car,” Stella told Issie, leaving her alone with her pony.

Blaze shoved her head eagerly into the feed bucket, then lifted it up again and gave a happy nicker across the paddock, calling out to Coco and Toby.

“It's good to be home again, huh, girl?” Issie said.

She was just waiting for Blaze to chew up the last remnants of her chaff and pony nuts when she saw a rider striding towards her from the clubrooms. Even at a distance she recognised the stiff blonde plaits and haughty manner immediately.

“Hello, Natasha,” Issie sighed as the rider approached her.

“Isadora! I thought it was you,” Natasha said icily. “Mummy just brought me to the club to pick up my hard hat. I left it behind at training. And here you are! Well, I must say I'm so glad you're back!”

“Really?” Issie looked at her.

“Yes. I wanted you to be the first to congratulate me on my win,” Natasha smirked.

“What?” Issie was confused.

“The summer dressage series. I completely won it. Fabergé and I annihilated the competition. Nobody else stood a chance!” Natasha's smirk had spread from ear to ear now. “Of course I know that technically you didn't compete because you weren't here, but I can tell you that Fabby was pretty unbeatable. I'm sure that we would have won anyway, even if you had been riding. So that makes us the best in the whole club. Anyway,” Natasha looked over at the Range Rover where Stella and Kate were staring at her through the windows, “I see you're all back. How was your holiday? Did anything interesting happen?”

Issie looked back at Stella and Kate, who were now pulling faces at Natasha and mouthing at Issie to hurry up.

“Nope,” Issie said with a grin on her face. “I mean, what can I say that could possibly beat your story, Natasha? Wow, huh? Good for you! It sounds like you've had quite the exciting time. I'd love to hear more about it, but I need to put Blaze in her paddock and get home now. It's been a long day.”

Issie tried to suppress her giggles as she turned away from Natasha and led Blaze through the paddock gate. She didn't need to tell Stuck-up Tucker about what had happened. Natasha would no doubt hear all about it at the pony club soon enough.

Issie slipped the halter off Blaze's head and watched as the mare trotted off happily to join Coco and Toby. It was hard to believe that her pony was going to have a foal.

“I hope it's a girl. She'll be beautiful, Blaze – just like you,” Issie said.

As Avery leant on the horn of the Range Rover, telling her to hurry up, Issie paused and took another look around the familiar fields of the Chevalier Point Pony Club. It was good to be home.