She licked her lips. “It covers an awkward silence rather nicely.”
Was she truly that naïve? Didn’t people who lived as she did harden themselves to the ways in which the world could take advantage of them? “Jabbering on makes it difficult to keep a secret.”
She shrugged. “I haven’t many secrets.”
Meaning she did have some. Curiosity crawled up Aaron’s throat, but he swallowed the questions back down. Her invasion of his life had already made him more aware of her than he liked. All he really needed to know was what marketable skills she had other than riding. He wouldn’t break his agreement or toss her out on her ear, but if she were to find other employment, he’d happily be the gentleman and let her renege on the contract.
“I’m not often nervous,” she continued. “I find it helps to put myself in situations where I know what I’m doing. It’s the wondering what is going to happen that disconcerts me.” She let out a short laugh. “Admittedly, I often talk a great deal anyway. It’s only that I have trouble stopping when I’m nervous.”
He would not smile. He simply would not. He would hold on to the irritation he’d felt when he first realized what a muddle she’d created. That should be enough to keep him from being charmed by her guileless ramblings. “Does that mean you’ll be yammering to the horse if you race?”
“When I race, everything will be fine. I can’t imagine being nervous on the back of a horse. It’s people I don’t always know what to do with.”
How well Aaron could relate to that sentiment. It was why he’d made his life on the Heath. Here, people were predictable—as much as they ever were—and horses ruled the day.
He should have kept to his intention not to ask any questions, though. The moment he had, he’d found something they had in common. If putting her on the back of a horse would stop the talking, he was going to have to rethink his decision not to place her on Shadow as they walked the rest of the way to Hawksworth.
“We had a lot of different people in the circus, but they always—oh, I say! Is that your horse? He’s lovely.”
Shadow stood tied to a post next to one of the weigh-in houses, chewing on a mouthful of grass. The chestnut thoroughbred had been on the weaker side when he’d been born, and the large white markings on his legs and face had made him less desirable as a racer, but Aaron had seen his potential. Though he’d never officially raced the animal, he’d timed his rides through the courses and knew the horse could have held his own in his prime.
Miss Fitzroy rushed to the horse and ran her hand gently along the stallion’s neck. The horse sniffed at her skirts but didn’t shy away.
Aaron untied Shadow and led him toward Hawksworth. “We’ll borrow a horse for you, and then I’ll show you around the area.”
She looked around. “Is the stable I’ll be working from near here?”
“No.” He wasn’t going to say more, but he could feel her expectant stare. “There are training yards that hold the racehorses. The stables are for breeding and pleasure riding.”
“So, we’re going to Lord Farnsworth’s stable?”
“No,” he said on a near groan. He was so accustomed to everyone knowing his situation that he had forgotten to explain it. “I manage two stables. Lord Stildon’s is closer.”
Blessed silence fell between them, but it was short-lived.
“Don’t the owners get mad at you if one of them beats the other?”
Until recently, both owners hadn’t cared much one way or the other. The previous Lord Stildon had been too old and sick to go to the races, and Lord Trenting only cared that Aaron didn’t operate the stable at too much of a loss. “They trust me to run their horses to the best advantage. I never purposely set someone up to lose.”
Her question poked at a growing unease he’d been trying to ignore. The new Lord Stildon was far more interested in his stable and horses, and the races in two weeks would be the first time he’d had a horse run against one of Oliver’s since taking control of the estate.
Aaron was fairly certain Hudson wasn’t going to be a problem. At least, not as much of a problem as Oliver’s new need to impress his future father-in-law.
“Do you ever pair them to give one an advantage?” Miss Fitzroy’s head cocked to the side, and a small frown pinched at her mouth.
The urge to smooth away the wrinkle that formed between her eyebrows had him clenching his hand harder around the reins. “What do you mean?”
“Say you have two equally good horses and two lesser ones. Do you make the good ones race each other, or do you pair them each with a lesser one in order to increase the chances that each gets a win?”
The fact that Aaron had, in fact, done just that more than once inspired an itch between his shoulders. He fought the urge to squirm under the weight of that direct green stare. “Like I said, neither owner has any complaints.”
She nodded. “So, you play the game well. I’m glad. I’m happy for the work either way, but it’s always better to have an employer smart enough to work his advantages.”
Was this how other people felt when Aaron spoke with blunt honesty? No wonder they seemed stunned.
He’d never understood why the tactic worked so well until Miss Fitzroy’s ramblings set him back on his heels. How was one to know what to do when the other person didn’t react as anticipated?
As his companion rattled on about his horse, the view, and seemingly anything else that popped into her head, Aaron led her onto Hawksworth land. They passed the shell of the old farm stable that had been abandoned when the surrounding lands were changed into pasture and then reached the paddocks. Aaron opened the gate and turned his mind to the possible reactions that awaited him at the stable.
If word hadn’t yet reached Hudson, and if Bianca wasn’t visiting the stable, he might be able to borrow a horse and leave without a confrontation. If he were creative, he could put off the meeting for several days. Hopefully until Miss Fitzroy was on a path toward a new livelihood.
“All this belongs to one stable?” Miss Fitzroy asked quietly, her energy subdued as she took in the expanse of grass, trees, and fences.
“Yes. Hawksworth belongs to Viscount Stildon. He has other land as well, being worked by tenant farmers. This area is all for the horses, though.”
“Oh.” She fell quiet as the stable and house came into view.
The sudden quiet he’d wished for only moments ago now set him on edge. If incessant talking meant she was nervous, what did silence mean? The removal of her voice allowed the noises of the surrounding area to press into his ears, emphasizing the sudden change.
Any hope of getting away from the stable unscathed faded as Bianca stepped through the open stable door and onto the gravel drive to meet them, calling “He’s here” over her shoulder.
Hudson emerged and moved to her side while three grooms filled the door, all staring with unapologetic curiosity.
“After all your huffing and puffing about not letting me on one of the thoroughbreds, you hire a female jockey?” Bianca crossed her arms and glared at Aaron.
Aaron refrained from wincing, but only just. Bianca lived at the neighboring estate and had been riding the pleasure horses at Hawksworth since before Aaron had taken over the management. The head groom had never let her on the thoroughbreds, even the ones that were no longer racing, and Aaron had always been in adamant agreement.