“Since when do you take holidays?” I asked.
“Since Emma ordered me to,” he replied. “She thinks we should take advantage of the extra help while we can.”
I glanced toward the stable yard. “Can the extra help manage without you?”
“Oh, yes,” Kit answered dully. “Most of them were raised around stables much grander than ours. They don’t need me to tell them what to do.”
“What about your lessons?” I asked.
He shrugged apathetically. “Emma and Nell are covering for me. They’re both excellent instructors.”
His shoulders sagged, and he shuffled his feet aimlessly on the cobbles, as if he were bored to tears. I, on the other hand, had to restrain myself from jumping for joy. It would be ten times easier to persuade Kit to come with me, now that he had nothing else to do. He wouldn’t even have to change his clothes.
“Are you planning to spend your entire holiday sitting here?” I teased.
46 Nancy Atherton
Kit extended his long legs and leaned against the wall behind the bench.
“I was going to go for a walk,” he said, “but I ran out of energy.”
“Then you can borrow some of mine,” I said, beaming at him. “I have a favor to ask of you, Kit.”
“Do you?” he said lazily. “What sort of favor?”
“I want you to help me to find Rendor.” I held up a hand to forestall interruption. “I know all about the gnarled tree and the missing footprints, but Will drew a detailed picture of Rendor, so I’m convinced that he and Rob saw someone. I don’t know who it was, but I’m going to find out, and I want you to come with me because . . .”
I paused for a breath, then went on in a rush. “Because he might turn out to be another violent psycho and I don’t want to run the risk of ending up in the hospital again—or worse.” I paused again before adding craftily, “And seeing as you’re at loose ends . . .”
Kit continued to lounge against the wall for a minute or so.
Then he sat up and turned to face me. “All right,” he said. “I’ll come with you. On one condition.”
“Name it,” I said, smiling brightly.
“Once we’ve proved to your satisfaction that the woods are safe,” he said, “you’ll take riding lessons.”
My smile vanished. “I’ll . . . what? Me? Ride? A horse? ”
“Yes,” Kit said gravely. “You. Ride. A horse.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, waving my hands to ward off the insane suggestion. “Not in this lifetime at any rate. You know how I feel about horses.”
“I do,” he said, “and it’s high time you got over it. Wouldn’t it be fun to go for a hack with Emma every now and then?”
“Sure,” I said. “If you leave out the part where I take a nosedive into the nearest hedgerow.”
“Listen to me, Lori.” Kit folded his arms and regarded me severely. “You can’t go on standing on the far side of the fence. If you do, Will and Rob will always see you as an outsider looking in.
Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter
47
You’ll never earn their respect, you’ll never fully bond with them, you’ll never truly understand your sons until you overcome your fear of horses.”
“Ouch,” I said, wincing. “You really know how to hit a mom where it hurts.”
“I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.” He smiled sweetly, unfolded his arms, and gave my shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “You know I’d never do anything to hurt you, Lori. We’ll take it very slowly, one step at a time. I’ll put you on Toby. He’s small, gentle, patient—”
“And toothless,” I finished for him. “Yes, I know Toby. I petted him once.”
“You see? You’re halfway there.” Kit stuck out his hand. “Do we have a deal?”
I whimpered piteously but shook his hand to seal the deal.
“You won’t regret it.” Kit sprang to his feet, as if energized by my surrender, and said cheerfully, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
He disappeared into the manor house and returned a moment later, sliding the straps of a bulging day pack over his shoulders.
“That was quick,” I commented.
“I like to keep a pack handy, for long trail rides,” he explained.
He nodded toward the tree-covered hills behind the manor house.
“Shall we?”
I got up and trudged after him, feeling a bit shell-shocked. I’d never expected Kit Smith, of all people, to drive such a hard bargain. To my way of thinking, there wasn’t much difference between doing battle with a vampiric psycho pervert and riding a horse.
But Kit would have to keep his part of the bargain, too, I reminded myself. Before I risked life and limb by climbing into a saddle, he’d have to prove to me that neither man nor monster haunted the woods above Anscombe Manor.
Six
W e were nearing the fringe of trees at the base of the hill behind the manor house when Kit wheeled around to
face me.
“Before we go any farther,” he said, “I’d like to get one thing straight.