down Pegasus’s long, grey nose.
‘Ach sure we’ll soon have you right as rain,’ he said to him reassuringly, as he began to undo the traces, more skilfully than Rose had anticipated.
‘You’re not afeard o’ horses, are ye?’ he asked suddenly, looking round at her, his blue eyes full of concern.
‘I wouldn’t need to be. I spend half my life talking up at Lady Anne on a stallion bigger than Pegasus.’
He looked relieved as he led the limping horse slowly forward to a patch of rough grass broaderthan the one beside the coach. He handed her the reins and stood watching for a moment as she stroked his head.
‘There ye are now, Pegasus. Aren’t you the lucky one? Wasn’t it worth a bad foot for all the attention yer getting’? Maybe if I had a bad foot, she’d come an’ stroke my head, instead of bitin’ it off.’
Rose opened her mouth to retort, but he’d already gone to help the coachman release the other lead horse.
It was not long before Lady Ishbel’s coach had been drawn into the field entrance which John had located some small distance away, thus allowing the larger coach with its full compliment of ladies and servants to proceed. When it had passed, Lady Ishbel’s coachman, O’Donnell, checked the re-harnessed greys, shook the reins and followed, leaving John and Rose with Pegasus and his companion.
‘Are ye tired?’ he said suddenly, looking down at her as she stood leaning against Pegasus, a quiet animal who now stood easily, his hurt foot slightly raised from the rough ground.
‘Why do you ask?’ she replied curiously.
‘Sure I could put you up on Icarus and lead the both of them. No trouble at all.’
She laughed at the thought of a horse called Icarus and shook her head helplessly at the idea of riding him.
‘And a nice pair we’d make coming into the stable yard with me on one of your Sir Capel’s horses,’ she said, shaking her head vigorously. ‘You’d never hear the end of it in the servant’s hall or the stables.’
‘Ach sure I wouden care about that if ye were tired. It’s powerful hot the day. Is it always like this in this part of the world?’ he asked, as they led the two horses carefully back onto the carriage road.
‘No, we get our share of rain and cold, but its probably warmer here than Armagh. It’s certainly a lot warmer than Donegal.’
‘How did ye know I wus from Armagh?’
‘Your Sir Capel is my Sir Capel’s cousin. When you meet Old Thomas, the coachman, you’ll hear who everybody is and where they come from. And maybe you’ll get as mixed up as I used to with them all having the same names.’
‘We could call them Sir Capel North and Sir Capel South?’ he offered.
‘Or Sir Capel Armagh, and Sir Capel Kerry,’ she added, smiling.
They paused to let Pegasus rest and she watched while he pulled off the scarf that had worked itself loose in the course of the afternoon and was now in danger of falling to the ground. He stuffed it in the pocket of his livery jacket, then took off the jacket itself. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, Rose asked the question that had been in her mind since she’d first laid eyes on him.
‘How long have you been a groom?’
‘A groom?’ he repeated, an unexpected note of outrage in his normal easy speech. ‘I’m no groom,’ he said sharply. ‘I’m a time-served blacksmith. As good a one as you’ll find.’
‘I do apologise, your honour,’ she said, curtseying to him. ‘You must forgive me if I was taken in by your disguise.’
He threw back his head and laughed.
‘Sure, maybe I could have taken ye in if the coat had fitted, but that coat’s been the plague o’ my life. Even the buttons get hot. An’ sure I niver was one for wearin’ a coat anyway. Not wi’ my work. Ye’ve no call for one in a forge, even in the wintertime.’
‘So what are you doing here?’
‘Ach, just helpin’ out. The groom’s old mother was took bad a few days before they were due to set out an’
‘Ach sure we’ll soon have you right as rain,’ he said to him reassuringly, as he began to undo the traces, more skilfully than Rose had anticipated.
‘You’re not afeard o’ horses, are ye?’ he asked suddenly, looking round at her, his blue eyes full of concern.
‘I wouldn’t need to be. I spend half my life talking up at Lady Anne on a stallion bigger than Pegasus.’
He looked relieved as he led the limping horse slowly forward to a patch of rough grass broaderthan the one beside the coach. He handed her the reins and stood watching for a moment as she stroked his head.
‘There ye are now, Pegasus. Aren’t you the lucky one? Wasn’t it worth a bad foot for all the attention yer getting’? Maybe if I had a bad foot, she’d come an’ stroke my head, instead of bitin’ it off.’
Rose opened her mouth to retort, but he’d already gone to help the coachman release the other lead horse.
It was not long before Lady Ishbel’s coach had been drawn into the field entrance which John had located some small distance away, thus allowing the larger coach with its full compliment of ladies and servants to proceed. When it had passed, Lady Ishbel’s coachman, O’Donnell, checked the re-harnessed greys, shook the reins and followed, leaving John and Rose with Pegasus and his companion.
‘Are ye tired?’ he said suddenly, looking down at her as she stood leaning against Pegasus, a quiet animal who now stood easily, his hurt foot slightly raised from the rough ground.
‘Why do you ask?’ she replied curiously.
‘Sure I could put you up on Icarus and lead the both of them. No trouble at all.’
She laughed at the thought of a horse called Icarus and shook her head helplessly at the idea of riding him.
‘And a nice pair we’d make coming into the stable yard with me on one of your Sir Capel’s horses,’ she said, shaking her head vigorously. ‘You’d never hear the end of it in the servant’s hall or the stables.’
‘Ach sure I wouden care about that if ye were tired. It’s powerful hot the day. Is it always like this in this part of the world?’ he asked, as they led the two horses carefully back onto the carriage road.
‘No, we get our share of rain and cold, but its probably warmer here than Armagh. It’s certainly a lot warmer than Donegal.’
‘How did ye know I wus from Armagh?’
‘Your Sir Capel is my Sir Capel’s cousin. When you meet Old Thomas, the coachman, you’ll hear who everybody is and where they come from. And maybe you’ll get as mixed up as I used to with them all having the same names.’
‘We could call them Sir Capel North and Sir Capel South?’ he offered.
‘Or Sir Capel Armagh, and Sir Capel Kerry,’ she added, smiling.
They paused to let Pegasus rest and she watched while he pulled off the scarf that had worked itself loose in the course of the afternoon and was now in danger of falling to the ground. He stuffed it in the pocket of his livery jacket, then took off the jacket itself. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, Rose asked the question that had been in her mind since she’d first laid eyes on him.
‘How long have you been a groom?’
‘A groom?’ he repeated, an unexpected note of outrage in his normal easy speech. ‘I’m no groom,’ he said sharply. ‘I’m a time-served blacksmith. As good a one as you’ll find.’
‘I do apologise, your honour,’ she said, curtseying to him. ‘You must forgive me if I was taken in by your disguise.’
He threw back his head and laughed.
‘Sure, maybe I could have taken ye in if the coat had fitted, but that coat’s been the plague o’ my life. Even the buttons get hot. An’ sure I niver was one for wearin’ a coat anyway. Not wi’ my work. Ye’ve no call for one in a forge, even in the wintertime.’
‘So what are you doing here?’
‘Ach, just helpin’ out. The groom’s old mother was took bad a few days before they were due to set out an’
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