Page 21 of Lady of Fortune

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There was truth to her words, he knew, and yet she would never be threatened the way he was. Everything he had built could be ruined due to circumstances beyond his control, while she would always be protected by her family name.

“Would you like to know why I’m not at my best this morning?” he asked as he stepped forward, out of the stables and into the morning light. “It’s because all of this — all that I’ve built up, the life I’ve always wanted — could be taken away from me in an instant. And I have no idea why.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, a curl falling out of her cap over her forehead as she looked up at him. He wanted to reach out and push it back, but he restrained himself.

“I had a visit from a steward of the Jockey Club. You have to keep this to yourself, Julia, understand?” At her nod, he continued. “It seems that Valiant may not be… Valiant. There is a rumor that Torrington faked the death of another horse — Midnight Express, if you recall him — and has used him to pose as a more unknown horse in order to stack the odds in his favor, though Valiant has been racing so well that the plan no longer works as it did last season. Now, as his jockey over the past year or so, I have been called into question. The man was even asking about the horse I rodetothe races!”

Julia’s eyes widened as she listened to his tale. “A faked death? A substitute horse? Why that’s… that’s… despicable.”

“That’s the world of horse racing,” he said with a shrug and a wry smile. “You would be shocked at the number of bribes jockeys accept and the races they have thrown — to say nothing of grooms and trainers. People will do anything for money, Julia — even those who seem to have more of it than most would ever need.”

“Have you ever been offered a bribe?” she asked as he waved her over to climb the fence posts to sit at the top.

“Of course,” he said, watching as she easily scaled the fence, and he recalled how athletic she had been in her youth. “I have never taken one, though some days it is tempting. But it’s not worth it. Not the being caught, for it is quite unlikely. No, it’s the guilt that's left deep within your soul, of which you can never rid yourself. The cost is too great.”

She nodded as she looked out over the training field.

“I wonder if your issue has something to do with Lord Torrington and his feud with Lord Totnes.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, suddenly overly curious to know more.

“They had a falling out last year,” she explained. “They used to be the closest of acquaintances, but then something happened between them and the two hardly speak. It’s sad, really.”

It may be sad, but Eddie was much more concerned with his own role within all of this. If the two nobs were fighting, he cared not — unless the consequences flowed out onto his head. Then it meant something else entirely.

“I’ll see what I can find out,” she said, without any further prompting from him.

“You would?” he asked.

“Of course. Not only is ityouthat was wronged — a person that means something to me — but overall, it’s wrong, and I’d like to see it put back to rights.”

“Thank you,” he said softly, not sure if he should acknowledge the fact that she admitted she cared for him — nor was he entirely certain that he wanted her to. For that could lead them somewhere dangerous, somewhere he would prefer to avoid.

“Of course,” she said, turning and bestowing upon him that small smile that seemed to warm him from where it met his eyes down to his very bones. And, if he were to admit it, it touched his heart, ever so slightly.

He cleared his throat as he turned from her to look out over the track, where another horse was just beginning to trot in warm up. He’d best change the subject before it led somewhere he’d prefer they didn’t travel.

“Now, onto your training,” he said, and began to explain how she should approach the race, from before it began to the moments in wait at the starting blocks, to the wave of the flag and then the various points along the way until the judge’s box was in sight and they had passed the white post.

He waved his hands over the rolling green in front of him as he envisioned the race within his own mind, and he could hear the pounding of the horse’s hooves, the shouts of the jockeys, the cracks of the whip, and the roar of the crowd. He could see the black, white, and chestnut of the horses around him, topped by the colorful silks of the jockeys. He could smell the earth below him, the horses around him, and the crowd above him.

He lived for it. And sharing it with Julia came as natural as anything ever had before.

When he finished describing the thoughts that circled within his head as he ran each race, he realized that his eyes were closed as he pictured it, and when he turned to her to gauge her reaction, her face was awestruck.

“You live for this,” she said in a near-whisper. “To live your dream every single day — it must be glorious.”

“Yes,” he said, nodding slowly, musing on his own words as well as the wonder on her face. “I suppose it is.”

CHAPTER11

Julia couldn’t take her eyes off of Eddie’s face. He had completely transformed. Gone was the man who continually presented a lighthearted, carefree exterior, despite whatever he may be feeling inside. In his place was a man who clearly had the utmost passion for what he spoke, who couldn’t help but share the love he felt for what he did.

Julia was in awe. And while she had felt this attraction to him for so long, seeing him like this caused an even deeper stirring within her — one of a woman wanting a man, instead of a girl longing for a boy.

“Does that help?” he asked, turning toward her now, and she snapped her mouth closed, embarrassed at him seeing her so lovestruck.

“Your description of the race course? Yes,” she nodded jerkily, “It does.”