Page 68 of A Duchess to Fight For
Donny and Victor haggled for a while then came to an agreement. Victor would send up his people to take the horses to Tattersall’s.
When he left, Donny wrote to Cecil. He gave Cecil each horse’s qualities, shortcomings, and the amount Victor paid for them.
Cecil shared the letter with Percy, Kent, Hobart, and Frederick. They all planned on going to the auction on Sunday.
Hobart was most excited about the trip. He was the least likely to be recognized, so he planned to lurk in the background until he saw the money that changed hands between Victor and Barton. Frederick knew what Barton was up to, so he could be a thorn in Barton’s side just for fun. He decided to stay close to the mare.
Percy hung around the stall of the carthorse. If any of the horses were misrepresented, it would be the carthorse. Barton would find it more difficult to lie with Percy standing next to him. If need be, he’d prod Barton to give answers.
Kent and Cecil leaned their forearms on the fence of the circle. They took turns walking around the stalls looking for anyone suspicious.
The first horse of Donny’s to be auctioned was the mare. Interested parties had thirty minutes to examine the horse before the auction began.
Frederick saw Barton casually walk up to the stall.
“What a great mare, wouldn’t you say?” he said, to no one in particular.
“How so?” someone standing nearby asked.
“Well, look at the strength in her legs. See that area?” Barton pointed vaguely near the area of the horse’s foot. “You can always get a lot of your information inspecting that area of the horse.”
Frederick stepped forward from the back of the crowd. “How so, Barton? When we look at that area of the horse, what are we looking for?”
“Hello, Frederick. What we look for is a nice thick stem. A sturdy stem.”
Frederick scratched the back of his neck. “And what is the advantage to a horse if it has a sturdy stem?”
Barton gave Frederick a steady look. He didn’t dare give him more in front of the crowd. He said with a smile, “Sturdy, she’s sturdy.”
“How old is she, do you think?” Frederick asked.
“She’s still got a lot of expression in her eyes. I’d have to venture a guess, but she’s most likely three years old. Maybe four.”
Frederick laughed. “Barton, have you noticed her grey hair? Her loose coat? Horses are considered old at around 15 years old. I’ve never seen a four-year-old horse with grey hair and a loose coat.”
Barton turned red, and his eyes were slits. Frederick thought he heard a waver in his voice. “It can be difficult to tell the age of an animal by its looks. We could debate the age of this mare, but we won’t know.
“I think she may be four by the brightness in her eyes. You may differ. I didn’t know you were such an expert on horses. Just months ago, I was advising you when you purchased a gelding.”
Frederick smiled. “And a marvellous job of it you did. I have since made it my business to learn about horses so my next purchase can be an educated one. I don’t like guesswork when purchasing a horse.”
Several gentlemen walked away from the stall while Frederick was talking with Barton. The sale of the mare would be more difficult and less profitable with fewer gentlemen actively bidding.
When the time came, Victor came around and stepped in front of the stall. He opened the bidding too high for his audience and lowered it, looking over at Barton as he did. But Barton stared straight ahead grinding his teeth, his hands balled at his sides.
Victor banged the blocks in his hand and said, “Sold.”
He wrote in a number on the horse’s tag and gave it to the lucky purchaser. “Bring this to the window near the entrance. Thank you, you got a great deal on your new horse.”
Victor went to Barton and began to ask him about what just happened.
“What the –” he started.
“Victor, shall we take a walk?” Barton said in a calm voice.
Once they were out of earshot, Barton whispered in Victor’s ear. Barton snapped his head to the men in front of the mare’s stall and quickly focused in on Frederick. His eyes were dark; his jaw clamped down. He walked away.
Frederick walked over to where Percy was standing. He gave Percy the rundown on the mare purchase. The price she sold for was less than the original opening bid. Percy laughed.
