Gargantuan_ A Ruby Murphy Mystery - Maggie Estep [51]
“We married after a brief courtship. I was delighted to tie my fortunes to those of a man who had horses in his blood. But it hasn’t been easy. We have very little money and it is often heartbreaking work. Both Henry and I love our horses very much but that alone does not make them stay sound and win races.” Violet sighs.
“All of this to say—be wary of horse people, dear girl.” She beams at me. “Particularly riders. They’re a strange breed.”
I figure I’m an equally strange breed and am about to tell Violet this when she beats me to it.
“I realize you’re not a conventional girl. I issue these warnings because I suspect you, too, will turn into a horse person.”
“Oh,” I say, feeling flattered, “I don’t have money to buy a horse and I’m a bit too much of a princess to start as a hotwalker and work my way up.”
“Be that as it may, I predict you’ll end up spending a great deal of time with horses,” she says. She then narrows her eyes and sniffs at the air.
“Are you a smoker?”
I feel like she’s asked if I’m a hooker.
“I’m trying to quit,” I say.
“But you have cigarettes on you?” Her eyes light up.
“Yeah, a few, why?”
“May I have one?”
“Sure,” I say, surprised. “You don’t look like someone who smokes.”
“Oh I don’t. Not really. Henry lost his mother to emphysema so I only smoke very occasionally and never in front of my husband. I’d be immensely grateful if you’d loan me a cigarette though.”
“Sure,” I say, fishing for the pack in my jacket pocket.
“Oh not here.” Violet looks terrified. “We’ll take a walk. But first, I will introduce you to our string.” Violet pushes her chair back and stands up. “Come then.”
She takes a dark purple shawl down from a coatrack. She covers her head with this and opens the office door. Soon, Violet is introducing me to the fourteen horses under her and Henry’s care. When we have patted many necks and glanced at many pairs of straight, well-made legs, she brings me to Jack Valentine’s stall for a formal introduction.
We reach his stall just as the gelding is being led back in. The groom, a small, muscular white woman who’s only wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt in spite of the severe cold, eyes me warily. Violet introduces me as her dear friend. The groom warms a little and reluctantly steps out of the stall, leaving Violet and me to ogle the dark brown gelding.
“He’s a big one,” Violet says proudly, as if she’d made him herself.
“What a face,” I say, scratching the horse’s muzzle as I admire his well-made head and expressive eyes. Jack starts gently truffling at my hair again.
“Aha,” Violet says, noticing the gelding’s tender gesture, “you’ve been approved of.”
I smile at the lady.
“Well then, shall we take that walk we discussed?” she says in a stage whisper.
“Yes, of course.”
We walk away from the shedrow. Violet scans around, presumably looking for spies who might report her smoking.
“Shall I give you one now?” I ask.
“No no, dear girl, no. I have a spot.”
She leads us to one of the shabbier-looking barns. There are half a dozen horses stabled here but it’s a low-rent outfit. The aisle isn’t raked and there are no color-coordinated trunks and stall guards. We walk to the right of this barn and here, at last, Violet stops and extends her hand like a greedy child.
I give her a cigarette and light one myself. I watch her inhale deeply and slowly.
“Ah, it’s awful but so delicious,” she sighs, exhaling. “And now, dear girl, all about you.”
“All about me what?”
“I have told you my life story