Chapter Text
Audrey muttered ‘for goodness sake, Siegfried!’ under her breath, leaning over the laundry tub in the kitchen’s utility area. She was scrubbing out mud from his brown checked tweed trousers, as he’d been horse-riding again. There had been lots of rain this early Spring, so the footpaths and bridleways had become dark muddy paths of sludge.
He had gleefully announced to her one evening that he had arranged with Major Seabright-Saunders that in his free time he would exercise River and another horse, because firstly, there were less grooms in his employ due to the war, and the groom remaining behind was more senior in years and unable to ride much due to a bad hip. Secondly, he advised, was because he felt he needed an outlet whilst worrying about Tristan and James, to ride and be in nature, rather than sit in his office of an evening, doing what he called ‘bloody admin’.
Audrey understood this need to get out and spend time with horses, he had after all specialised in equine science as a younger man and had worked alongside the horses in the war, though in the past 15 years had not really had the time to ride much. Initially, because he and Evelyn were looking after Tristan and running the practice, and later, because of caring for Evelyn and dealing with the aftermath of loss. In the 10 years Audrey had known him, he’d had multiple short-term assistants to train up and then replace and had only really settled on James in the past 4 years. But even in those 4 years, there was so much work, so he had only managed a handful of riding sessions. So, she encouraged him, even if it meant less evenings playing word games or reading together near the fire.
Audrey realised as she scrubbed his trousers that she hadn’t ever seen him out riding, instead she had just seen him leaving Skeldale with a smile on his face in clean clothes and his saddle tucked under his arm, and then returning looking exhausted but satisfied, with windswept hair and his trousers covered in mud splatters. She supposed he was good at riding, but she couldn’t quite picture him on top of a horse.
***
“Mrs Hall?!” called Siegfried, through the corridor to the kitchen.
“Yes, Mr Farnon?”
“What time will dinner be, please, I’m thinking of heading to the Seabright-Saunders estate tonight, River needs exercise, and I’d like to get there before dusk to give him an hour galloping around before it gets too dark.”
“Dinner’s almost done, I was just scrubbing those”, she pointed to his damp trousers, “I can serve it in 5 minutes, if you are ready?”.
“Ah, perfect, Mrs H, sorry about all this, I’ve fallen in love with riding again, and it’s helping me organise my thoughts a bit. Going to farms to deliver calves is one thing, but this is something with nature I can do for fun, and I just love the feeling of galloping across the fields.” He smiled, and Audrey could not help but feel pleased for him that he had a hobby that made him smile rather than seeing him habitually hunched over a desk, doing paperwork in despair, and it didn’t involve imbibing one too many ales in The Drovers.
“It’s good that you are getting out there and doing something for yourself, for once, Mr Farnon. Those trousers will be fine for tomorrow, but you’ll have to wear something else tonight.”
“Ah, well, I’ll just wear these”, he said, pulling at loose fabric near his knee and jiggling it.
“Right you are, Mr Farnon, but I do think maybe you could get some specific trousers for your riding, rather than your usual tweed trousers, they are too nice for this sort of thing.”
Siegfried nodded, and said “Noted, Mrs Hall. I’m sorry to add to the laundry load.” He watched her as she hoisted up the trousers on the makeshift clothes airer, attached to the kitchen ceiling.
“Not at all, it’s just you cycle through your trousers quicker than I can wash them, I don’t want you to be caught short.”
“I’ll see what I can buy when the next clothing coupons arrive.”
Audrey quickly plated up the dinner and they sat down to eat. Siegfried ate happily, telling Audrey between mouthfuls how River had improved in agility and health since he had first met the horse. It was nice to see him enthusiastically talking about a subject he was clearly knowledgeable about.
“Have you ever ridden a horse, Mrs Hall?”
“I’ve been perched on top of one a couple of times as a girl, but I can’t say I’ve ever ridden one, no.”
After dinner Siegfried put on his riding boots and put on his leather gloves and told Audrey to treat herself to a sherry in his absence, and to the chocolates that he had hidden in his desk drawer, that Mrs Pumphrey had given him as a thank you for saving Cedric, last month. “It’s the least I can do, abandoning you this evening whilst Helen is up at Heston Grange. I shouldn’t be too long, but by the time I’ve put River back to his stable and come back it might well be late.”
“Thank you, Mr Farnon, well get on with you, you’ll be late!”
Smiling, Siegfried shifted his weight from one leg to the other, and then pirouetted around to the back door, a spring in his step.
“That man and his horses!” Audrey chuckled to herself as she saw him drive away.
***
Siegfried had been gone an hour and a half. Audrey had washed up the dinner plates and sat down in the sitting room to read her book, but she couldn’t settle. Dash and Jess looked at her with pleading eyes.
“Oh, shall we go out for a walk? It’s still light, we could do a quick lap near the stream, near the woods? Near your favourite tree to empty your bladders on?” She took their doggy blinks as a “yes” to her question, and got up to put their leashes on, and put on her lavender tweed jacket.
“Alright then, loves, let’s go for a walk.”
***
Audrey had reached their favourite spot on the edge of the woods just outside the main village, where the stream flowed and with a drystone wall snaked along it. It had been where she had frequented her walks with Gerald, she cringed at the thought of how he had been keen on her, but she had not really understood what she was doing. Ultimately, she wanted a friend and it had become a bit awkward. She thanked herself now for making the decision to stay.
Dash and Jess were let off their leashes for a few minutes and they launched themselves into the stream, paddling, and chasing ducks.
In her peripheral vision Audrey noticed a figure approaching in the distance. A man on a horse, it seemed. Could it be…? Hmmm. The Seabright-Saunders estate was the other side of the woods, so it stood to reason that perhaps Siegfried and River might come this way, but she hadn’t realised that when embarking on her walk. The horse and rider came galloping at speed, looking graceful as they moved. The rider recognised the dogs and bade the horse to slow to a gentle trot.
“Ah! Mrs Hall, I thought you would be feeling a bit sick by now, having eaten all the chocolates without me!” he called out, as he and River came to a standstill beside her.
Audrey looked up to him, blinking in the golden-hour sunlight, observing some fresh mud splashes on his trousers and boots. She made a mental note of how long those would need to soak in soapy water, later. To answer him, she said: “The dogs did their wide-eye trick again, Mr Farnon, the one where they plead, and you can’t say no!”
“Ah, yes, well they are experts at that!” Siegfried smiled, looking down at her from his height.
Audrey glanced at Siegfried, perched magnificently on top of the large black horse with white smudges on its face. So, this is what Siegfried looked like on a horse. She’s only ever heard his tales of his previous rides. She’s known him this long, had never seen this sight, yet he looked perfectly natural. His tweed clad thighs looked… especially muscular… as they gripped the sides of the horse, gently. His leather boot-clad calves seemed extra defined, somehow. His back was poker straight, making him look taller than usual, and his hair had been shaken out of its pomade formation, curls tumbling over his forehead. His face was flushed pink with the exercise. Audrey realised after a minute that she had been gawping, drinking up the image before her. She collected herself, and said: “So this handsome creature here, then, is this River?”
“He is, yes” said Siegfried, catching his breath after the galloping. “A lovely horse! Great galloper! And to think the Major was just going to get rid of him after a minor issue!” He said, shaking his head at the recollection.
“He’s beautiful, Mr Farnon. What a treat to be able to ride him.”
Siegfried climbed down from the saddle and kept a grip of the reins. He stroked the horse’s face. “Do you want to stroke his face?”
“Ummm …I…”
“He won’t bite, here, just gently stroke this part of his face here, he likes it.”
Audrey cautiously approached and said: “Hello River, I’ve heard all about you, aren’t you lovely?!”
River did a subtle nod in acknowledgement and blinked slowly in reaction to Audrey’s gentle fingers stroking his face.
“Thaattt’s iiiiit” cooed Siegfried, as she stroked River, he had automatically started talking in what Audrey secretly called his ‘animal-proximity-voice’. Some people use baby voices near babies, and Siegfried would use a gentle voice when tending to animals. The gentleness of his masculine voice sent pleasurable tingles down her neck.
“He likes you, I think, Mrs Hall” he said, gently. “Horses are brilliant creatures; they can sense a lot about a person. He knows he can trust you. Perhaps one day you can ride him, if the Major will let me teach you.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that, Mr Farnon. Stroking them is one thing, but riding such a huge creature like River, I don’t think I’m made for it.”
“We’ll see”, said Siegfried, teasing her with friendly encouragement.
Nearby, Dash started barking and splashing around in the stream, bothering a swan which was starting to hiss and flap.
“Dash, no, come on!” Audrey ran to the dogs and called them out from the stream. Putting the leashes on both she bashfully beckoned them to ignore the swan and she came back within speaking distance of Mr Farnon but far enough away to not spook River with the dogs.
Siegfried chuckled “Oh Dash, my boy, what are you like?!”
“Sorry Mr Farnon”, Audrey automatically offered, on behalf of the dog.
“What are you apologising for, Mrs H?”
Feeling flustered, Audrey said “bloomin’ dogs!” She stood with one hand on her hip, elbow sticking out, clutching the leashes with the other hand. She exhaled and continued “Well, they’ve had their walk, I suppose I will go back home now, dry them off and eat some of those chocolates. And get a tub ready with some water and soap for those!” She pointed at his trousers in jest, eyebrow raised, pretending to frown.
“Fair enough, it is getting dark.” Siegfried nodded. “I meant only to come to this stream before turning back, I had better go back also, get River to bed and then drive home. Perhaps save me a truffle or two, Mrs H, and one of your lovely cups of tea?”
“It’s a deal, Mr Farnon!” smiled Audrey, blinking in the golden-hour sun. “Bye River!” she called.
With that, Siegfried climbed swiftly back onto River, adjusted his jacket, and rode away.
As she watched him gallop until he became a pinprick on the horizon, she became very aware of the sensations in her body. She had never seen Siegfried ride, but she admitted to herself, he looked bloody good on that horse.