He regretted his decision to go with them—a decision that had come from nowhere. His relationship with Rowan had always been strained, not because Rowan’s mother was a young,ruthless woman who didn’t care about anyone but herself, as Father had said after she’d taken off with a lover. But because Rowan grew up during those years Tristan had spent with his father working relentlessly, he hadn’t been present in Rowan’s life much. He shouldn’t be surprised that his half-brother considered him a stranger. George had spent more time with Rowan than he had.
Stable hands and grooms bowed and greeted them with low voices. Effie had been there only once, but she received warm smiles and devout bows from everyone.
She returned the greetings in kind. “Good morning, everyone. And here is mighty Zeus.”
Upon hearing her voice, Zeus whinnied. His jaw relaxed, and his tail swung. He bumped his head against her palm when she caressed his head.
“How are you?” she said in a special, sweet voice.
Zeus replied with equally soft noises, forgetting about his master.
Tristan smiled. Even his favourite horse liked her, and he felt proud of that for some reason he didn’t understand. But then again, where Effie was involved, many things didn’t make sense.
The maid shifted her position, likely trying to find a clean spot. She would have a hard time. The stable hands did their best to keep it clean, but mud and dung were always present.
“Zeus recovered quickly, didn’t he?” Rowan asked.
“Very quickly. He’s young and strong. It’s important to intervene as soon as possible when the symptoms of colic are spotted.” She gave Zeus an apple she took out of her pocket. “Some horses are prone to digestive problems. That’s why it’s helpful to allow them to drink small portions of water at a time, instead of large buckets.”
Rowan nodded solemnly.
“I once helped a horse with a twisted intestine,” she said, “by using a stomach tube.”
“That sounds incredible!” Rowan’s enthusiasm struck Tristan.
His half-brother was truly keen to care for animals and study veterinary medicine.
Rowan focused on brushing Zeus’s coat while Effie talked about the importance of removing the twigs, tiny pebbles, or parasites from a horse’s coat.
“The bites of a horsefly get easily infected.” She fished out a book from her bag and flipped through the pages. “See? This is a sketch of an infected wound.”
“Nasty.” Rowan brushed Zeus more gently, checking every inch of the coat.
As Tristan stroked Zeus’s muzzle, he watched them talking like old friends, and a fit of longing bothered him. Although he wasn’t sure what he longed for. Maybe for happy, carefree days he’d never had with his father. Not that he blamed Father. Those years had been all about survival, and Father had always been next to him through dark moments. But he’d never been simply happy, enjoying a moment of freedom with his friends, and even George had been obsessed with making money.
The sun beating on the back of his neck reminded him it was time to go. Oddly enough, he found it hard to leave the stable. Effie’s chatter on how to spot and remove ticks wasn’t just interesting but also relaxing.
He straightened, happy to see Rowan enjoying himself. “I have to go. Lady Effie, thank you for your time.”
“You’re welcome.” She flashed another bright smile as if he were a normal person. If she only knew.
Rowan swallowed a couple of times. “Thank you for letting me be here today.”
Every gaze was set on Tristan. He could bet they were holding their breaths, waiting for his reply.
He patted Rowan’s shoulder. “You’re going to be an expert in animals soon.”
“I hope so.” Rowan flushed. Effie’s enthusiasm was contagious.
“My lady.” He gave her a quick nod and walked to the end of the stable alley.
A smile tugged at his lips as he headed towards the high street. She gave him reasons to smile, and he wouldn’t think too much about why.
He had barely turned the corner when Effie called out to him.
“Tristan.” She ran towards him, her skirt lifting and exposing her ankles clad in leather boots. Nice, slender ankles, that is. And he loved the sound of his name on her lips.
Her bright eyes never failed to hold him captive. They weren’t simply hazel but showed a riot of colours from golden specks to green hues. They changed according to the light.
