Valent had rolled up at Badger’s Court unexpectedly, just as the ceiling collapsed in the dining room taking all the £8,700-a-roll wallpaper with it. Joey would have to get a taxi straight back to Willowwood.
Joey had in fact met Collie for a drink in the Fox the previous night. Both men had children at Greycoats. Collie told Joey if he didn’t get any winners today, he was handing in his notice. Marius was drinking far too much. Trainers should either be charming to owners or get inside the heads of their horses. Marius, at the moment, was doing neither.
‘Where might you go?’ Joey had asked. ‘Christ,’ he said when Collie told him.
History Painting and Rogue fell three out in the next race, which was won by Harvey-Holden with Shade’s horse, Gifted Child.
‘Still waiting for Mrs Wilkinson to come in?’ he called out bitchily to Alan and Alban, as he loped off yet again to the winners enclosure.
Marius had an equally dreadful time at Rutminster, where Bertie and Ruby Barraclough felt even more humiliated than Major Cunliffe. Count Romeo had been absolutely useless, trotting up at the back of the field, fooling around, gazing at sea-gulls and sheep.
Since the court case, Valent Edwards had been sorting out businesses in India and China. Back in England he had been goaded by Bonny Richards, who, determined to have a minimalist house in London, had been pressurizing him to throw out Pauline’s stuff. Not realizing Mrs Wilkinson and Chisolm had gone to Marius, she’d also been nagging him to get them out of Badger’s Court or they’d soon be claiming squatters’ rights.
‘I’m not going to live in the house if they’re there.’
Valent had therefore returned unexpectedly to Willowwood to find Mrs Wilkinson’s stable being knocked down and rebuilt and his entire workforce, with no manager in sight, watching Mrs Wilkinson screw up on a portable television.
Legend has it that it was Valent’s ensuing roar of rage that brought down the ceiling of the dining room and all of the £8,700-a-roll wallpaper. This resulted in an extremely unpleasant hour for a returning Joey.
When Etta got back to Little Hollow, her telephone was ringing. It was Valent.
‘How dare you send Mrs Wilkinson to a two-bit yard and a crap trainer without telling me,’ he roared.
‘Marius was local,’ stammered Etta. ‘We wanted to be able to go on seeing her.’
‘I didn’t allow her to camp out in my study for nearly two years for that.’
‘I know. I’m so sorry.’
‘Or come back from China to win her back in the court case.’
‘I know, I know. You saved her from Harvey-Holden.’
‘She’d be better off with him. At least he gets winners.’
For once Etta was glad the mature conifers were protecting her from Valent’s wrath.
‘Marius hasn’t had a winner for two hundred and twenty days. It’s absolutely goot-wrenching, he hasn’t even got anyone manning his phone. I’ve been trying to get through all day. Why didn’t you send her to Rupert Campbell-Black? He helped you enough giving you his lawyer.’
‘I know,’ sobbed Etta, ‘I’m so sorry, but Rupert’s too big, too impersonal. I was frightened he’d be tough on her, she’s so sensitive.’ God, she sounded like Phoebe.
‘Well, you picked the wrong trainer. Collie’s leaving.’
‘No,’ gasped Etta. ‘Collie’s wonderful.’
‘He can’t survive on the pittance Marius pays him, so he’s off. Who owns Mrs Wilkinson now?’
Etta quailed. ‘We all do, all the Willowwood syndicate.’
‘Joodge Wilkes gave her to you,’ snarled Valent.
I couldn’t afford to keep her, Etta wanted to plead. If she’d told Valent, he might have bought Wilkie for her. He’d done so much, she was terrified of imposing any more.
As if reading her thoughts, Valent shouted, ‘You might have given me first refusal.’
‘I’m so sorry.’
‘No good being bluddy sorry, it’s a bluddy disgrace. You’ve let me down and you’ve let Joodge Wilkes down.’
‘Where’s Collie gone?’ whispered Etta.
‘To Harvey-Holden,’ said Valent, and hung up.
Harvey-Holden had always relied on cheap foreign labour, Poles, Ukrainians, Czechs and Pakistanis, who tended to form little ghettoes and speak only in their own languages. He needed the emollient Collie to hire and fire, rebuild morale and then unite people.
Collie had been seduced by the wonderful yard being built and paid for by Jude the Obese, and the house with four bedrooms and a lovely garden that Harvey-Holden was prepared to give him. Olivia, whom he’d adored but never slept with because he loved his own wife, would be around acting as a buffer between him and Shade the impossible.