but rosier blushes swept Etta’s face, as her eyes darted round.
‘Valent,’ she cried.
And spitting out his chewing gum, letting go of an extremely restless Chisolm, the man himself emerged from behind an ancient oak.
‘Where did you find her?’ whispered Etta, as rocked by the pounding of her heart she clung on to Mrs Wilkinson.
‘Rafiq had her the whole time.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘He had a tip-off from Ibrahim that she was going to be blown up, so he talked his way into the course, smuggled her out, then discovered he was the major suspect and was too terrified to come out of hiding.’
‘My God, oh the poor boy.’ Etta was too confused and shaken to meet Valent’s eye. ‘How did you flush him out?’
Valent clocked the letter which was shaking like a captured seagull in her hand, but he answered quite matter-of-factly.
‘Alban’s been bluddy marvellous. Put messages on the internet and Arabic and Pakistani stations begging Rafiq to come back, that we troosted him. Ironically, what did it was Tommy on the news saying Rafiq didn’t mind about twenty-seven virgins in heaven, only about seeing Furious again.’
Etta laughed shakily. She was passionately relieved Rafiq was innocent, but all she wanted to do was reread Valent’s letter.
‘Who planted all that stuff in his room?’
‘Harvey-Holden, he’s a psychopath. Hated Mrs Wilkinson obsessively. Each win, he loathed her more and more. Wicked thing was the bastard had been using Vakil to pretend to be the Mafia. They’ve been blackmailing Rafiq for months, saying they’d take out Tommy or his family in Pakistan unless he pulled Furious, among others, so Shade’s horses could win. Shade’s all tied up in it. Knows all about sophisticated explosives and he wanted to bury Marius.
‘And Tresa was in on it too.’ Valent’s voice hardened. ‘Rafiq reckons she and Vakil nobbled Bullydozer and she shaved off Wilkie’s whiskers before the Gold Cup.’
‘How terrible,’ said a dazed Etta, ‘poor Rafiq. How did you flush him out?’ she asked a second time.
Realizing she wasn’t taking anything in, Valent said he’d explain later. Then, as Mrs Wilkinson and Chisolm wandered off to talk to their horse friends, he added roughly, ‘Where the hell have you been?’
‘I went down to Dorset. It’s Sampson’s birthday, though I forgot actually and dropped in on our old house. Such a lovely girl living there now. She said that …’
Valent scuffed the ground with a laceless brown shoe.
‘I went there.’
‘She said you had.’
‘Smashing place. I recognized some of the flowers and the colour combinations. Must have hurt you leaving it.’
‘Not that,’ Etta almost shouted. ‘What hurt was losing Mrs Wilkinson, Furious and Rafiq, but most of all you. I’m so pleased you’ve got her back.’
‘You’ve got her back, she’s yours,’ blurted out Valent. ‘She need never race again if you don’t want her to. Not for a bit anyway, she’s in foal.’ Then, at Etta’s look of amazement: ‘Dora organized a stolen service with Love Rat. Rupert was livid and was going to bill Dora, now Mrs Wilkinson’s alive he’s tickled pink. Bugger off, Chisolm luv, we’re busy, and you too, Gwenny.’
Valent was once more slumped against the ancient oak, Etta against a willow, because their legs wouldn’t hold them up any more.
‘Rupert thinks—’ Valent began.
‘I don’t give a damn what Rupert thinks,’ cried Etta, ‘I’ve been so unhappy. I didn’t believe it was possible to love anyone like I love you. It’s made me realize I never loved Sampson.’
Valent said nothing, but he went very still.
‘I went to apologize to him for not loving him,’ stumbled on Etta, ‘and to say goodbye.’
‘I thought you adored him and then that it was Seth, then Sampson again. I was so jealous,’ confessed Valent, then added bitterly, ‘and Romy said you could never love a yob.’
‘The bitch, that’s vile,’ stormed Etta. ‘You’re not remotely yobbish. I’ve loved you for so long, it began the first night when you were so sweet about Wilkie staying at Badger’s Court. Seth was a stupid crush. He’s got such a weak face.’
Somehow they’d both left their supporting trees and almost sleepwalked towards one another. Etta put a hand up to Valent’s cheek, stroking it:
‘You’ve got the strongest, kindest face in the world. I was always so happy when I was with you. The world lit up.’
Valent took her hands, kissing them slowly, lingeringly:
‘Same for me. The times we spent together were the happiest of my life, discovering poems, listening to the nightingales and the Proms, planning the garden. I felt so cherished and peaceful, no