White Horses. Joan Wolf
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was careful not to contribute much in case he inadvertently gave away clues to his real identity. He looked down now at his empty plate. Madame Gare came out of the kitchen. “How are we doing, eh? Finished? I have apple tart for dessert.”
Gabrielle jumped up. “I’ll help you clear, Madame Gare.”
“Such a good girl,” the landlady beamed.
Emma also got up and quietly went to the next table and began to collect plates. The two other women in the company, Carlotta and Jeanne Maheu, a band member, remained in their seats.
After dessert was finished, Gabrielle went into the kitchen and came out carrying a large bag. “Supper for Cesar and Jean,” she said to Leo, referring to the two grooms who stayed behind to guard the horses. “I’ll take it out to them tonight. It’s the first night on the road for the horses and I want to make sure everything is all right.”
Leo said, “Will they remain with the horses all night?”
“Yes,” Gabrielle said. “Cesar has his two Alsatian dogs with him. They will sound an alarm if anyone tries to get near the horses.”
“Are Cesar and Jean armed?” Leo asked.
“Yes,” Gabrielle replied.
Leo nodded his approval.
“Shall I go with you, Gabrielle?” Luc asked.
Leo gave the equestrian a long, hard stare. “I will accompany my wife,” he said.
My wife. The words sounded so strange rolling off his lips.
Gabrielle patted Luc on his sleeve. “Thank you, anyway, Luc.”
Luc’s handsome face looked grim.
“Come along, Leo,” Gabrielle said, and without even glancing at him, she began to walk toward the door leaving him, along with her dog, to follow.
This has got to stop, Leo thought. I am not her servant! He wondered if she had treated André this way. I pity the poor bastard if she did.
Leo drove out to the field while Gabrielle held the food on her lap. Colette lay sprawled across her feet for the twenty-minute drive. Leo was silent and Gabrielle made no attempt to engage him in conversation. When they arrived they were greeted by two large black Alsatian dogs, which barked excitedly.
“Yes, yes,” Gabrielle soothed them. “I am bringing your dinner, too.”
Cesar approached them.
“Is everything quiet?” Gabrielle asked.
“Yes. The horses are all tired from the day’s journey. No one has acted up.”
“Good. I have lamb stew for you and Jean and the dogs.”
“Wonderful. We’re all hungry.”
The two men had put out benches and Gabrielle began to set out their meal on one of them. They sat on the other and started eating. Gabrielle then went to the wagon and returned with two large dishes into which she poured the remainder of the lamb stew. The two Alsatians began to eat hungrily.
Colette stood and watched them, her ears pricked.
“Don’t look like that—you just ate, you piggy,” Gabrielle said affectionately.
Colette ignored her; she continued to watch the other dogs eat.
“Let’s go look at the horses,” Gabrielle said to Leo, and they walked the twenty feet that divided them from the corral.
Inside, the Lipizzaners, the Arabians, Coco and four of Gabrielle’s carriage horses were eating quietly from their separate piles of hay.
It was a mild, pleasant evening. Leo found himself very curious about Gabrielle’s work. “What do you do when it’s raining?” he asked. “Do they stay out in the rain?”
“I put them in the stable tent when the weather is inclement.”
“And do you make a profit with this circus?”
“Papa did. I hope I can do the same.”
“Is this your first season running the show?”
“I finished up the last weeks last year. This will be my first whole season.” Leo thought she sounded a bit less assured than usual.
As they were speaking, one of the horses left his pile of hay, went over to another of the horses, nudged him out of the way and began to eat his hay.
“Jacques, don’t be a bully,” Gabrielle called.
The other horse stood looking sadly at his hay being devoured by Jacques. Gabrielle ducked through the ropes and went up to him. “Come along, Tonton,” she said, and led him over to the pile of hay that Jacques had deserted. The horse lowered his head and promptly started to eat. Gabrielle came back to stand beside Leo.
“Poor Tonton,” she said. “He is low man in the pecking order and I worry about him getting enough to eat.”
“He looks fat enough,” Leo said.
“That’s because he was fed in his stall all winter.”
As they watched, Jacques deserted Tonton’s pile of hay and went over to reclaim his own. Once again Tonton was without food.
“Mon Dieu,” Gabrielle said. “My poor Tonton.” She went back to the wagon, and when she returned she was carrying a lead rope. “The corral opens over here,” she said to Leo, pointing. “Hold it for me, and I’ll bring Tonton out. He can eat out here with us.”
She took down the rope and went in after the large bay horse. Leo watched, amused, as she led him out, handed him to Leo to hold and went back for Jacques’s pile of hay. She brought the hay outside of the corral, dumped it on the ground and went to take Tonton’s lead. She held the lead and Tonton lowered his head and began to eat.
“I’ll have to tell Jean and Cesar to leave Tonton in the stall tent where the horses are tied. We did it last year—they must have forgot.”
“You take good care of your horses,” Leo said approvingly.
“They deserve good care,” she returned. “They are the heart and soul of our show.”
They stood quietly, side by side in the darkening light, as Tonton munched away on his hay. Leo suddenly found himself acutely aware of her presence. All of his nerve endings seemed to be attuned to her, and he scowled, not liking the feeling at all.
Gabrielle broke the silence and called to the grooms. “I am going to tie Tonton to the corral. Make sure you put him back inside when he has finished his hay.”
Cesar came over to them. “I forgot about Tonton. Is Jacques still stealing his food?”
“Yes.” Gabrielle was busy tying a knot in Tonton’s lead rope.
Then she turned to Leo. “Let’s get back to the hotel.”
They walked back to their wagon, and as Gabrielle put her foot on the step to climb up, Leo put his hands around her slim waist and lifted her. She was light and buoyant as he swung her up to the seat.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said from her place above him. Her voice sounded a little breathless.
“A husband helps his wife,” he returned as he went around to the other side of the wagon.
“Nevertheless, I can get into the wagon by myself.”
He climbed into the seat beside her. “If we want to present the picture of a happily married couple, you are going to have to be less independent,” he told her sternly. “I’m not the sort of man to stand by and let his wife climb into a wagon by herself.”
With this, he pulled the reins from her hands and started the horses on their trip back to the hotel.