CHAPTER 8
The New Market Hunt Gup
As if even the Fates were excited that it was finally the day of the races, the sun slipped from the horizon as a brilliant ball of light. It may have been Apollo, eager to show the swiftness of his horses pulling the golden chariot of the sun. It was fortuitous however the sun rose, because when it set in the evening, Dark Star could be the new reigning champion and seal the stable's reputation.
Although waiting for Sarah to get ready had taken half the morning, and they had joined Nicholas and John only for the last race of novice fillies before lunch, Alix did not feel the day had started poorly. Sarah's pick to win was a filly better suited to sprinting than running a mile, but Alix liked the brown mare that placed second and decided to make an inquiry about purchasing her. Before the afternoon sessions could begin, when Sarah wished to freshen up and the men enjoyed their pipes, Alix slipped away to see if she could find Robbie, or at least discover the spread of the odds.
The halls were quiet. Alone, she ventured down the stairs. She paused on the upper mezzanine to scan the lobby for Robbie, but a glance at the enormous clock suggested if he was not giving Ozzie last-minute instructions at the clubhouse, he might be in the wagering room, working on the odds for Dark Star's race. She was anxious to learn the outcome of Quenton's quick trip out to Margate, and hesitated when a garrulous group of men breezed through the lobby below her vantage point. Their ranks thinned, exposing Robbie when they passed into the hall to the wagering room. Compelled to follow, she hurried to the stairs.
"Oh yoo-hoo, Lily!" Millicent Fabersham called from the upper staircase. Gathering her skirts, Millicent swooped down to join her. "Where've you been?"
"Watching the races," Alix responded. She bit her tongue impatiently and looked ruefully toward Robbie's disappearing company.
"I've heard," Millicent said, lowering her voice as she neared, "that you've been stuck with that dreary Sarah Newton."
"Don't forget she's Lady Wesley now," Alix reminded her distractedly, at a loss for a reason to escape.
"Oh well, as pitiful as that is. Where're you going?"
Millicent asked, peering down into the milling throng. "Did you see someone interesting?"
"No, I'm going down to look at the odds." "Odds," the lady repeated dubiously.
Alix was reasonably assured Lily's friend would have no passion to pursue the interest. "Sarah and I have lost the wager we placed this morning; I wish to have an advantage this afternoon."
"Oh," Millicent sniffed, lifting her lorgnette suspiciously. "I must say, it sounds boring."
"I beg your pardon, but I'd like to dash off before Sarah-"
"I'll be right there, Lily!" Sarah hailed as she hurried down the stairs toward them.
"Of course," Alix muttered in frustration.
Millicent sighed sympathetically. "I'm sorry I didn't let you get away while you still could! Oh, dear, but I'm sure you'll understand that, regretfully, I must be on my way. Ta-ta, Sarah!"
"Oh, that's too bad," Sarah replied cheerfully while Millicent rushed for the nearest card room. "What're you doing down here all alone, Lily? Where's Nicholas?"
"I'm just running down for a quick peek at the wagering boards."
Sarah's fair expression clouded doubtfully. "Oh, Lily . . . I don't know if that's such a good idea. I didn't think women were allowed there-at least, not the decent sort."
"They keep the odds posted outside the betting room; I heard some men refer to it, and I thought I'd take a look." "If Nicholas can't go, I'll ask Johnny-"
"You wait here," Alix proposed swiftly, before she lost track of Robbie. She might sound brave, but the wagering room was the last place she wished to be caught alone. "I'll be right back."
"But aren't you worried about what people will think?"
"I'll return before anyone notices."
"Oh, Lily, please wait!" An abrupt commotion and then murmuring silence from the hallway to the betting room stopped Alix at the foot of the stairs, and Sarah ran down to pull her to safety as the gathering began to push closer. "What's happening?"
Alix could not tell beyond the sea of men, but when the tension began to draw others from the lobby, she shielded Sarah cautiously. "I don't know, but don't look; a row might be starting."
Sarah retreated up the lower steps to where she could crane her neck to see over the men's heads. "Don't tell me not to look and then endanger yourself !"
Robbie suddenly split through the crowd, emerging from the direction of the betting room with a stable boy in tow. He passed by Alix without noticing her, barking orders at the boy. "Run and show me the way, lad. Don't worry if I can keep pace. I'll be right behind you-just go!"
"Yes, sir!" The child bolted for the exit with Robbie on his heels, leaving Alix to watch, dumbfounded, as they disappeared through the doors.
"What's happening? Who was that man?"
"Look!" Alix directed Sarah to a cluster of chalkboards propped in the entry, as the crowd shifted to allow someone to write on them. Her heart plummeted when a decisive line drawn through a name gave rise to a ripple of murmuring.
Sarah peered at Alix uncertainly. "What's he doing?" "Someone's been scratched from the race! Don't look now, by Jove, but I think it's Dark Star!"
"You can read that from this far away?" "No, but it's why I'm going closer to look!" Sarah caught her arm. "Lily, you daren't!"
"If my horse is scratched-I mean, if our wager needs to be changed-I have to be sure!" Anxiously peeling herself from Sarah's grasp, Alix was quickly caught in the surge of men crowding to see the changes.
Sarah suddenly squeezed through to grab her hand. "Stop! Lily, this is close enough!"
"Sarah, stay back!"
"Lily?" Nicholas Griffon's incredulous voice rose above the noisy room.
"0h, God, now we've done it!" Sarah cringed, craning her neck to find Lily's husband. "Nicholas, we're over here," she called with a gay wave, and tightened her grip on Alix's hand to keep from being separated. "Lily, you've got to come with me!" Alix balked with stunned confusion in the jostling crush, unwittingly thinking aloud. "I can't believe that Star's been scratched. What's happened? Why did Rob . . ."
"Oh! Nicholas," Sarah gulped with relief, disregarding Alix as he shoved through the crowd to reach them. "You're just in time! Someone has marked out our entry in the Newmarket Cup steeplechase!"
Nicholas scowled at Alix, blocking the press of men pushing to read the boards. "Lily, what in the devil do you think you're doing?" he demanded, taking her elbow firmly to guide her and Sarah to safety.
The reminder of her sister pulled Alix from her bewilderment briefly. Resigning herself to her part, she swiftly assumed Lily's affectation. "The board's impossible to read from the lobby," she reasoned as