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John Morland's life was built around horsesHe was a conscientious
landlord, interested in his estate and histenantsBut breeding and
training race horses was his true passion, followed closely by fox
hunting in the winter on the magnificent hunters he kept for himself
Possibly they compensated for the romantic tragedy of Bart's absolute
devotion to the woman who had gained possession of his heart when
they
were both not much more than childrenHer name was Grace
Hastings
She'd been married to Julian Hastings for nearly twenty yearsJohn
Morland and Scarlett shared a bond of hopeless loveCharlotte had
told her what "everyone in Ireland" knew-John was relatively immune
to
husband-hunting women because he had little moneyHis title and
his property were old-impressively old -but he had no income except
his rents, and he spent almost every chanel bucket bag shilling of that on his horses
Even so, he was very handsome in an absentminded way, tall and fair
with warm, interested gray eyes and a breathtakingly sweet smile that
accurately reflected his goodhearted natureHe was strangely
innocent
for a man who had spent all of his forty-some years in the worldly
circles of British societyOccasionally a woman with money of her
own, like the Honourable Louisa, fell in love with him and made a
determined pursuit that embarrassed Morland and amused everyone
else
His eccentricities became more pronounced then; his
absentmindedness
bordered on vacancy, his waistcoats were often buttoned wrong, his
contagious whooping laughter became sometimes inappropriate, and
he
rearranged his collection of paintings by George Stubbs so often that
the walls of his house became peppered with holesA rolex replica beautiful
portrait
of the famous horse Eclipse was balanced perilously on a stack of
books, Scarlett noticedIt made no difference to her, she wanted to
know about RhettI'll go ahead and ask, she decided
Bart won't remember anyhow"Did Rhett say anything about me?"
Morland blinked, his mind on the filly's forebearsThen her question
registered"Oh, yes, he asked me if you might possibly sell Half
MoonHe's thinking about starting up the Dunmore Hunt againHe
wants me to keep my eye open for any more like Half Moon, too
"He'll have to come back to buy them, I guess," Scarlett said, praying
for affirmationBart's answer sunk her in despair
"No, he'll have to trust meHis wife's expecting, you see, and he
won't leave her sideBut now that I'll be aiming you at the cream of
the crop, I couldn't help Rhett anyhowI'll write and tell him so as
soon as I find the time louis vuitton white speedy 35 Scarlett was so preoccupied with Bart's news
that he had to shake her arm to get her attentionWhen did she want
to start the search for her hunters, he asked
Throughout the winter she went every Saturday with John Morland to
one
hunt or another in County Meath, trying out hunters that were for
sale
It wasn't easy to find mounts that suited her, for she demanded that
the horse be as fearless as she wasShe rode as if demons were
chasing her, and the riding eventually made it possible for her to stop
imagining Rhett as father to any child but CatWhen she was home,
she
tried to give the little girl extra attention and affectionAs usual,
Cat scorned embracesBut she would listen to stories about the
horses
for as long as Scarlett would talkWhen February came, Scarlett
turned the first sod with the same happy excitement as in earlier
yearsShe had kelly bag hermes succeeded in relegating Rhett to the past and seldom
thought of him at allIt was a new year, full of good things to
come
If Charlotte and MrsFitz ever got finished with whatever they were
doing to her house, she might even be able to give a partyShe
missed
Kathleen, and the rest of the familyPegeen made visits so
uncomfortable that she almost never saw her cousins any moreThat
could wait, it would have toThere was planting to be doneIn June
Scarlett spent a long, exhausting day being measured by the
dressmaker
Charlotte Montague had brought over from DublinScarlett had to hold her arms up, out, in
front, at her sides, one up one down, one forward one back, in every
imaginable position and some she would never have imagined
For what seemed like hoursThen the same thing sittingThen in
every position of the quadrille, the waltz, the chanel watches cotillion |
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