Rejection Runs Deep (The Canleigh Series, book 1: A chilling psychological family drama), Carole Williams [ebook reader 8 inch .TXT] 📗

be at the Hall.  She wanted to stay here, safe with the Kershaw’s.  What a pity she and Philip weren’t old enough to marry so that she could.  How happy she would be then, living here and knowing that as soon as her father died she would have Canleigh, thanks to Richard and the treasured piece of paper hidden in the stables.  That time couldn’t come quickly enough.

CHAPTER 11 TANGLES - JUNE 1964

Philip didn’t want to get up and laid in bed, listening to the pigeons cooing outside his window in the branches of the old apple tree.  It was a Saturday morning and normally, once their homework was done, any free time was usually a great opportunity for him and Delia to ride virtually all day but since she had been bedridden and wouldn’t talk to anyone, his joy in their favourite pastime had sunk to an all time low.  He missed Delly more than she would ever know and so badly wanted her to get better.   She was bossy, could be moody, was a slave driver when she wanted anything doing but she was his best friend; made him laugh, awed him with her recklessness in the saddle and most of all she loved him.  Nothing had been said but he knew she planned for them to marry when they were old enough.  He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.  Thankfully that time was still a long way off and anything could happen before then.  He wouldn’t worry about it now.

Hearing the clink of china in the kitchen, Philip stirred himself.  Gran was so busy and the least he could do was help her by taking up Delia’s breakfast tray.

“Morning, young man,” smiled Constance when he entered the kitchen still dressed in his dressing gown and slippers.

“Morning, Gran.”

“It’s going to be a lovely day today,” Constance said, looking out of the window.  “Perhaps you could parade Star and Velvet under Delia’s window again, once I get her out of bed.”

Philip took the tray his grandmother handed him with its cornflakes, boiled eggs, buttered bread and orange juice.  “Of course I will.  I bet Star wonders what on earth is going on, not having seen Delly for such a while.”

“Verity must be wondering the same about you.  You’ve hardly been on her back for weeks.”

“I know but I’m not keen on riding on my own.  It’s just not the same without Delly.”

He walked upstairs with the tray despondently, wishing Delia would hurry up and recover.  He felt very lonely without her.  He had other friends, those he went to school with and some from the Pony Club but it was always Delly whose company he most enjoyed, right from when they were tiny children and he was taken to play in the nursery at the Hall.  While Richard pored over books and Vicky played with her dolls, Philip and Delly fought over who was going to ride the rocking horse first.  Delly always won of course but generous in her victories, let him ride after her and then gave him her ice cream at the nursery tea.

The pair grew close with their love of horses.  Perkins taught Delia to ride but once she was proficient and could ride by herself down to Tangles, down to Tangles she would come.  She loved being here with all the animals, adored Ralph and Constance and loved Philip.  She was always saying that next to Canleigh, it was the best place on earth and any time she could spend here was a real bonus.  However, none of them had expected her to languish in a bedroom at Tangles for so long.

Philip knocked and pushed open her bedroom door, carefully balancing the tray but nearly dropping it when he entered the room.

Delia was sitting up in bed, bright eyed and brushing her hair vigorously.

“About time, Philip.  I’m absolutely ravenous.  I want to eat breakfast, get dressed and get outside.  I’m fed up with watching you parade Star around and I’ve had enough of being an invalid.  I want to ride.  It’s a gorgeous morning and I want to gallop up to the top field and look at the view.  If you hurry you can come with me … don’t stand there staring.  Now, go and have your breakfast too.  We don’t want to waste a minute.”

She laid down the hairbrush and gestured for him to put the tray down.

“That’s great,” replied Philip, still in shock, as he placed the tray on her lap.

“I don’t suppose you’ve given Star any exercise while I’ve been languishing here,” Delia said between mouthfuls of cornflakes.

“Er … no.  I haven’t even ridden Verity much.  I just wanted to be in here with you … trying to get you better.”

“Commendable, I’m sure but that attitude is not going to win any prizes.  We need to get some serious practice in … and I want to go down and hug Velvet too.  It looks as if it won’t be long before her foal is born and I’m not going to miss that for anything.”

“Oh, Delly!” Philip almost shouted, grinning from ear to ear.  “That’s brilliant.  I can’t wait to tell everyone.”

“How many times have I told you not to call me Delly!  My name is Delia,” she said grandly, a hint of a smile on her lips.

“Yes, Delly … anything you say,” he called back gaily as he dashed back downstairs to tell his grandparents.

“She wants to ride … she wants to ride,” he yelled with delight, crashing into the kitchen, a huge beam on his face.

“Oh, that’s absolutely marvellous!” cried Constance with tremendous relief.

“That’s fantastic news,” said Ralph who was seated at the table finishing his breakfast.  “She needs to take it easy to begin with though.  Delia will be weaker than she thinks, having been in bed for so long.  She will need