London Lace, #2 Read Free

by Merlin’s Magic and my dam, Sheba. I brought that little power house into the word.” He chuckled, and for a moment he looked like a proud daddy.
    This was a whole other side to Todd. Not that she knew his others, but this was one side his family didn’t seem to appreciate.
    “Do you want to place a bet?” said Todd.
    “Um. No thank you. You go ahead though.”
    He looked at her a moment. “Oh. I’m not a gambler. I just like to see the horses run.” He took her hand. “That’s what I want to show you.” He pulled her toward the nearest viewing platform.
    The oval spread out wide and green before them, the sky a marbled blue backdrop, the track a smooth brown loop edged with white fencing.
    Surrounded by the buzz of conversation and cheering, she heard the rumble of galloping hooves in the distance and an announcer calling out names and positions. It was just a normal day at the races but it felt like a special occasion compared to her regular life. What must it be like on the biggest race days, or the Ladies’ Days? Those fashion parades kept Eliza’s shop humming and her creativity always on its edge. She couldn’t help noticing the pillboxes, brims, and fascinators coloring the stands.
    Todd’s eyes were on the track, of course. He dragged her closer to the railing.
    He pointed. “That’s him!”
    “Which one?” They were four-legged blurs of black and brown, with the jockeys on their backs a rainbow of colors.
    “He’s in third place. Oh, wait. He’s dropped to fourth, but he’s coming up again to third.” Todd pumped his fist. “He might even place second!” Todd was beaming. “One more lap to go. He could do it. I’ll be damned. Come on.”
    He headed down some steps to a lower level a little closer to the track. Betters were waving little papers and shouting as the horse rounded into the last lap. The announcer grew even livelier and spoke more rapidly. Eliza vibrated with all the excitement around her. She held on to Todd’s hand as a kind of anchor.
    They pushed forward to the lower railing. Todd slipped his hand around her shoulder and drew her close. Though he was still completely focused on the horses rounding the bend and driving to the finish line, his arm had slipped so automatically around her, so protectively and possessively. She fit perfectly under his arm; she felt as if she belonged there.
    The horses barreled to the finish line to a cacophony of cheers and clapping. Dante’s Fire took second place. Todd was thrilled.
    The jockeys rode the horses for a cool down before passing quite close to where Eliza was standing. She could see the lather around the horses’ bits, the slick sheen on their haunches, their muddied hooves and shanks.
    Clusters of people were now moving and gathering into social pockets to chat and compare race highlights before the next race started. Todd waved at a few people nearby. One fellow walked over and shook his hand.
    “Haven’t see you around lately, mate.”
    “Andrew, good to see you again,” said Todd. “Been down in the country doing the real work. The kind that makes this stuff possible.”
    “One of yours here today?”
    “Came in second in that race, I’m proud to say. Dante’s Fire.”
    “Ah, he’s your baby? Or was?”
    “Right. Belongs to Harvey Selfridge now.”
    “Well, I’ll keep an eye on him,” said Adrew. His gaze flicked to Eliza.
    Todd caught the look. “Where are my manners? Andrew Wakefield, Eliza Keating.”
    “Pleasure,” said Eliza offering her hand and smiling.
    Andrew took it. “The pleasure’s all mine.”
    A well-dressed couple approached their small group. The woman wore a peacock-feather-festooned fascinator clipped to her stiffly-coiffed do. Much smaller than a hat, and needing a clip to secure it to the wearer's head, fascinators could be dramatic and eye-catching, like this one, or elegant and subdued for less festive but still formal events. Eliza had created many of both types. This woman