Pegasus: A Novel Read Free

tomorrow,” Nick said regretfully as he started the car.
     “I’ll come by after lunch and watch you train that stallion of yours.” Nick had been
     watching Alex work with the young Lipizzaner for months, and was as always in awe
     of his skill.
    “I still have so much work to do with him. I promised him to the riding school in
     January. He’s the right age, but I don’t think he’s ready yet.” The four-year-old
     stallion showed a lot of spirit, and Nick never got bored watching Alex take him through
     his paces. The Lipizzaner stallion would have impressed anyone just as he was, except
     Alex, who was a perfectionist and rarely satisfied with his results. “Come over whenever
     you want,” Alex invited him, and a few minutes later, Nick drove off with a jaunty
     wave and headed toward his own estate a few miles away, as Alex walked back into the
     schloss, to visit his daughter and see how she was.
    Marianne was lying in bed, looking bored with a book, and she still appeared feverish
     but better than she had the night before. He touched her forehead with a gentle hand,
     and was relieved to find her cooler, although her eyes were still dull and her nose
     was red.
    “How do you feel?” he asked, as he sat down next to her on the bed.
    “Stupid for lying here. Did you have fun at the hunt? Did they get the fox?” Her eyes
     lit up as she asked him. She had thought about everyone hunting all day.
    “Of course. It wasn’t nearly as much fun without you, but I’m happy you stayed home.
     It was freezing today. We’re going to have a hard winter, if it’s cold as early as
     this.”
    “Good. I like it when it snows.” She was happy to see him. “Toby came to see me today.”
     She brightened a little, speaking of Nick’s son. He came to visit all the time and
     worshipped her. He’d had a crush on her for years, and she treated him like a little
     brother. Toby could hardly wait for the day when he could pursue her, and she’d take
     him seriously. Marianne knew that day would never come. “Don’t tell his father he
     was here. You know how Nick is when anyone is sick.” He had been nervous about illness
     ever since his wife and daughter had died of influenza, and he was particularly cautious
     about his sons. “We played chess. I beat him,” she said happily as her father smiled
     at her.
    “You should be nicer to him. He thinks the sun rises and sets on you.”
    “That’s just because he doesn’t know any other girls.” She was completely unaware
     of her beauty, and her effect on men. Several young men, and even their fathers, had
     been looking longingly at her for the past few years, and Alex was relieved that it
     never turned her head. She was much more interested in her father’s horses, andspending time with him, than she was in men. There was a childlike innocence about
     her still, which touched his heart. He couldn’t bear the thought of parting with her
     one day if she got married and moved away. But even if she did, he knew she wouldn’t
     go far.
    Marianne attended the local school, with the children of other noble families, and
     she had no interest in going to university in another city, particularly now that
     there was so much unrest and disruption in the cities and towns. His own father had
     insisted that he attend university in Heidelberg, and he had been happy to come home
     again, to what he thought was the most beautiful place on earth. And Alex was relieved
     that Marianne agreed with him about it. Sometimes he felt guilty for depriving her
     of a bigger life, but with turmoil around the country, she was better off here. He
     liked keeping her close to him, where he knew she was safe.
    “Can I have dinner with you downstairs, Papa?” she asked, ready to get out of bed,
     although she was still pale, and Alex shook his head with a stern expression.
    “No, you’re not well enough yet. And it’s drafty downstairs. I asked them to bring
     us trays here. Marta