Secret of the Stallion by Bonnie Bryant Read Free Book Online

said, greeting them all with a warm hug.
    “We just got here,” Stevie explained. “We were in London seeing absolutely everything we could cram into three days, but now it’s time to get down to business. That means horses. Can we meet yours?”
    “You certainly may,” said Nigel. “Ladies, I’d like to introduceyou to Pound Sterling.” He stepped away from the stall opening so they could see the horse in question. “Sterling—that’s what I call him—is a Thoroughbred stallion, eight years old. He’s a silvery gray, which is how he got his name, and he’s the property of Lord Yaxley.”
    “Yaxley?” Lisa asked. “That’s not what Max said. Are you sure you’ve got the right guy?”
    Nigel laughed. “Absolutely,” he assured them. “However, Max may have been uncertain about how to pronounce it. It
is
pronounced Yaxley, but it’s spelled Y-A-W-E-L-K-E-S-L-E-I-G-H. We British have become expert at eliminating unnecessary vowels when we speak.”
    “Right, like Harcourt-St. Claire’s-in-the-Wold becoming Hart-Sinclair,” said Lisa.
    “Oh, that’s right,” said Nigel. “I heard a rumor that you were all riding horses from Dickens. It’s true, then?”
    “Yes, it is, and I guess we’re going to have to do a super job to live up to Dickens’s reputation.”
    “You’ll do your best and that’s all anybody expects,” Nigel said. The girls knew that was true. It was just that they expected their best to earn first place.
    “And what about you?” Lisa asked, admiring the sleek stallion in the stall. “Is Sterling as wonderful as he looks?”
    “I think so,” said Nigel. “Lord Yaxley doesn’t seem convinced, though. He’s been grumbling for months that this fellow isn’t worth what he paid for him and he’ll never get his money out in stud fees, either. He’s been hoping for a big win to increase the horse’s value so he can sell Sterlingat a huge profit. I’d like to oblige him, and I’m sure Sterling has the skills and the power. Besides, it would be good for me to ride one of Yaxley’s horses to a blue ribbon.”
    Carole looked at Sterling. It was hard for her to imagine a horse like that disappointing anyone. “Don’t worry,” she assured Nigel. “You’ll do well on him.”
    “With the proper cheering section,” he said.
    “We’ll be there for you,” said Stevie. “And we’ll make all the noise we can muster.”
    “Which is quite a lot,” Lisa said.
    “I’ll be listening for it,” said Nigel. Then he glanced at his watch. “Right now, however, I’ve got to get to a team meeting. See you three tomorrow!”
    He gave Sterling a final pat and left the girls to find their way to aisle 2, stalls 15 to 18. It didn’t take long. There, waiting patiently for them, were Miss Havisham, Copperfield, Pip, and Nickleby. They looked well adjusted to their new surroundings. Carole explained to her friends that that probably meant they were used to being transported and spending time in unfamiliar stables.
    “In other words, I think they compete a lot,” said Carole.
    “I think we’re very lucky to have these horses to ride,” said Lisa.
    “It’s not luck, it’s you,” said Stevie. “Just because you rescued Tessa when she’d been thrown by her horse the last time you were in England …”
    Lisa shrugged. “I was just doing what every good rider does when another gets into trouble. I was being helpful. And now she’s being helpful back.”
    “I like her kind of helpful,” Stevie said, giving Copperfield a hug. He nuzzled her neck and tickled her, making her laugh.
    Pip stuck his head out over the stall door and looked around, peering first one way down the aisle and then the other.
    “I guess he’s curious,” said Lisa, patting him affectionately.
    “I think he’s just looking for the door,” said Carole. “These horses have spent as much time in the van as we did in the bus. I bet they’d like to get out.”
    “Like to go for a ride?” Stevie