I walked around for a while and tried to find the ex-jockey who managed the Injured Jockeys Fund At last I found him in the private bar of a television company
He held up his glass 'Want a drink?' he asked
I shook my head. 'I'm riding in a minute. I just want to give you a cheque.'
He stared at the cheque. 'Wonderful!' he said
'Is it the first time that Yaxley's been so generous?'
'No,it isn't,'he said. 'He gave us ten thousand a few months ago, just before he went to Hong Kong. We took it,of course, but we wondered... He'd just been paid a hundred thousand for those horses that were shot...'
'Well, he's going abroad again,and he gave me this chequr fr you,' I explained. ,Have you had any other large cheques like that?
'Not many as large as this,no.Ivor den Relgan gave us a thousand at the beginning of the season. Very generous.'
He went back to the bar and I returned to the weighing room. I was as bad as George, I thought. Just as bad. It didn't seem so wrong, now that I had done it myself.
Watch this horse,' Harold said. 'he made a lot of mistakes during his last race. He needs a good view of each fence.'
'OK,'I said
I kept the horse in front. Over the first fence. Good jump, no trouble. Over the second...Over the third... Suddenly the horse's feet touched the top of the fence. He and I crashed to the grass together, and twenty-two horses came over the jump after us. It happened very fast.
It had happened before and it would happen again. I lay painfully on my side and looked at the grass.Nothing seemed to be broken. I got up slowly and went back to the weighing room in an ambulance. I saw the doctor, who said that no bones wewe broken. Harold was waiting.
'I'll drive you home,' he said. 'One of the boys can follow with your car.'
I agreed and we drove silently to Lambourn.
'A bad fall,' Harold said at last.
'Mmm. Is the horse all right?'
'Yes, stupid animal.'
'If Victor Briggs comes down here again,' I said,'would you tell me?'
He looked sideways at me. 'You want to see him?'
'I want to know his plans.'
'Why not leave it?'
'I can't.Don't worry. I don't want to lose this job. I just want to talk to him.'
'All right,'Harold said doubtfully. He stopped his car beside my front door. 'Are you all right?' he asked.
'You're shaking
'I'll have a hot bath,' I replied. 'thanks for the lift home.'
'You'll be better for next week? Tuesday at Plumpton?'
'Absolutely,' I said.
It was already dark. I turned on the lights and made some coffee.Bath, food, television, bed, I thought.
Mrs Jackson, my neighbour, came round. 'A man from the water company came to look round your hose this morning,' she said. 'He wanted to check all the old pipes-he said there had been some problems. Anyway, he showed me his papers, and I came in with him.'
'That's fine, Mrs Jackson,'I said
She went,and I telephoned Jeremy. I told him that I had news about Yaxley.
'I'll see you later,' he said.
'Not to day,' I said. 'I'm going to bed early. Come tomorrow.'
I went to the barthroom and lay in the hot water for a long time. There were bruises all over my body.
At nine o'clock, the front door bell rang. I got dressed, and went and opened the door. Ivor den Relgan stood there. He was holding a gun.
'Move back,' he said. 'I'm coming in.'
I stepped backward, afraid. I saw the hate in his eyes He was certain to kill me. I felt light,empty.
He stepped through my door and kicked it shut behind him. 'George Millace was bad,' he said. 'You're worse.'
He was a man who loved to be important. I had shown
he was dishonest, a liar,a cheat. He had been thrown out of the Jockey Club because of me.
Be careful, Jeremy had said
I hadn't been.
'Did you...'I said. My voice sounded strange. 'Did you burn his house?'
'Burnt! To the ground! And you had the photographs all the time!' he said angrily. 'Move back.' He waved the gun. 'Back there. Go on!
I moved back past the darkroom door.I'll have to run, I thought wildly. I must try to escape.
Suddenly the kitchen door crashed open. Two men came into the hall fast, with masks over their faces.
I tried to fight them.
I tried, but I was bruised and torn already, because of my fall. I couldn't see, I couldn't short. I couldn't only just breathe. They hit my head, my face. When I fell on the ground, they used their boots. They kicked my arms,legs,back, stomach,head.
Everything went dark.
When I became conscious, it was quiet. I was lying on the floor. I'm alive, I thought. I tried to move. A bad mistake. My whole body screamed with pain. Perhaps I was going to die.
I lay quiet for house. I waited to die, but I didn't. I lay on the floor all night and all morning. The blood on my face dried.
Somebody rang the front door bell.
I lifted my head and moved my arms, my legs. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't.
The bell rang again. Go away, I thought. I'm better alone.
Then I heard someone at the back door-the broken back door.It was Jeremy.
'Philip!' He knelt down beside me.'Your face! You've got blood everywhere. Can you see? Your eyes are...'He stopped.
He wanted to move me, to wash me, to call a doctor. I wanted to stay quiet, until I could move my self.
'Well...do you want anything?Tea?'
'Find some champagne. Kitchen cupboard.'
Jeremy thought that I was mad, but he found a bottle and brought me a glass. I drank some of it.
The font door bell rang again. The visitor was Clare. She knelt beside me and said, 'This isn't a fall, is it? Someones's done this to you, haven't they?'
'Have some champagne.'
She stood up and fetched a glass .
'We must get a doctor,'said Jeremy.
'If he wants to lie on the floor, let him. He's been injured many times. He know what's best.'
a girl who understands, I thought. Fantastic!
Clare and Jeremy sat in the kitchen and talked.I drank some more champagne and felt that soon I would sit up.
The front door bell rang again.
Clare walked to the front door. The girl outside pushed