A Three Day Event Read Online Free PDF Page B

by the people at the Château Saint Armand, again courtesy of Hy Jacobson (nod, smile), who held a partial interest there, tents and catering by Evénements Ltée . Videotaping by…
    Hy began to daydream. His own meetings at the head office of Tissus Clar – Mor rarely took more than one hour. This agenda was a hodge–podge of important decisions that should have come up pre–discussed by the executive of the Federation with recommendations attached, and trivial details any sub–committee could have dealt with. There was no order of priority, and he could see large gaps in representation from involved parties.
    He strolled over to the coffee urn and eyed the solitary muffin on the tray beside it. Lunch would be a while yet, he could see. Then imagining Manon’s mock–reproachful caramel eyes reminding him of his determination to shed those last five pounds, he sighed and took just the coffee back to the table. He wished he were home with Manon right now, in the newly renovated, rambling country kitchen, watching her quick, skilled hands assembling a delicious salad, or stirring one of her aromatic chunky vegetable soups, as they chatted about their respective days, the progress her new Belgian mare was making in the working trot and shoulder–in, the plans for renovating the barn and building the indoor arena…
    Hy frowned as thoughts of the arena brought a niggling question to mind. Polo had said he might come over to Saint Armand one day this week from St. Lazare if he could collect all three bids for the rough exterior work. Had he mentioned what day? Hy couldn’t remember if he had told him he would be away all day today. Damn. It was unlike him to miss or forget to cancel an appointment of any kind. No, now that he thought of it, he was sure one of them had said to confirm first.
    Hy sighed hugely and looked up to catch Thea Ankstrom’s amused eye. He smiled back. He looked forward to telling Manon about this interesting woman, as he looked forward to telling Manon everything. It was a continuing wonder to him that happiness like this had been waiting in the wings for him. Manon often said the same. Their luck in finding each other was one of the great topics of their ongoing conversation.
    What if the manager at the Granby Tissus Clar–Mor where she worked had been more competent and the year–end figures consistently inconspicuous? What if his behaviour–the manager’s–had not become so erratic that Hy felt he must come to Granby in person to check things out? What if she–assistant manager–had been on her day off when Hy arrived and appropriated her to go over the books and question her about the operations?
    Then Hy would never have noticed and exclaimed over the picture on her desk of herself and her daughter on horseback. He would not have found out that she had been a single mother for twenty lonely years. They would not have gone to dinner together at the Château Saint Armand. He would not have told her about the mistakes he had made in his own marriage and the resentment his children now felt over his impending divorce. They would not have fallen in love.
    The committee was now on to Disciplines Chairmen. Dressage would be looked after by the resident Dressage trainer, Fran Briquemont, the native Belgian, but German–trained, classicist and perfectionist. His wife Eva and Manon Jacobson would assist him. Manon would also oversee the landscaping and assume hostess duties for the show as a whole.
    The Three–Day Event would naturally be under the supervision of Bridget Pendunnin. The physical preparations of the cross–country course would be carried out by stable hands and extra labour paid for by grants from the provincial government.
    “And of course,” Marion concluded, “Roch will be in charge of the Jumper division, but as you indicated some time ago, Roch, since you are also the General Director of the event, you will need a good deal of help–a co–chair. I have recently been in