Star Dancer Read Online Free PDF Page A

result of Ger’s brushing, and Suzanne let Ger stand at the horse’s head and keep him still while she mounted.
    Ger glanced around at the other riders, with their grooms and friends and families. He wanted them all to see him – him, Ger Casey! – at the RDS, helping with a show horse. A show horse!
    Then he saw them. On the other side of the schooling area, Anto and Danny, and Rags too.
    They saw him at the same time and began running around the fence towards him.
    High above Ger’s head, Suzanne said, ‘I wonder where Dad is? He said he’d be here to watch us.’
    ‘Ger! Ger!’ Anto shouted. People were turning to stare. A horse shied nervously away from the running, yelling boys.
    Ger said a word Suzanne was never allowed to say. She looked down at him. His face was white with anger under his freckles.‘Are those your friends?’ she asked.
    ‘Them? I don’t know ‘em.’
    But they knew him. Led by Anto, they came right up to the edge of the ring, shoving people, pushing through while others glared at them. ‘Hey Ger!’ Rags cried.
    ‘Thought you were going to be on a horse! What’re ye doing here, picking pockets?’ He laughed as if that was very funny.
    At that moment Suzanne’s father came through the crowd with Anne, the riding instructor. They ignored the yelling boys. Anne called to Suzanne, ‘Right, it’s time for you to start warming up. Begin with large circles now, that’s it, strongly forward and keep his rhythm …’ She slipped between the fence rails and joined Suzanne in the schooling area, leaving Ger with Suzanne’s father, Anto and the other boys.
    For the first time Mr O’Gorman looked at Ger, who was holding a brush and white cloth stable-rag in one hand. He looked every inch the groom, though a bit small. ‘Were you helping my daughter?’ Mr O’Gorman asked.
    Ger looked up. The man had the same kind eyes as Suzanne. ‘Yes sir.’
    ‘Sir!’ Anto elbowed Danny, Danny elbowed Rags, and they all sniggered. ‘Sir!’ they mimicked rudely.
    Ger turned his back on them. ‘I was grooming Star Dancer for her,’ he told Mr O’Gorman.
    ‘Were you now?’ Mr O’Gorman’s lips twitched into a smile. ‘That’s good of you, thanks. Well, let’s see how she does.’ He folded his arms, rocked back on his heels, and stood watching Suzanne.
    After a moment’s hesitation, Ger folded his arms and stood injust the same way, watching too.
    Star Dancer’s brown coat shone. Suzanne, in her breeches and boots, a white shirt and neat black coat and helmet, looked very neat and polished. Everything was perfect, Ger thought with satisfaction. And he had helped.
    He forgot about the other boys in the pleasure of the moment.
    Then Anto sidled up to him and hissed, ‘Ger, what d’ye think you’re up to? Aren’t you going to introduce us to your posh friend?’
    Ger shot him an angry glance. ‘Shut up, will ye. You’ve to be quiet around horses.’
    ‘What d’you know about horses? I don’t see you on one. You said you was going to be riding, that’s why we’re here.’
    ‘How did you lot get in here, anyway?’ Ger asked.
    ‘Over the fence ‘way down at the corner by the bushes. We’d to wait ages ‘till no one was looking. But we made it. Now it’d better be worth it. I’m bored with all this standin’ around.’ It sounded like a threat.
    Out of the corner of his eye, Mr O’Gorman was watching. If this red-haired lad was a friend of Suzanne’s – fine, but he didn’t like the look of the other lads. Aloud he said to Ger, ‘Come on, we’d better get over to the dressage ring and get a place for ourselves if we’re going to watch her test.’
    He began to walk away. Gratefully, Ger fell in beside him, matching strides with the taller man. He was aware that the boys trotted along behind them at first, then fell back.
    Ger felt like two people. It was a strange feeling. Part of him wanted to be sauntering along with Anto and the gang, sneering at the snobs and making