I rode the perimeter of the paddock at a walk, then a trot, with the wind coming off the water. The field had been wet all week, but the ground held. Finch's ears flicked toward me when I asked him to turn. I felt my body answer before my mind had time to talk me out of it.
When I returned to the stable, Evelyn stood near the gate.
"You look warmer," she said.
"I am."
"Good."
I put Finch away and changed in the tack room. The trustees had gathered in the house, and the meeting began when I walked in. I sat at the end of the table with my proposal in front of me. Owen sat beside me. Richard sat opposite, with the consultant and two other trustees at his side.
"Before we begin," Richard said, "I want to be clear that we're not deciding the future of the whole estate today. We're decidi
