Filipa hoped that this was not true.
“Seaforth, who you were just talking about,” Mark went on, “also has an unknown horse, which he had brought over from Ireland.”
“Do you think you have a chance?”
“The Marquis has said that I can ride either Hercules or any horse in his stable with the exception of the one he is riding himself.”
“Is that the one called Jupiter?”
“Yes, that is right,” Mark agreed. “I think he is determined to have a big field and make it an exciting race which he will repeat every year if it is a success.”
“Are outside horses allowed to compete?”
“I understand that there are only about five of them,” Mark replied. “The locals know that they have not got a chance against the Marquis’s stable and the other races will be easier to win.”
Although Filipa thought that s
