Luke recognized the pony first. Rose-pink in the sunset, as she had been in that sunrise after he had saved her life, she was covering the ground at breakneck speed with that beautiful, low, inimitably smooth action. He had a moment of outrage that anyone should ride her so dangerously fast after such a gruelling match yesterday. A split second later he recognized the rider. No, he was hallucinating. No-one rode so aggressively, so gracefully, or in such a hurry to get to goal. It must be a mirage.

Perdita was only wearing a khaki shirt and shorts. Her face was caked with dust, her features set, her whole body trembling as she tugged Fantasma to a halt in front of him. Luke, who had a lump as big as a polo ball in his throat, couldn’t speak. Neither could she. They just gazed and gazed at each other. Fantasma, however, had no such reserve. Whickering with delight, she shot forward nudging and licking and nuzzling her old master all over, searching his pockets for Polos.

Still unable to get a word out, Luke put his arms round her lovely head, breathing in the smell of her sweat, fighting back the tears. ‘You didn’t ride all the way?’ he mumbled stupidly.

‘Only from the airfield.’

‘You didn’t steal her?’

‘No. I bought her.’

‘But Alejandro said she wasn’t for sale.’

‘Every Argie has his price. Rupert gave me some money,’ she added by way of explanation. ‘It seemed the only way of spending it.’

‘But that was your security,’ said Luke, appalled.

Perdita shook her head violently.

‘It’s for us. You’re my security. You’re the only person I’ve ever felt secure with in my life.’

Tears were pouring down her face now, streaking the brown dust.

Frantically she wiped her eyes and nose with both hands like a child, streaking the dust sideways as well.

‘I love you,’ she sobbed. ‘If you love that revoltingly beautiful lawyer and don’t love me any more, I shall quite understand. But once you said you did and I hoped you still might. Ricky thought that perhaps . . . and Rupert too . . . we might try again. Oh, Christ’ – she gave a wail and put her hands over her face – ‘I’m such a cow.’

Next moment Luke had pulled her off Fantasma and into his arms and was kissing her harder than he’d ever hit a sixty-yard penalty.

‘I don’t believe it,’ he groaned. ‘I simply don’t believe it. I was sure it was still Red.’

‘I haven’t loved him for ages, not ever really. I always felt as though I was wearing boots on the wrong feet. I loved all the money and the trappings. Then I realized they didn’t mean anything. With you it’s truly bread and onions.’

‘I guess it is,’ said Luke ruefully. ‘I haven’t got a cent.’

‘Bullshit,’ said Perdita. ‘Now you’ve won the Open everyone wants you, including me. I only came back because you’ve become such a star.’

Luke grinned. ‘Double bullshit! You bought Fantasma before the match. That’s why Alejandro wasn’t looking nearly as guilty as he should have done yesterday.’

‘You’re right,’ gasped Perdita, when at long last he stopped kissing her. ‘I wanted something to cheer you up in case you lost.’

Luke took both her hands in his and kissed them.

‘Gracias,’ he said shakily. ‘The only thing better in the world you could have given me is yourself.’

Exactly on cue Leroy bounced up with a mud-caked nose and threw himself on Perdita. For an outraged second, Fantasma flattened her ears and stamped her foot, then, recognizing her old friend, she once more whickered in delight as Leroy barked ecstatically and licked her pink nose.

Luke turned back to Perdita.

‘I love you more than anything else in the world.’

‘More than Leroy and Fantasma?’

‘Don’t push your luck.’

‘Don’t push my Luke,’ said Perdita, reaching up to kiss him again. ‘I’ll have to change my name.’ She gave a sigh of happiness. ‘I’m not the Lost One any more.’

‘You’ll have to change your name anyway,’ said Luke slowly.

With a trembling hand he tugged out the bit of Fantasma’s mane that was left long on the whithers to stop the saddle rubbing and wound it round Perdita’s wedding-ring finger.

‘I can’t go down on one knee because of my cartilage.’ For once the deep, Florida drawl was coming out in a rush. ‘But d’you figure you could possibly love me enough to . . . ?’

He didn’t need to go on. With an instinct that knew that neither Perdita nor Luke would take any notice of her for some time, Fantasma gently started to eat the grass.


THE END