“Do either of you need anything Miss Bette?”

“Could you be a dear and make us up a light lunch I want to ride down to Three Meadows with Tina?  By the way is Daddy here?”

“Yes, he’s in his study. Shall I get John to take your bags up?”

“Thanks Mary and tell Fred we’ll be down at the stables in about half an hour.”

Bette knocked on a heavy wooden door, “Come!” barked a deep voice.

“Hello Daddy, are we interrupting?”

“I’m never too busy for my darling girl, come here and give you father a hug.”  Bette did as she was bid. “And who do we have here?” Melvin asked looking over Bette’s shoulder. 

Bette let go of her father and returned to Tina’s side taking her hand and gently pushing her forward. “Daddy, this Tina Kennard, junior at Rivercourt.” Bette looked at Tina “and my girlfriend.” Bette added almost triumphantly. Tina gave an almost imperceptible smile and raised an eyebrow at Bette.

Without missing a beat Melvin said “I’m pleased to meet you Ms Kennard, welcome to Oakwood.”

“I’m very pleased to meet you too Sir Melvin and please call me Tina.”

“Only on the understanding that you call me Melvin.  Now tell me Tina did you do your pupilage at Rivercourt?”

Yes, Eric Brentwood was my Pupil Master and I’ve been a junior tenant there for the last year.”

Just as Melvin was going to reply the intercom buzzed, “Sir Melvin I have the Lord Chancellor on line one.”

“Thank you Michelle, put him through.  I’ll see you girls at dinner.  Eight o’clock Bette, your mother will be here so don’t be late.” Melvin said accompanied by a small wave dismissing them.

Bette and Tina walked out of Melvin’s study, “If you still want to go riding we had better get changed, did you pack your riding gear?”

“Yup.” Tina replied.

“Race you to the top of the stairs.”

“How old are you Bette, five?” Tina asked while holding on to Bette’s arm to hold her back and to launch herself up the grand staircase.  Bette was hot on her heels and with an amount of pushing and shoving they reached the upper landing together squealing and laughing.  Bette stumbled through one of the doors off the landing trying to catch her breath, “I think Mary will have put you in here, next to my room.” She said through ragged breath.

Tina and Bette both flopped on to the bed, their breathing almost back to normal. “This is a beautiful room Bette, God that view, I could imagine waking up to that every morning.  Come here Porter, you’ve got some explaining to do.”

“Ah, that would be the ‘girlfriend’ thing would it?” Bette asked sheepishly as she sat up next to Tina.

“No” Tina replied as she straddled Bette’s lap.

“What then?” Bette asked perplexed.

“I’d expect a little more chivalry from my ‘girlfriend’.”

“Chivalry?”

“You know, it’s a noun, defined in the Oxford English Dictionary thus: ‘courtesy towards women’ especially one’s girlfriend!”

“I know what it means, what’s problematic for me is what you mean?”

“You should have let me win the race.” Seeing the worried look on Bette’s face Tina couldn’t hold back the laughter any longer and broke in to a fit of giggles.

“You are such a tease” Bette said as she started to tickle Tina’s ribs “So are you ok with the girlfriend thing?”

TBC